Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: February 27, 2022
By: Laura Deni
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CHAOS REIGNS IN THE AWARD WINNING DEAD LONDON

What is thought to be a meteorite crashes down into a Russian lake, then is discovered to be what they have always feared.

Based on H.G. Wells’s classic tale of Martian invasion, Dead London written by Jack Bowman and Robert Valenine, directed by George Maddocks sees humanity defeated by a superior military force from another world. Recorded on location at Horsell Common, Surrey, and featuring Brian Blessed as the Voice of the Martians, Dead London was the winning entry in the 2013 War of the Worlds 75th Anniversary Contest. Available at Wireless Theatre Company.

The contest celebrates the story of War of the Worlds - both the classic radio drama as well as the HG Wells novel. Contest requirements were:

Arrival inside a meteorite.
Tripods are used for locomotion.
Massive destruction.
Natural biological solution.

Dead London captured first price Gold Medal and is captivating and fast paced.

Chaos reigns as evident by the excellent sound effects, which are an important requirement for this recording.

Starring Josephine Arden as Dr. Georgina Welles, Tom Slatter as Dr. Tom Kane/Survivor 2, Jack bowman as PC Toland, Matt Blair as Dr. Jeff Quinlan/Survivor 1, Matthew W. Hebden as Captain Glover/Dan, Mariele Runace-Temple as Newsreader and Brian Blessed as Martian Voices.

A group of British scientists investigate something crashing into a Russian sea, a location where space junk and meteorites like to claim as their final resting place.

Then the scientists discover something inside the meteorite with a diameter of 4 meters. At first the scientists are eager to explore describing it as "more fun than defusing road side bombs - unless, of course, it starts ticking."

Suddenly they discover a face like a mouse, two large eyes, skin like rotted leather - and something that looks like some sort of a scanning devise.

The science fiction horror story takes us into a world where power lines are all destroyed, no power on any grid, motion handling machines have taken over and the situation is described as surpassing "the blitz, 9/11 and the worst parts of the Bible."

The fact that they haven't stored much food in case of an emergency dawns upon then. There is a can of Spam. They have no food, water or any way to communicate with the outside world.

But governments have a plan ... a plan that requires abandoning certain values, and how one feels when a person they don't know, not even a last name, saves their life but dies in the process. Then what happens when the martians suddenly die?

Fascinating listening experience.

Dead London now contains 5 extra minutes of never-before-heard material.

Recording and Post-Production by Malcolm Thorp. Available on Wireless Theatre Company.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX'S

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the Oprah interview show.Her dress is named Dress of the Year Photo: youtube.

iconic black Giorgio Armani dress she wore for her March 2021 explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey has been announced as the Fashion Museum Bath’s Dress of the Year.

The $4,700 triple silk georgette dress with a lotus flower motif will go on display at the English museum as part of its headline exhibition, A History of Fashion in 100 Objects.”

The designer has donated a version of the look for the display, according to the museum.

One of the defining pop-cultural moments of 2021, the highly anticipated two-hour Oprah television interview aired in nearly 70 countries and drew an estimated 60 million viewers worldwide. The dress the Duchess wore with a matching belt is from Giorgio Armani’s Spring/Summer 2022 Cruise Collection, which is still available to buy in America.

It’s well known that members of the Royal family often use outfits to send a message through their choice of style, color or motif. It was reported that the Duchess chose a dress with a lotus flower design because of the flower’s symbolic association with rebirth, self-regeneration and spiritual enlightenment, and its ability to flourish despite seemingly challenging conditions.

Each year, the museum asks leaders in the fashion world to choose a Dress of the Year that "encapsulates the prevailing mood of fashion, represents the past year, and captures the imagination," said a press release.

Markle’s dress was chosen by Dazed magazine’s editor-in-chief, Ibrahim Kamara, and its art director, Gareth Wrighton. They said: “In today’s hyper-stylised pop culture, the Dress of the Year now has the potential to also be 'meme of the year' and we both latched upon Meghan and Harry’s now iconic interview with Oprah as the definitive anti-establishment moment that will forever endure in the British collective consciousness.

“Meghan’s wrap dress by Armani, worn to showcase a divine pregnancy, framed the Duchess in black against the bountiful landscaping of Tyler Perry’s Hollywood garden. This look now, through sheer association with a viral television moment, is firmly engrained in our pop culture psyche.”

