What's the issue with the classic ballet costume? Well, they're just a costume, says one former prima ballerina - and a restrictive one, at that. Leanne Benjamin: "I think we all expect and enjoy evolution and so will welcome what comes next." - The Observer (UK)
James Baldwin got it. "Baldwin acknowledged the restrictions placed on Poitier and other Black actors at the time, but he also recognized Black agency in these performances. Poitier 'smuggled in reality,'" Baldwin wrote, no matter what was on the page.- The Atlantic
Just in case you care, after all of the info of last year that tanked "one of the glitziest awards shows in Hollywood," the info was delivered via Twitter. - The New York Times
We're not all in this together, clearly. The Broadway League "proposed to the unions representing Broadway workers that those workers take a 50 percent pay cut during so-called 'COVID pauses.'" That's not going well. - The Daily Beast
Hey, there's money, and then there's art. Rylance: "Theatre is so flexible and it’s so different from being an actor in a film. It’s a thousand times more enjoyable." - The Guardian (UK)
Even before omicron hit, "the red flags were flying low back in 2021. The monstrous success of Spider-Man helped paper over the cracks of what was an underwhelming final quarter at the box office." - The Guardian (UK)
Erin Cronican says, "It’s a very complicated acting challenge. In rehearsals when I open up, I just start crying. We don’t want to create that situation where I’m so fragile all the time." And omicron has made it all so much more fraught. - American Theatre
Probably you watched many of them already (you did, didn't you?), but if you want to see, for instance, In the Heat of the Night again, here's your info. - Los Angeles Times
Raven Leilani, author of Luster: "I knew I was going to write about Edie’s experience in the middle of this open relationship, but the book kept changing as I was writing." - The Guardian (UK)
She and husband Alan wrote the words for popular films' songs, including The Way We Were. The New York Times obit adds that "For many years their words were also heard every week over the opening credits to hit television shows like Maude, Good Times and Alice." - Variety
The comedian's deeply raunchy standup was a far cry from his job as "America's dad" on Full House and America's Funniest Home Videos. He did a two-hour show on Saturday night and was found dead in his hotel room on Sunday. - CNN
Thanks a lot, omicron. Not only is the season delayed, but "the canceled performances will not be made up; the season will still end as originally planned." - The New York Times
But it's price-fixing of ... DVDs? Yes. There's millions in BluRay and DVD sales, apparently. "The conspirators communicated with each other to eliminate competition and raise prices." - The Verge
