The Moscow Theatre That Mirrors Modern Russian History

“The story of the Helikon is very much the story of the new Russia over the past two decades. Conceived as the Soviet Union was collapsing, back in 1990, the company struggled through its first decade on a shoestring budget, bringing new and innovative productions to a Russian audience. In recent years, its plans to expand and renovate its theatre have been blighted by under-funding and corruption.”

Will Movie-Goers Balk At 3D “Lite”?

“With at least 70 movies in the 3-D pipeline — including many similar conversion projects — studios and theater owners are betting heavily that audiences will snap up increasingly expensive 3-D tickets. It remains too early to tell whether audiences will rebel at 3-D and what some experts are calling 3-D Lite (movies shot the normal way and converted afterward).”

Actor Kal Penn Leaves Obama White House

“Actor Kal Penn is headed back to Hollywood after spending nine months working for the White House as associate director of public engagement. The 32-year-old performer, whose real name is Kalpen Modi, made an abrupt exit last summer from the entertainment world to work in the administration of President Barack Obama. He had previously been active in the Obama presidential campaign.”