Rosemary Harden, Fashion Museum Manager, said: "This is a fabulous addition to the Fashion Museum collection. There are moments in history that are all about the dress and Meghan’s interview with Oprah was just such an occasion. The softly structured Armani dress with beautiful appliquéd lotus flower motif was part of a carefully curated look, guaranteed to send messages, and to imprint itself in our consciousness time and time again. Thank you to Ibrahim and Gareth for this landmark selection for the Dress of the Year Collection, and to Armani for most generously gifting the dress to the Museum."

Councillor Dine Romero, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Communities and Culture at Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “We’re delighted that this iconic dress will be added to the Fashion Museum collection to represent a key moment of 2021. We look forward to seeing it on display at the Museum, where local residents and visitors will be able to admire it up-close.”

Meghan’s dress went on display February 22, 2022 at the museum, which is located in Bath’s historic Assembly Rooms building in Bath, England..

PRESSING INNOVATION: PRINTING FINE ART IN THE UPPER MIDWEST at the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, Wisconsin is on view through May 15, 2022.

In Pressing Innovation, viewers will learn the distinct stories of fine-art printing presses established between 1970 and 2001. They include Landfall Press (Chicago, Ill.), Vermillion Editions Limited (Minneapolis, Minn.), Island Press (St. Louis, Mo.), Tandem Press (Madison, Wis.) and Highpoint Editions (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Their contributions reflect the efforts of a network of teachers and printers that helped elevate the standard of printmaking in the region. It also explores how these five histories help broaden and enrich the understanding of American printmaking over the last 50 years.

The story is told through outstanding examples of printmaking. A diverse community of artists, with wide-ranging and vivid works, are on view. They include Robert Cottingham’s “Rolling Stock Series No. 7, for Jim,” from 1992, printed by Tandem Press. Also in the exhibition is Mexican artist Carlos Amorales’s “Skeleton Images – Azar Compositions Duo, 2010,” engravings and relief prints in blue, red and black inks from Highpoint Editions. Works by Christo, Red Grooms, Steven Sorman, Ann Hamilton, Alison Saar, Nick Cave, Shusaku Arakawa, Lesley Dill, Jeffrey Gibson, Julie Mehretu and Dario Robleto are also among the many on view.

Curated by James R. Wehn, PhD, Van Vleck curator of works on paper.

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SWEET CHARITY

2ND ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY BENEFIT CONCERT will feature a powerful trio of performances from Nkeki Obi-Melekwe of Broadway’s smash hit TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, Grammy Award Winner Jennifer Nettles, and Grammy Award winner, songwriter and actor Sara Bareilles.

The March 8th event raises funds to train 1 million under-resourced young women through Girls With Impact’s business and leadership academy. The event is presented by SheaMoisture and produced by Live Nation along with the nonprofit Girls With Impact.

Reflecting on the challenges she faced, Tina Turner is proud to have TINA – The Tina Turner Musical headlining the evening, noting, “My musical, led by the glorious Nkeki, is a celebration of women at the top of their game, onstage and off. I always had to fend for myself to survive and overcome adversity. Working against the odds and succeeding is where I find pride and joy. "

Girls With Impact CEO Jennifer Openshaw, a one-time motel maid turned Silicon Valley entrepreneur, said, “These performers – both personally and professionally – know through grit, talent and passion – what it means to succeed. For this International Women’s Day, they are all paying it forward, helping the generations to follow through scholarships that will change their future careers.”

Sara Bareilles and Jennifer Nettles will each be making 500 Girls With Impact Scholarships possible to under-resourced young women in their home regions of Eureka, California and South Georgia, respectively, helping equip the next generation with the confidence and skills to become tomorrow’s leaders.

Girls With Impact’s International Women’s Day Benefit Concert takes place at Town Hall in New York City on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

Girls With Impact, a 501c3, is the nation’s only live online business and leadership program for young women 14-24. The 10-week, after-school “mini-MBA” moves women from ideation to a business plan and venture pitch, driving improvements in confidence, leadership, college readiness and professional skills for success.

PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN

Safiya Noble, Ph.D

were awarded the President's Award during the 53rd NAACP Image Awards which took place virtually on Saturday, February 26, 2022, airing live on BET-TV.

The President’s Award is presented in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service. Previous recipients from the world of public affairs include the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Alexis Herman (secretary of labor under President Clinton), President Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice (secretary of state under President George W. Bush), Colin Powell (also secretary of state under President George W. Bush) and Lonnie Bunch III (secretary of the Smithsonian Institution).

Previous honorees in the area of notable achievement include Muhammad Ali, Soledad O’Brien, LeBron James, Rihanna and Jay-Z.

