Lion was the main producer for Hairspray and Jelly’s Last Jam, and she also played a major role in bringing Angels in America to Broadway. The artists she worked with remember how warm and how invested she was in their shows, and how absolutely committed. “She stuck with shows she believed in despite the considerable risk of losing money, as most Broadway productions do. She often put up her West Side apartment as collateral in support of a project.” – The New York Times
Tag: 01.25.20
A New Revenge Movie Perfect For – But Not About – The MeToo Era, Written And Directed By A Star Of ‘The Crown’
She’s a rising star of Season 3 (and 4) of The Crown, an executive producer for Killing Eve, and – oh yes – a writer and director of a movie whose trailer has been viewed more than 3 million times. And she’s written the story and book for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new Cinderella. About that new revenge thriller, Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan, Emerald Farrell says: “I really wanted [it] to come out on Valentine’s Day, and I don’t mean that as a joke. I think what I wanted to make — and the stuff I always want to make — is popcorn, like great proper popcorn, Hollywood movies.” – Los Angeles Times
Next Week, The World’s First ‘Grime Ballet’ Premieres
Grime is a music style that came from London hip hop and electronic dance music – and now a grime artist, Lionness, has decided to team up with a London ballet company to “merge two worlds together.” – BBC
After Only A Year, The Staatsballett Berlin’s Co-Leaders Are Stepping Away
Sasha Waltz and Johannes Ohman had signed five-year contracts to lead the young ballet company (that was, in 2004, created as a consolidation of three opera ballets), but the protests against their tenures started early. Still, they hung in there for a while. “They aimed for a balance of classical tradition and modern dance. In the joint statement announcing their departure, they said that they believed their mission had been a success, citing healthy attendance figures and an honor from the magazine Tanz, which surveyed 25 dance journalists and named the Staatsballett its company of the year for 2019.” – The New York Times
Deborah Duggan, On The Eve Of The Grammys, Says She Had To Push Back
With past colleagues backing her up (that story here), the ousted head of the Recording Academy says that she didn’t want to be the story as the 2020 Grammys get underway – but she couldn’t sit back and let others control the narrative. In her first few months at the Academy, her 44-page complaint alleges, “she alleged discovering voting irregularities, financial mismanagement, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among board members and nomination review committees, and criticized what she called ‘exorbitant’ legal fees paid to a few law firms with close ties to the academy.” – Los Angeles Times