The Welsh singer, who performed on more than 250 recordings, was known especially for his work in Britten’s operas (he sounded remarkably like Peter Pears), as Herod in Salome (a role he sang more than 150 times) and in the Bach Passions.
Tag: 03.29.11
A Toronto Interloper And A Singing Pickle: Schwartz’s Deli – The Musical
This week the Montreal folkmusic/comedy duo Bowser and Blue is opening a musical about Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen, one of the city’s (and Canada’s) culinary landmarks. And yes, the show includes an interloper from Toronto and a singing pickle.
Doris Day At 86, Talking To The Animals
“It’s an urban legend that Ms. Day became a recluse upon leaving show business. In reality, she talks to the people she likes – but that doesn’t usually include the media. She lives an active life engaged in animal-welfare work” in Carmel, California, where she keeps an undisclosed number of dogs.
The Secret To B-Movie Success In Indonesia: Japanese Porn Stars
“For two years, Maxima has made some of Indonesia’s most popular domestic films based on a simple premise: that many in Muslim-majority Indonesia will pay to see foreign porn stars perform – clothed – in local films. Just don’t expect Indonesians to own up to it.”
Geffen Playhouse Ads Rejected As Too Racy (Really?)
“If you haven’t heard much about it, there could be a reason. The Westwood theater’s ads have been refused, kicked over into the online ghetto of adults-only advertising, or forced to be toned-down and run without the name of the play. Google banner ads featuring the naked blow up dolls seen here were rejected, as were ads without the faux nudity and showing just the dolls’ faces.”
It’s All About The Information (The World, That Is)
“When people say that the Internet is going to make us all geniuses, that was said about the telegraph. On the other hand, when they say the Internet is going to make us stupid, that also was said about the telegraph. I think we are always right to worry about damaging consequences of new technologies even as we are empowered by them. History suggests we should not panic nor be too sanguine about cool new gizmos.”
A RoboCop Statue To Represent Detroit? Looks Like It’s Happening
“So far, more than $60,000 has been raised from metro Detroit and many other countries through the Kickstarter page set up by Imagination Station, a nonprofit that’s building a creative campus in Corktown. The fund-raising was set to officially end on Saturday. Detroit artist Jerry Paffendorf, who’s involved in the statue drive, said he hopes a 10-foot-tall replica of RoboCop will be completed this summer.”
So That Detroit Symphony Strike Is Still Dragging On. Any News?
“Both sides have acknowledged that the two sides are getting closer to a deal. An email sent last Thursday from management’s lawyer Bernard Plum to musicians’ lawyer Leonard Leibowitz suggests three remaining stumbling blocks…”
New York Subway Map-As Musical-Instrument
“Log on to the site and a series of animated lines begin to crisscross the page, mimicking the city’s train routes (as depicted in Vignelli’s 1972 map) over the course of 24 hours. Each time two trains intersect, you hear the sound of a note being plucked on a cello — turning the visuals into an abstract musical improvisation.”
Black Swan Director Defends Natalie Portman
“I had my editor count shots. There are 139 dance shots in the film. 111 are Natalie Portman untouched. 28 are her dance double Sarah Lane. If you do the math that’s 80% Natalie Portman. What about duration? The shots that feature the double are wide shots and rarely play for longer than one second. There are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement. Even so, if we were judging by time over 90% would be Natalie Portman.”