The awards ceremony also featured a performance from Mary J. Blige, with presenters including Issa Rae, Kerry Washington, LL Cool J, Michael Strahan, Morgan Freeman, Paula Patton, Questlove, Simu Liu, Tiffany Haddish, Zendaya, NAACP president Derrick Johnson and NAACP board chairman Leon W. Russell.

In a press release the organization stated: “We’re thrilled to present this award to Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who together have heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity both in the U.S. and around the world,” said NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson. “Not only do they continue to lead by example, The Duke and Duchess have also decided to inspire the next generation of activists through the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, ensuring the support and recognition of generations of civil rights leaders to come.”

The NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award is a newly established annual award that is supported by the couple’s global nonprofit, Archewell Foundation, and administered by the NAACP. The award will honor individuals who are not only leaders of transformational change in progressing civil and human rights, but who also seek advancements in the digital rights space and work to expand equity.

This year’s recipient is author and scholar Safiya Noble, Ph.D., an internet studies scholar and professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies at UCLA. Additionally, she is co-founder and faculty director of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2), which works with the Archewell Foundation.

The award seeks to recognize long-term contributors to the digital rights space while also supporting a new generation of visionaries working to expand equity, including issues related to discrimination, misinformation, privacy, countering biases, limiting profiling and surveillance, improving transparency, increasing diversity in the tech sector, and more. Each year, the honoree will be awarded an unrestricted $100,000 stipend.

In a statement, Noble praised the NAACP and Archewell Foundation “for contributing to our efforts to create more compassionate and democratic societies where Black women and women of color can thrive, too.”

Noble was recognized as a MacArthur Fellow in 2021 for her work on algorithmic discrimination, leading her to found the nonprofit Equity Engine, dedicated to supporting Black women and women of color with access to education, resources and mentorship. She authored the best-selling book Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism.

Other special awards went to:

Acclaimed costume designer Ruth E. Carter was honored with the Vanguard Award for Costume Design.

Social Justice Impact Award went to Nikole Hannah-Jones who is an award-winning investigative reporter who covers civil rights injustice for The New York Times Magazine.

NAACP Activist of the Year award was presented to Scot X. Esdaile is this year's NAACP Activist of the Year. He also serves as President of the Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches and Chairman of the NAACP National Criminal Justice Committee. Mr. Esdaile is also a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors.

NAACP Youth Activist of the Year went to Channing Hill who is currently the president of the NAACP Howard University Unit.

This year the Roy Wilkins Civil Rights Award was presented to the Texas House Democratic Caucus, the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.

SPREADING THE WORD

CONDUCTOR VALERY GERGLEV 68, music director of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia and chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, who has often been vocal regarding his support for the Russian president, has been dropped from conducting the Vienna Philharmonic on its tour of the United States after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"This change was made due to recent world events," stated Carnegie Hall spokeswoman Synneve Carlino.

The tour kicked off at Carnegie Hall last Friday night with performances through Sunday, February 27, 2022.

Metropolitan Opera music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin replaced Gergiev for the Carnegie concerts. A Russian pianist who supports the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Denis Matsuev, also cancelled his Carnegie performance which was scheduled for February 25, 2022.

The Vienna Phil next travels to Hayes Hall in Naples, Florida, for performances on Tuesday and Wednesday.

MJ features a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and a score made up of some of the best-loved, top-selling songs in recording history.Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon directs and choreographs.

The cast features Myles Frost in his Broadway debut as MJ, Quentin Earl Darrington as Rob / Joseph Jackson, Whitney Bashor as Rachel, Gabriel Ruiz as Alejandro, Walter Russell III and Christian Wilson as Little Michael, Tavon Olds-Sample as Michael, Devin Trey Campbell as Little Marlon, Antoine L. Smith as Berry Gordy / Nick, Joey Sorge as Dave, Raymond Baynard as Randy Jackson / Ensemble, John Edwards as Jackie Jackson / Ensemble, Ayana George as Katherine Jackson, Apollo Levine as Quincy Jones / Tito Jackson, Lamont Walker II as Jermaine Jackson / Ensemble, Zelig Williams as Marlon Jackson / Ensemble, with Kali May Grinder, Wonza Johnson, Oyoyo Joi, Carina-Kay Louchiey, Michelle Mercedes, Renni Anthony Magee, Ramone Nelson, Kyle R. Robinson, Aramie Payton, Kamille Upshaw, Ryan VanDenBoom, and Darius Wright rounding out the ensemble.

