tagged w/ Performing Arts
-
All of us have probably wondered, from time to time, how an idea as intuitively awesome as a rock and roll hall of freakin’ fame went so very, very bad. Part of the answer is obvious enough: money. We’re talking about an industry that attracts more soulless whores than a pimp convention and the world would surely be a better place had Jann Wenner been smothered in his crib. But one can’t escape the feeling that it’s even more complex than that. In short, for a project to get this fucked, you really need the involvement of true believers with no brains and a tractor-trailer full of righteous intentions.All of us have probably wondered, from time to time, how an idea as intuitively... more
-
-
Story by Jess Glass| Hood Watch Media Athens, Georgia Thursday August 18, 2011: A fiery crash on on I-75 in Monroe County Sunday night left one driver dead and the GBI has identified the victim.
The body of an unidentified woman killed in a multi-vehicle accident on I-75 southbound on Sunday, August 14, 2011 has been identified as Ebony Underwood, 23, of Dublin,a friend to Atlanta music producer Lord Hector Diono. This comes as Lord Hector Diono finishes a tribute single to his fallen friend of last year another female victim of sudden tragedy, Miss Lateaka T. Coston of Marietta, Georgia who died last year September 4, 2010 just days after her 29th birthday, of a massive heart attack. Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputies are continuing an investigation into the case but said that it appears that only three vehicles were involved in the crash. Around 9:46 Sunday night, a Dodge Dakota, driven by Craig Joseph Podell, 34, of Ames, Iowa, made an illegal lane change causing the Dodge truck to rear-end a roll-back wrecker driven by Chastity Hopper, 20, of Forsyth. The wrecker then hit the Buick Regal driven by Ms. Underwood. The wrecker and the Regal flipped over the guardrail and caught fire. Hopper and her passenger, Christopher Baxter, 27, were transported to the Medical Center of Central Georgia. Ms. Underwood's body was taken to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta. Mr. Podell refused medical treatment.
It is unknown whether seatbelts were in use at the time of the accident. Mr. Podell is being charged with failure to maintain lane and following too closely.
Funeral arrangements are set for Saturday August 20, 2011 it is not been made clear whether Lord Hector Diono will be attending the services but it has been made clear that our CEO is very upset about the senseless tragedy and our prayers and condolences go out to the family of Ebony Underwood. Story by Jess Glass| Hood Watch Media Athens,Georgia.
On Tuesday August 16, officers charged the driver who blamed the deadly wreck on an unknown vehicle - Atlanta public safety for Hoodwatch Media Atlanta | Examiner| Officers on Tuesday identified Ms. Underwood as the woman who died in a fiery crash on I-75 over the weekend.
According to music underground sources, Ebony Underwood, 23, was also an aspiring singer, with a deep soulful, and gospel background, and she was deeply devoted to her religious beliefs, she also recorded some music projects in Atlanta Georgia. Lord Hector Diono submitted he never worked with Ms. Underwood due to his grueling production schedule, and professional and legal obligations to Def Jam Music Group, but he recalled one song she recorded that during a freestyle session that she shared with him entitled "In the Studio".
Mr. Craig Joseph Podell, 34, of Ames, told police he was heading southbound on I-75 when he was hit by another vehicle near Pearidge Road, Monroe County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ms. Allison Selman-Willis said.
Investigators have now determined no vehicle hit Mr. Podell’s Dodge Dakota and have charged him with failure to maintain lane and following too closely, Ms. Selman-Willis said.
Ms. Ebony Underwood, 23, of Dublin, died in the three-vehicle wreck that also injured Ms. Chastity Hopper, 20, of Forsyth, and her passenger, Mr. Christopher Baxter, 27, Ms. Selman-Willis said.
At 9:46 p.m. Sunday, Mr. Podell made an illegal lane change causing the Dodge truck to rear-end a Ms. Hopper’s roll-back wrecker, Ms. Selman-Willis said.
The wrecker then hit Ms. Underwood’s Buick Regal, The entire HWM family announces hope for the family and closest friends to Ms. Underwood that justice be served swiftly in this case.
by Jess Glass Hood Watch Media Athens, GeorgiaStory by Jess Glass| Hood Watch Media Athens, Georgia Thursday August 18, 2011: A... more
-
-
ARTISTS WIN ! GO TEAM ! GET SUM, DRAW SUM, GUMMA GUMMA GOO !
