Back in Texas for a family visit, the first American to graduate from the Bolshoi’s ballet school fills in some details on the explosive allegations she made (e.g., that she was asked to pay a $10,000 bribe to get cast) and the responses she has received in Moscow since she went public.
Tag: 12.12.13
That Letter From Vaganova Ballet Academy To Putin – Was It A Fake?
Last month, after the Russian Ministry of Culture installed the fired Bolshoi star Nikolai Tsiskaridze as director of the historic St. Petersburg school, a sizeable group of faculty wrote an open appeal to President Vladimir Putin to overrule Tsiskaridze’s appointment. Now the Ministry has claimed that the letter is a forgery.
Uh-Oh, This Is A Bad Sign For British Arts Philanthropy
“A £600,000 Cultural Investment Fund created by Newcastle City Council to attract match funding for the arts from private donors has failed to attract any money since its launch in July.”
How Poor Are British Actors Equity Members?
“About half of Equity members undertook unpaid work in the past 12 months, with a similar proportion earning less than £5,000 over the year.”
Estelle Parsons, 86, Will Be Doing Eight Shows A Week This Spring
“[She] will return to Broadway in April in Eric Coble’s comedic play The Velocity of Autumn, which she recently performed at the Arena Stage in Washington in October.”
Weinstein Brothers Sue Warner Studios Again
“For the second time this year, the brothers Weinstein are in a legal dispute with the brothers Warner.” This time, it’s about the Hobbit films.
New Zealand Is Not Middle Earth!
Ed Power argues that, if Peter Jackson really wanted to represent the setting of Tolkien’s novel on screen, his homeland was exactly the wrong place to do it.
The Great Catalan Sport: Human Towers
“Jesús Zazo stood in the ancient plaza in a throng of other pink-clad members of the Colla Vella dels Xiquets club. He had everything riding on this grudge match in the Catalonia region’s signature competitive event: human-tower building.”
American Hustle, 12 Years a Slave Top 2014 Golden Globe Nominations
“12 Years a Slave and American Hustle emerged as movie awards front-runners on Thursday, as each picked up seven Golden Globe nominations, including best picture nods in their respective categories, just a day after being nominated for top prizes from Hollywood’s acting guild.”
Surprises And Snubs In The 2014 Golden Globe Noms
“The Golden Globes have a long and often amusing reputation for nomination-morning howlers. But [this year], there was no Tourist, no Burlesque, no Salmon Fishing in the Yemen … Yet that didn’t mean the snubs and surprises, the jaw-droppers and the head-scratchers, weren’t there. Here are six of the biggest.”