The production features scenic design by Tony Award winner Derek McLane, lighting design by Tony Award winner Natasha Katz, costume design by Tony Award winner Paul Tazwell, sound design by Olivier Award winner Gareth Owen, projection design by Peter Nigrini, hair & wig design by Charles Lapointe, musical supervision / orchestration / arrangements by David Holcenberg, and musical direction / orchestrations / arrangements by Jason Michael Webb.

Presented by Lia Vollack and The Estate of Michael Jackson the show officially opens at Neil Simon Theatre in New York City on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY a playful new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel by Kate Hamill.

Directed by Adriana Baer.

Sense and Sensibility follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters—sensible Elinor and hypersensitive Marianne—after their father’s sudden death leaves them financially destitute and socially vulnerable. Set in gossipy late 18th-century England, with a fresh female voice, the play is full of humor, emotional depth, and bold theatricality. Sense and Sensibility examines our reactions, both reasonable and ridiculous, to societal pressures. When reputation is everything, how do you follow your heart?

Featuring: Elizabeth Bunch as as Elinor Dashwood - Michelle Elaine as Fanny Dashwood, Mrs Jennings, Ensemble - Christine Friale as Mrs Dashwood, Ensemble, Marianne Dashwood Understudy - Dylan Godwin as John Willoughby, Ensemble - Chris Hutchison as Colonel Brandon, Mrs Ferrars, Ensemble - Laura Kaldis as Margaret Dashwood, Anne Steele, Ensemble, Elinor Dashwood Understudy - Melissa Molano as Lucy Steele, Ensemble - Melissa Pritchett as Marianne Dashwood - David Rainey as Sir John Middleton, Doctor, Ensemble - Gabriel Regoio as Male Understudy - Briaana J. Resa as Female Understudy - Christopher Salazar as Edward Ferrars, Robert Ferrars, Ensemble - Todd Waite as John Dashwood, Lady Middleton, Ensemble.

The creative team includes: Michael Locher Scenic Design - HunterKaczorowski Costume Design - Kevin Rigdon Lighting Design - Sharath Patel Sound Design - Carolyn Johnson Dialect Coach - Kristen Larson Stage Manager - Rachel Dooley-Harris and Ryan Barrett Assistant Stage Managers.

March 4-27, 2022 at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas.

ACTING: THE FIRST SIX LESSONS Beau and Emily Bridges in Conversation with Benjamin Lindsay takes place at 92Y in New York City on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

Join Emmy Award-winning actor Beau Bridges and director and actress Emily Bridges with Benjamin Lindsay on their new film Acting: The First Six Lessons. A unique blend of documentary and dramatic storytelling, as well as a candid look into three generations of the Bridges family, Acting follows a teacher (Beau) and student (Emily) as they explore the secrets of their craft - and in the process, the secrets of life itself. Hear them discuss the inspiration behind this unique project, the thrills and challenges of father-daughter collaboration, stories from behind the scenes, and much more. The First Six Lessons will be available on VOD platforms March 8.

FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME conceived by Anthony Veneziale, created by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Anthony?Veneziale.

Directed by Thomas Kail.

The recipient of a special 2020 Tony Award and subject of the recently released Hulu documentary We are Freestyle Love Supreme, every performance of this Grammy-nominated show brings the unexpected, as the crew takes the crowd on a freestyle, hip-hop, improvisational comedy ride. The performers take suggestions from the audience and spin them into instantaneous riffs and full-length musical numbers. See it for the first time each time — as no two shows are ever the same.

Featuring Utkarsh Ambudkar, Aneesa Folds, and Christopher Jackson.

Through March 13 at Seattle Rep in Seattle, Washington.

THE COMPLETE ARTHUR MILLER COLLECTION from L.A. Theatre Works is now available for the first time for digital download. The world’s leading producer of audio theater, LATW has recorded a total of ten titles by Miller, but only recently was awarded the rights to distribute them all digitally.

The ten titles include:

• After the Fall: Miller drew on his own life to tell the story of Quentin, who's haunted by a disastrous affair with a needy sex symbol - a character said to be based on Marilyn Monroe.

• All My Sons: Julie Harris stars in Miller’s classic about a prosperous family with tragic secrets.

• Broken Glass: In 1938, Sylvia Gellburg mysteriously loses her ability to walk after hearing about Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany.

• The Crucible: Stacy Keach and Richard Dreyfuss lead an all-star cast in Miller’s searing play about witchcraft that famously mirrors the anti-Communist hysteria that held the United States in its grip.

• Death of a Salesman: Stacy Keach stars as Willy Loman, the iconic traveling salesman, whose family is torn apart by his desperate obsession with greatness.