( - a most demographical study - )
-Virginity rates among students by major
Cool chart that shows the virginity rates among students at Wellesley College according to the student's major. I found some things particularly interesting:
1. 0% of students with 'studio arts' major are virgins
2. Virginity rates for Spanish major (43%) is much lower than virginity rates for English and French majors (50%)
3. There is evidence that geeks get laid the least in college. Check out the rates for Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.
LINK - - -
http://www.forwardon.com/view.php?e=Id1200c8f6b7f5f813&type=featured&time=all&ref=2leepARTISTS WIN ! GO TEAM ! GET SUM, DRAW SUM, GUMMA GUMMA GOO !
( - a most... more
-
-
A random round up of sophomoric, crass, weird, odd, and WTF articles from around the intertubes. This week: hemaphrodite dogs, the condom bagpipe, car-eating rabbits, bacon flavored soda, the ladies of Fox News and Fox News porn, an aircraft crash after a crocodile escape, students beheading a fiberglass giraffe, and a boy punished for farting on the school bus.A random round up of sophomoric, crass, weird, odd, and WTF articles from around the... more
-
-
NEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS are pleased to present their final prime-time show of the season, (un)afraid, written and performed by Jill Beckman, Cara Francis, Ricardo Gamboa & Dan McCoy, directed by Rob Neill. (un)afraid will be presented at the historic Living Theater (21 Clinton St, NY 10002). Performances begin Thursday, October 14th and continue through Saturday, November 6th. Opening Night is Thursday, October 14th (at 7 P.M.).
Tell us your secret ghost story. Tell us your fever dreams. Tell us why you fear your fellow human being. The New York Neo-Futurists' Fall 2010 horror show and fear experiment, (un)afraid, celebrates and examines the concept, causes and consequences of fear, both in our society and in ourselves. Attempting to summon a different guest spirit each performance, from such deceased masters of horror as Edgar Allen Poe, HP Lovecraft, Mary Shelley, M.R, and James. The New York Neo-Futurists call upon the forces of chance and change to present a different show every night, putting expectations on shaky ground and melding our mythical fear of what goes bump in the night with the terror of simply living. Combining elements of personal ghost story, video assault, monster-mash-mayhem, and audience-interactive freak-out, Neo-Futurists Jill Beckman, Cara Francis, Daniel McCoy & Ricardo Gamboa will usher you beyond the very edge of their and your, most startling, gruesome, and diabolical fears. Welcome to our nightmare.
Jennie Miller is the producer; Liz Jenetopulos is the set & prop designer; Hunter Kaczorowski is the costume designer; Lauren Parrish is the technical director and lighting designer; Christopher Loar is the sound designer; Adam Smith is the video designer. Laura Shlachtmeyer is the stage manager, and Shane Reader is the assistant stage manager.
(un)afraid has the following schedule through Saturday, November 6th:
Thursdays at 7:30 pm
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm & 10:30 pm
Additional Performances:
Monday, October 25th at 7:30 pm
Wednesday October 27th at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, November 3rd at 7:30 pm
Tickets are $18.00 ($12 Student rush with valid I.D.) Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.nynf.org, or by calling 212-352-3101. Tickets may also be purchased at the theatre’s box office half hour before curtain.
Running Time: 60 minutes. No Intermission.
In preparation for (un)afraid, Jill, Cara, Ricardo and Daniel have broken into a mental institution, summoned the spirits of gamblers and animals on a mountain, and will soon conduct four fear experiments right here in New York City. Keep an eye out to catch them, or spectate from a safe distance by watching their video blogs.
For more information about (un)afraid, visit www.nyneofuturists.org
For updates and video blogs, visit www.beunafraid.blogspot.comNEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS are pleased to present their final prime-time show of the... more
-
-
"After centuries of swashbuckling ribaldry, the art of melodrama is facing the possibility of a very unmelodramatic finale: tied to the railroad tracks like a damsel in distress, waiting for a hero who might not arrive in time to save the day.
As endings go: Boo.
"If the good guy does not triumph, and evil is not put down at the end, then it is not, by definition, a melodrama," said Vicki Kelly, one of three longtime owners of the Iron Springs Chateau, a historic dinner theater nestled above this tiny mountain town west of Colorado Springs.
It's a modern-day tragedy.
