“Broadway continued its January decline last week, with total cume down $2 million to $13.9 million for 21 shows on the boards. Still, a few shows saw upticks, notably ‘Speed-the-Plow’ ($421,987), which rose $87,000 in the first week of perfs with new star William H. Macy, who stepped into the lead role originally occupied by the departed Jeremy Piven (and played over the holidays by Norbert Leo Butz).” This is Broadway’s traditional slow time, slower this year with the recent spate of show closings.
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Film Rating System May Replace Censor In China
“China could be on the verge of implementing its first film classification system after the all-powerful State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (Sarft) submitted a new law to the cabinet — but it faces hardline opposition at the senior level within the ruling Communist Party. At the moment, films are deemed either suitable for all audiences or unsuitable, in which case censors cut entire scenes or ban the movie altogether — both drastic steps considering that scripts must be approved before a movie goes into production.”
Bank of America On Its Arm, Bridge Project Has Roving Eye
“Director Sam Mendes, with his wife, Kate Winslet, standing nearby, told a crowd of about 150 at the opening-night party for ‘The Cherry Orchard’ that he was astonished his new British-American theater venture got off the ground ‘in this climate.’ … [T]he Bridge Project, a three-year collaboration between Mendes, actor Kevin Spacey and BAM, is getting $2.8 million from its main sponsor, Bank of America.” That is, the, uh, troubled Bank of America.
Publishers RSVP ‘No’; BookExpo Canada May Be Canceled
“Reed Exhibitions hasn’t called the whole show off yet, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that BookExpo Canada will be happening this year. Last Friday, The Globe and Mail reported that Penguin Canada and HarperCollins Canada have joined Random House of Canada in deciding not to attend a 2009 show, and now other publishers are coming forward to say the same thing.”
Cerny’s EU Sculpture, Now With Toilet Discreetly Veiled
“A depiction of Bulgaria as a toilet in an artwork at the European Union headquarters in Brussels was covered up following a complaint by the government in Sofia. The section of the ‘Entropa’ avant-garde installation showing Bulgaria as a Roman or ‘Turkish’ toilet was draped with a black cloth last night, said Jan Vytopil, a spokesman for the Czech presidency of the EU.”
Pete Seeger As Measure Of Progress For A Nation
“Moments of historical symbolism do not rate higher than Barack Obama’s inauguration in Washington today. Yet on Sunday, with Obama listening, Washington witnessed another small sign of the mood of change and hope that will swathe the US Capitol today. More than 50 years ago, the leftwing folk-singer Pete Seeger was – a bit like many African-Americans – a second-class citizen in his own land.”
How A Symbol Of Freed Slaves Didn’t End Up On DC Statue
“When Barack Obama takes the oath of office as president of the United States, Thomas Crawford’s ‘Statue of Freedom’ will preside over the event from its exalted perch atop the Capitol dome. Metaphorically, at least, the nation’s first African American president will complete something the statue’s artist originally planned to evoke.”
A School For Troubled Young Adults Uses Arts As Anchor
Hollywood Media + Arts is “a nonprofit school aimed at offering skills and a haven to young adults who have no anchor, among them foster children who have aged out of the system, runaways from abusive families and people … who feel abandoned by their families.” Its free classes, in areas like music theory, fashion illustration and film history, are taught by volunteers.
The Getty Grows Up
James N. Wood, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, “agrees that calling the Getty an underachiever is a ‘fair characterization,’ but he wants to concentrate on the future. ‘We are an institution that is entering young adulthood,’ he says. ‘It’s been a hell of an adolescence: rich, painful and with fighting among siblings.'”
Live From The Lincoln Memorial, Minus The Gay Bishop
“One person who spoke to the hundreds of thousands at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday was the Rev. Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal bishop whose ordination created a rift in his church. However, you would never have known that from watching TV, as it was not included as part of HBO’s televised coverage.” The Presidential Inaugural Committee says it regrets the error.