• Incident at Vichy: In Nazi-occupied France, nine men are detained under a shadowy pretext and face a terrifying fate.

• The Man Who Had All the Luck: An early Miller gem about the random nature of fate.

• The Price: Two long estranged brothers reunite as they sell off an attic full of furniture, their last link to a family and a world that no longer exist.

• The Ride Down Mt. Morgan: Brian Cox stars as Lyman Felt, who’s managed to keep his two wives unaware of each other's existence until they meet in Lyman’s hospital room.

• A View from the Bridge: Longshoreman Eddie Carbone’s devotion to his niece Catherine turns into a dangerous obsession.

KING JAMES a world premiere comedy about "King LeBron James, hometown heroes, two unlikely friends and lifelong fandom by Rajiv Joseph.

Directed by Kenny Leon.

King” LeBron James’s reign in Cleveland brings promise, prosperity and renewal to a city in desperate need of all three. It also brings together two unlikely friends in a bond forged by fandom. Told over twelve years (from LeBron's rookie season to an NBA Championship) King James is an intimate exploration of the place that sports occupy in our lives and relationships. This fast-paced comedy traces the arcs of two friends whose turbulent relationship is best navigated through their shared love of basketball—and the endless amiable arguments that erupt from that love. All the while, the promise and burden of LeBron's talent and legacy loom large.

Starring Chris Perfetti and Glenn Davis.

Scenic Designer Todd Rosenthal - Costume Designer Samantha C. Jones - Lighting Designer Lee Fiskness - Sound Designer Rob Milburn - Sound Designer Michael Bodeen - Dramaturg Polly Hubbard - Company Voice & Text Coach Gigi Buffington - Production Stage Manager Laura D. Glenn - Casting Director JC Clementz.

March 3 - April 10, 2022 at Steppenwolf in Chicago.

BAIPÁS by Academy Award Nominee Jacobo Morales.

Directed and Choreographed by Julio Monge.

starring Maggie Bofill and Jorge Luna.

A romantic “pas de deux,” Baipás presents a world in which two people are thrown into a strange place together and come to choose life and love. Faced with consequences of past choices and the possibilities of second chances, Lorena (Maggie Bofill) and Antonio (Jorge Luna) find themselves unexpectedly in one another’s arms, enchanted by the thrill of the unknown and enrapt by the seductive allure of a Bolero.

The creatives are: Wilson Chin - Set Designer, Jason Lyons - Lighting Designer, Javier Diaz – Composer; Harry Nadal - Costume Designer; Caite Hevner - Projection Designer; Germán Martínez - Sound Designer; Cheryl Mintz - Production Stage Manager.

The American English-Language Premiere has performances at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center March 1 – March 20th, 2022 in New Brunswick, NJ.

FROM SLAVE TO SHERIFF The Bixby Memorial Library in Vergennes, VT held an interesting ZOOM event on February 26 featuring historians and Bates family descendants sharing the history of Vergennes sheriff Stephen Bates (1842-1907).

19th century Vergennes voters supported this Black man for over 20 years. The remarkable life of Vermont’s first known Black Sheriff and Chief of Police was presented by the Bixby Library in this special Online Black History Month program. Videographer Chris Spencer takes viewers behind the scenes during the dedication of the roadside historic marker honoring Stephen Bates in 2021. Then meet Bates’ great-grandsons Nick and Larry Schuyler, historians Jane Williamson and Jeannette Greenwood, and other community members who came together to rediscover and share this story. There are also rare early documents, maps, and photographs of Stephen Bates’ world.

The event was also recorded and posted.

ONE DESTINY a streaming event staged by Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC , you will learn about President Lincoln’s assassination from two men who were there. Actor Harry Hawk and Ford’s Theatre co-owner Harry Ford revisit the events of April 14, 1865. As they reconstruct the sequence of events, they grapple with the question: Could John Wilkes Booth have been stopped? This 40-minute performance explores the key facts of the assassination while capturing the emotions of that fateful night.

Streaming available until June 15, 2022.

FRANK VIGNOLA is the guitarist of choice for Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, the Boston and New York Pops, and more. Every Wednesday @ 8:30pm in the Birdland Theater in NYC , Frank leads Guitar Night at Birdland with Philadelphia guitar legend Jimmy Bruno.

STEPHEN COLBERT who turns 58 on May 15 recently told his television audience that, for his 53rd birthday, his wife gave him a pill box to hold his statin pills. A pill box is the senior citizen's version of a hope chest.