This timeless yet increasingly out-of-step piece of old-fashioned Americana is up against a villain far more insidious than a rotund, bellicose man who twirls his mustache. The clear and present evils in melodrama's long and colorful history are a down-spiraling economy. Changing tastes. Home entertainment. 3-D movies. Audience gentrification.""After centuries of swashbuckling ribaldry, the art of melodrama is facing the... more
-
-
The drummer in this music video is either amazing or ridiculous. Since he's quite good, I am thinking he's probably amazing. I wonder what Günter Grass thinks of him?The drummer in this music video is either amazing or ridiculous. Since he's quite... more
-
-
The musical group, ArcAttack, constructed a set of Tesla Coils that they use to perform "an electrifying" live performance at Maker Faire 2010, held in San Mateo, California. Maker Faire is an event created by Make Magazine to "celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset."The musical group, ArcAttack, constructed a set of Tesla Coils that they use to... more
-
-
Brenda Way and music collaborator Pamela Z discuss "Waving Not Drowning (A Guide to Elegance)," inspired by an 19th century French etiquette book, the constraints of fashion and using a table of contents as a creative springboard.
After you get a behind the scenes look with our podcasts, be sure to buy your ticket to see the premieres at Dance Downtown at www.odcdance.org/downtown.Brenda Way and music collaborator Pamela Z discuss "Waving Not Drowning (A Guide... more
-
-
Watch KT Nelson discuss her new piece, "Labor of Love," which explores how this thing called love is just work. Set to Mozart's Piano Concerto in D Minor, Labor of Love celebrates the many layers of a relationship despite its hardships.
After you get a behind the scenes look with our podcasts, be sure to buy your ticket... to see the premieres at Dance Downtown at www.odcdance.org/downtown.Watch KT Nelson discuss her new piece, "Labor of Love," which explores how... more
-
-
artist bio of Arema Arega, Cuban songstress
-
-
"A question that comes up time and again in the theatre world is how critics and practitioners should relate to one another. The rise of theatre blogging has done a great deal to blur the lines between these two camps, due to the fact that more directors, actors and designers are taking to their keyboards to air their opinions, and that the internet allows artists and reviewers to talk more directly than ever before.
Yet, as we can see from this week's blogs, this situation can give rise to a number of quite knotty ethical questions. Rob Weinert-Kendt has been looking back at the argument that erupted a couple of weeks ago when David Cote, the theatre editor of Time Out New York, engaged in a thorough trashing of blogger and playwright George Hunka. Weinert-Kendt is interested in how a relationship in the virtual world can affect matters in the real one; he mentions that the New York Times once commissioned him to review one of Hunka's plays, but eventually spiked it "because George and I were on each other's blogrolls". Weinert-Kendt goes on to wonder what sort of coverage Hunka and his theatre company can now expect from Time Out. Given Cote's attitude, would it be naive to assume Hunka might be treated fairly?
This sense of responsibility incurred by the critic towards the artist is being discussed in a different way by Kris Vire on the Storefront Rebellion blog. He responds to a recent suggestion that in a time of recession, "critics should champion [rather than criticise] theatre in their communities to help save art". This, Vire argues, is nonsense: "It does no one any good to encourage bad theatre … The absolute worst thing we can do as critics is to be soft on a show we didn't enjoy because people worked so hard on it."
Suzy Evans, in a guest post on the Playgoer's blog, agrees. She argues that "just because we're in a recession doesn't mean critics should promote and congratulate poor theatre – that would simply exacerbate the problem". If critics praise bad work, not only will readers lose their faith in the judgment of the writers, artists won't be challenged or motivated to do better.
Many theatre practitioners might actually agree with this. The actor Travis Bedard, who blogs at Cambiare Productions, recently received very mixed reviews for a show he was in. "It is in my best interest to have as rigorous a review of my work as I can get," he wrote. "I may discard some of it as not useful to my future work or as an outlier in reference to this work. But if it's all going to simply be treacley appreciation for 'how hard I tried' I will never be one whit better tomorrow than I am today." In the long run, honesty is far more valuable than flattery."""A question that comes up time and again in the theatre world is how critics and... more
-
-
"Many Seattle theater fans have been regaled, moved and amused by Hana Lass in the past year.