DAME JOAN COLLINS celebrated her 88th birthday and 20th wedding anniversary to husband Percy Gibson with a lavish party at Claridges Hotel in London.

In attendance were Sarah, The Duchess of York, ex-wife of Prince Andrew and mother to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; Elizabeth Hurley, her son Damian Hurley, Simon Cowell with his fiancee Lauren Silverman, and model Poppy Delevigne.

The birthday girl and happily married actress wore a sensational white gown encrusted with silver baubles.

OSCAR WINNER SEAN PENN HAS BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN UKRAINE

Sean Penn attending a Presidential press conference in the Ukraine. Photo released by The Office of the President through the Ukrainian embassy.

Acror/activist Sean Penn has taken the personally dangerous, yet courageous step of being on the ground in Ukraine to film a documentary about Russia’s invasion. The Oscar-winning actor attended a press briefing Thursday in the Ukraine capital of Kyiv listening to government officials speak about the crisis.

The Penn documentary is a Vice Studios production in association with Vice World News and Endeavor Content.

Responding to months of rising tensions Penn previously visited the Ukraine in November 2021 beginning film preparations by meeting with the country’s military. Photos of Penn’s November trip were released at that time by the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation Press Service.

"Penn has visited the Office of the President and spoken with deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk, as well as local journalists and members of the Ukrainian military" since arriving in Ukraine this week, wrote Newsweek. The Office of the President issued a statement through the Ukrainian embassy praising the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker.

"The director specially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia’s invasion of our country," the statement’s translation reads."Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty."

The statement continues, "Sean Penn is demonstrating bravery that many others have been lacking, in particular some Western politicians. The more people like that - true friends of Ukraine, who support the fight for freedom - the quicker we can stop this heinous invasion by Russia."

Penn has been at the center of many anti-war and humanitarian operations over the years. The 2020 Discovery Plus documentary Citizen Penn recounted the actor’s efforts in setting up the non-profit organization Community Organized Relief Effort, also known as CORE, in response to the Haiti earthquakes of 2010. CORE also deployed teams to help with COVID-19 testing and vaccines across the country.

“Already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken, and if he doesn’t relent, I believe Mr. Putin will have made a most horrible mistake for all of humankind,” Penn said in a statement released on Friday which he also posted on his Twitter account. “President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have risen as historic symbols of courage and principle. Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost.”

Russia invaded Ukraine early Thursday in what it described as a "special military operation." The attacks came minutes after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the start of military operations after months of mounting tensions.

While announcing new economic sanctions against Russia on Thursday, US President Joe Biden accused Putin of wanting to reestablish the former Soviet Union, saying the conflict is "about naked aggression, about Putin's desire for empire by any means necessary."

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

DIAMONDS GALORE The UAE now the world’s biggest rough diamond hub, trading over $22.8bn in 2021. The UAE has increased its rough diamonds trade by 76 percent since 2015, overtaking Belgium, as the world’s leading rough trade location, announced Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and chief executive officer, DMCC during his opening remarks at the Dubai Diamond Conference (DDC).

Total diamond trade has also grown significantly, increasing by 83 percent between 2020 and 2021.

The world's flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise - hosted its flagship Dubai Diamond Conference (DDC) held under the theme The Future of Diamonds.

Since 2015, the UAE has increased its rough diamonds trade by 76%, overtaking Belgium as the world's leading rough trade hub. The total diamond trade in the UAE grew by 83% between 2020 and 2021, demonstrating both the industry's resilience and Dubai's critical role in the global sector. Dubai boasts direct flights to other diamond hubs across the world, including mining countries in Africa and manufacturing centres in India, resulting in a connected supply chain with Dubai at its center. Additionally, Dubai is home to the two Kimberly Process (KP) offices in the UAE, making the emirate the only entry point for rough diamonds in the country.

KOREAN POP STARS BTS announced they're going back on tour this year, thanks to their parent company Hybe declaring a profit surge of almost 31% last year, despite the COVID pandemic.

BTS will begin their tour in Las Vegas in front of a live audience at the Allegiant Stadium, with fans who don't secure tickets for the main show able to view a live video broadcast at the nearby MGM Grand Garden Arena. Additionally, the final Vegas show on April 16 will be streamed online.

Ahead of the Las Vegas shows BTS will play three dates at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul.

The Las Vegas tour dates come four months after the last BTS shows in America, which took place in Los Angeles in November and December.

Five of its members have contracted Covid-19 after returning to Seoul. Band member Jimin had surgery for acute appendicitis. He then caught COVID while in hospital but his record label said he only had minor symptoms.