The gifted young actress played an ardent Juliet in Wooden O's "Romeo and Juliet." She also covered several roles in "Crime and Punishment" at Intiman Theatre. She was a blue-nosed gamin and a witch in two Seattle Children's Theatre shows. And her sprightly Ariel graced Seattle Shakespeare Company's "The Tempest."
So what parts will Lass tackle in the coming season?
As of today: none.
"It looks like I'm probably not going to be working for at least a year," says Lass. "It's just a tough time. The crazy thing is, there isn't even much to audition for."
Lass knows what a precarious career she's chosen. And she keeps an office job "in my back pocket" for lean periods.
But compared to the last two years, pickings are dramatically slimmer for even the most-established members of the city's esteemed professional acting pool.
The national economic recession is one obvious reason the employment picture is grim.
Large theaters saw their invested endowment funds tank. Donations to arts groups from individuals, corporations and government agencies are taking a hit.
By most estimates, live theater attendance has not gone in the Dumpster. But it's accelerated the trend of patrons buying fewer multiple-show subscriptions and more pay-as-you-go single tickets.
To reduce costs, ACT Theatre (usually a bastion for local actors) slotted two solo plays into its 2009 season — both with performers from out of town.
Seattle Rep went further, slashing its 2009-2010 budget by a third — a drastic but essential measure, says Rep producing artistic director Jerry Manning, adding the Rep also trimmed office and production staff.
But this season the Rep will offer locals only 20 roles (compared to 40 last season), and some shorter gigs for play readings. "I fought for every acting contract, but the numbers are gruesome," says an apologetic Manning. "But it becomes an institutional question: do you make Draconian cuts and just shut down for a third of your calendar? Or cut corners, but still offer patrons ... a full banquet of plays?"
The actors get it, but also wonder if the right corners are being cut.""Many Seattle theater fans have been regaled, moved and amused by Hana Lass in... more
-
-
"At the Stratford Arts Festival next weekend, the soliloquies of “Hamlet” will be spoken much as they have been for the last 400 years. But the performance will take place outside what is commonly known here as the Shakespeare Theater. At the audience’s back, the theater will sit, as it has for the bulk of the last quarter-century, boarded and ghostly, its collapsing exterior balcony and weathered teak only hinting at the physical deterioration inside. And the festival’s serene setting, along the Housatonic River, will belie the discord that has roiled for decades over one main question: not “to be or not to be,” but “what to be.”
For 30 years beginning in 1955, this community of 50,000 and its theater were central to the production of Shakespeare in America. But today, the legacy of what the theater once was is running headlong into the reality of what it should become. Like many Shakespearean tragedies, it is playing out against a backdrop of competing political and cultural agendas and disruptive natural forces.
“When it rains, it’s a waterfall in here,” said J. Sibley Law, chairman of the Stratford Arts Commission. Standing in the theater in early July, where daylight was visible through the roof, Mr. Law said the deterioration had grown worse since the last time he visited, several weeks earlier. “When I first started coming in here five years ago, this was like new,” he said, pointing to a warped and rotted dressing table on the stage.
The air was acrid, and the smell of rot, mold and mildew was intense. Below stage level, dressing rooms and what was once a lounge for important visitors were wet, filthy and oozing. There was rust on steel girders that hold up the stage. Items in prop rooms were crusted with corrosion, frozen in time. A backdrop remained half-raised. Catwalks were rotting. Photographs from old performances, including one of Katharine Hepburn and Morris Carnovsky in a 1957 production of “The Merchant of Venice,” were strewn carelessly about the lobby.
“You know, I never saw a performance in here, and I come in and it just makes me sad to see some place like this in this kind of shape,” said Mr. Law, who has overseen the salvage of about 1,000 artworks and props whose value could be as high as $3 million. “This is not an easy fix, and people don’t get it.”
There has been little consensus on the right way to reconstitute the theater since it closed in the mid-1980s, broke and out of benefactors. While some simply want to get the doors open with any kind of entertainment that will turn a profit, there are those who cling to its origins: a summer home for Broadway’s elite to perform Shakespeare and the classics.
In its heyday, the theater showcased a huge roster of stars like John Houseman, Christopher Plummer and James Earl Jones. And it helped establish early credentials for the likes of Jane Alexander, Christopher Walken, Julie Taymor and Kelsey Grammer.""At the Stratford Arts Festival next weekend, the soliloquies of... more
-