The South Korean entertainment company behind BTS also owns the management company representing pop acts like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.

Formerly known as Big Hit, it floated on the Korean Stock Exchange on October 15, 2020. The company's shares opened at 270,000 South Korea Won (approximately $235).

Hybe has also diversified into more merchandise sales - with more than 4,000 items on offer - which increased 22%; launched a social media and e-commerce platform called Weverse which lets fans connect with artists; published games and digital comics feature the BTS members; and licensed music for commercials and films.

This year Hybe has plans to release BTS NFTs, publish web novels in 10 different languages, and launch a new video game in the summer.

LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC SUED by Anne Berquist, former executive director of the musical group. In a lawsuit filed in District Court she alleges that the non profit committed insurance fraud and "discriminatory payment of an excess of health insurance premiums to select employees."

She also asserts that she's the victim of "concrete campaign of retaliatory conduct" Main focus of the allegations is Chairman of the Board of Directors Jerry Crawford.

The suit claims that Crawford instructed Berquist to keep silent about its $250,000 Closed Venue Operators Grant, which is suppose to help locations and companies recover from pandemic shortfalls. The suit claims that Berquidt refused to comply with the request not to tell Board Members or LYP employees.

After eight months serving as executive director Berquist was terminated, replaced by interim director former Sacramento Philharmonic and opera executive director Alice Sauro.

Berquist is represented by attorney Steve Gibson who filed the suit on February 14, 2022, as first reported by SlippedDisc.

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THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION has announced the winners of its Research and Preservation Grant program. This program provides grants to music institutions, nonprofit organizations, musicologists, and researchers around the world who are enhancing and preserving Latin music heritage.

The four grants support diverse initiatives: The Preservation Grants fund the archiving and preservation of Latin music and its unique customs, while the Research Grants support projects that emphasize historical and anthropological research, in addition to documenting traditions and Latin folklore.

Awarded Preservation Grants:

Dr. Rosa Iraima Sulbarán and Melisa Colmenares, Mérida, Venezuela

The Regents of University of California, Santa Barbara, UC Santa Barbara Library

Awarded Research Grants:

Andrea López and Víctor López, México – Sofía Cecconi, Buenos Aires, Argentina

A committee of experts from Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, and the United States selected the recipients among numerous qualified candidates. Since its inception in 2015, the program has awarded more than $155,000 in grants to support projects, one of which received a Latin Grammy and Grammy Award.

THE COUNTRY RADIO BROADCASTERS have announced the Class of 2022 Country Radio Hall of Fame honorees. This year’s list includes two off-air radio broadcasters and four on-air radio personalities. The new class will be inducted during the annual Country Radio Hall of Fame Ceremony on June 30 at the Virgin Hotel in Nashville.

The honorees are: Becky Brenner is a 45-year industry veteran and one of the most respected programmers in Country radio. Currently, she is a Consulting Partner with Albright & O'Malley & Brenner Country Radio Specialists. Her combined 26 years at KMPS/Seattle, handling on-air, promotions, music, programming and Dir./Operation duties, led KMPS to win two CMA Station of the Year Awards. She is the recipient of the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award in Programming from the MIW Organization, a 20-yearlong CRB Board member and past President of the organization, and has served on the CMA Board since 2005.

Barry Mardit has spent 47 years in the radio industry. His successful career includes major market programming stops at WEEP/Pittsburgh and WWWW/Detroit. During his 12-year tenure at WWWW, he earned Billboard, CMA Program Director, and Station of the Year honors, and a NAB Marconi Award.

Whitney Allen began her career in 1979. After spending two years at Country KCBQ/San Diego, she jumped to the Los Angeles market at Top 40 Pirate Radio, followed by KIIS. After joining the nationally syndicated “After Midnite” in 1995 where she handled weekends for eight years, she was hired for afternoons at KZLA/Los Angeles (2003). She since has created and hosted the nationally syndicated weekend show “America’s Hot List” (2005) and expanded to night shows “The Big Time” and “Big Time Saturday Night.”

Debbie Conner began her radio career in 1966 and soon become a pioneering female broadcaster and programmer. She's left her mark in many markets throughout her career, including stops at KHAK/Cedar Rapids, IA, WMPS/Memphis, WSAI/Cincinnati, WCAO/Baltimore, WYCT/Pensacola, and WIL/St. Louis. She spent 12 years at WIL/St. Louis, where she earned multiple ACM and CMA Personality of the Year Nominations and won the Billboard Personality of The Year award. She previously served as a midday host on the Sirius Satellite Roadhouse Channel and has hosted Country Oldies Hall of Fame Segments since 2014.

Cathy Martindale is a trailblazing female figure in radio. She began her country radio career in 1974 at KSCS/Dallas, where she served as PD, APD, and MD. In 1983, she took a job with WSM AM/FM, which she held for 17 years, doing mornings, afternoons, and even working as the Music Director. She became the first female to achieve the #1 rated drive-time show on Nashville radio during that time. From 1984 to 1994, she hosted Nashville Network (Video PM, Country Beat), and in 1993, she began co-hosting Racing Country/Racing Country Classic, which is heard in roughly 200 markets and is a member of the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.

Rachael & Grunwald have been a part of the morning team at WYCD/Detroit since 2005 and are both deeply embedded in community service efforts. Grunwald is a part-time police officer in his community. They received the NAB Marconi Award in 2012 and 2016 as well as Best Morning Show from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters in 2017 and 2019.

The Country Radio Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of those individuals who have made significant contributions to the radio industry over a 20-year period, 15 of which must be in the Country format.

E-Book

Soft back Book

This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

FINAL OVATION

JOHN EDWARD SZELES AKA THE AMAZING JOHNATHAN died at his Las Vegas home Tuesday, February 22, 2022, after a long battle with cardiomyopathy, a degenerative disease that weakens the heart muscle. He was 63.

The Bally’s casino star attraction and Comedy Central staple - who reportedly earned $3 million a year at his peak -— was diagnosed in March 2007 with “a serious heart condition.”

The standup comic and magician who specialized in shocking audiences as "The Amazing Jonathan," called himself the "Freddy Kreuger of comedy."

His act mostly composed of hijinks, interaction with one specific audience member, and a few legitimate magic tricks. From 2001 to 2014, he was a year-round headliner in Las Vegas. Self-described as the "Freddy Krueger of Comedy",[2] Szeles performed wearing his ever-present headband, and his shows frequently used gore; for example, pretending to suck on his own hanging eyeball, cutting his wrists, and skewering his own tongue.

He gained further notoriety as the subject of a controversial 2019 Hulu documentary, The Amazing Johnathan Documentary. The film followed Szeles, then 60, as he mounted a comeback tour after defying his terminal illness diagnosis — and simultaneously dealing with an ongoing drug addiction.

He is survived by his wife sideshow stuntwoman Anastasia Synn.

SALLY KELLERMAN the Oscar nominated actress for her role as Hot Lips Houlihan in the movie M*A*S*H died February 22, 2020 at a care facility in Woodland Hills, CA . She was 84.

She had been suffering from dementia for the last 5 years.

Noted for movie and television roles, while she attended Los Angeles City College, she also enrolled in Jeff Corey's acting class.? Within a year, she appeared in a production of John Osborne's Look Back in Anger staged by Corey and featuring classmates Shirley Knight, Jack Nicholson, Dean Stockwell, and Robert Blake. Towards the end of the 1950s, Kellerman joined the newly opened Actors Studio West.

She appeared on stage from April 18 to May 21, 1995, in the title role of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre production of Mame. Around this time, Kellerman appeared in back-to-back plays in Boston and Edmonton. In Boston, she played Martha in the Hasty Pudding Theatricals production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and starred as Mary Jane Dankworth in a two-month, two-character production of Lay of the Land with Michael Hogan in Edmonton.?

At the beginning of 2000, Kellerman appeared in Canon Theatre's production of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues with Teri Hatcher and Regina Taylor. This was followed by a cabaret show at Feinstein's at the Regency, which opened with Helen Reddy's I Am Woman. This was followed by another cabaret show, produced by Hal David, at the Palmdale Playhouse. Songs included Etta James' Sunday Kind of Love and Long Way From St. Louis.

Kellerman returned to the stage for a What a Pair concert, joining actress Lauren Frost for I'm Past My Prime. The next year, she played Dolores Montoya in Blank Theatre Company's Los Angeles revival of The Wild Party, followed by the sexually-provocative Sandy in Susan Seidelman's Boynton Beach Club.

Kellerman was married to TV writer-director Rick Edelstein for two years in the early 1970s. Kellerman married writer-producer Krane in 1980 and although they separated a few times, they remained married until his death in 2016. Kellerman is survived by her son Jack and daughter Claire.

Next Column: February 27, 2022
Copyright: March 6, 2022 All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary, Photographs or Graphics from any Broadway To Vegas (TM) columns may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, utilized as leads, or used in any manner without permission, compensation and/or credit.
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Laura Deni

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