Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: August 16, 2020
By: Laura Deni
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ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER VOLUNTEERS AS COVID-19 GUINEA PIG

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber being given the experimental Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: ALW Twitter

Desperate to get theatres back up and running, famed composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has volunteered - and been accepted - as a guinea pig to test an experimental Covid-19 vaccine.

Webber announced the information on a Tweet on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

The EGOT composer posted:
"I am excited that tomorrow I am going to be vaccinated for the Oxford Covid 19 trial. I’ll do anything to prove that theatres can re-open safely. - ALW — Andrew Lloyd Webber (@OfficialALW) August 12, 2020

The following day Webber posted: Just completed the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trial. I’ll do anything to get theatres large and small open again and actors and musicians back to work. - ALW #SaveOurStages @nivassoc pic.twitter.com/pIcYZJPLps — Andrew Lloyd Webber (@OfficialALW) August 13, 2020.

Researchers from Oxford University and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca developed the vaccine, which entered its final phase of trials in July, according to Forbes. The experimental vaccine is called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, according the BBC. The outlet reports results have been promising so far and researchers have enlisted more than 10,000 people in the United Kingdom for the next stage of the medical trial.

Results from the early trials show that the vaccine produces immune responses, like COVID-19 antibodies, although side effects included: pain, chills and headaches, Forbes reported.

At 72, Webber's participation is not without possible consequences.

No medical trial is without risks. There have been trials which have been suddenly halted due to the death of a participant.

As required in all studies there is informed consent. Webber would have signed extensive release forms and been informed of possible side effects and serious non reversable reactions - including the outside possibility of death.

At 72, his age places him in the category in which catching Covid-19 has the highest death rate or permanent long term consequences. If this vaccine protects that age group then that's a crucial breakthrough.

However, at 72, he's also more at risk for side effects.

The basic purpose of a Phase III trial is to facilitate: "Further investigation into efficacy and monitoring of adverse side effects."

Preceeding Webber's participation, according to a Lancet article, "Between April 23 and May 21, 2020, 1077 participants were enrolled and assigned to receive either ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (n=543) or MenACWY (n=534), ten of whom were enrolled in the non-randomised ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 prime-boost group.Local and systemic reactions were more common in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and many were reduced by use of prophylactic paracetamol, including pain, feeling feverish, chills, muscle ache, headache, and malaise (all p<0·05). There were no serious adverse events related to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19."

Since studies of those over 55 have only recently begun, results are somewhat contradictory regarding side effects.

There are approximately 135 vaccines now in development worldwide, moving at a pace that we have never seen before. With seven billion people in the world, multiple vaccines are needed so that they can be successful in people of all ages, demographics and medical needs.

Several vaccine are in the testing stage with different results which include:

More than half of the participants reported fatigue, headache, chills, myalgia or pain at the injection site. Systemic adverse events were more common following the second vaccination and in those who received the highest vaccine dose.

According to Massachuttes General Hospital, "A key challenge in developing vaccines for emerging infectious diseases is that each pathogen uses a different mechanism to infect cells and elicits a different immune response from the body. The majority of vaccines are built from the ground up to address these unique factors and need to undergo rigorous efficacy and safety testing—a process that can typically take up to six years. The majority of vaccines currently being tested and developed rely on previous research addressing other types of infectious diseases."

Contrary to what some people assume, Webber will not be innoculated then exposed to Covid-19.

Webber's participation, in line with all other participants, means none will be intentionally exposeed to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which would be illegal and unethical.

Because there are still no effective therapies to prevent someone exposed to COVID-19 from falling seriously ill, intentionally exposing patients to the coronavirus is forbidden. Instead, the idea is to observe the number and severity of naturally occurring infections among the many thousands of volunteer participants who received vaccines or placebos. If there are notably fewer infections – or milder infections – among the vaccinated group, the vaccine is working, is the official explanation from University of Colorado Health.

Will a Covid-19 vaccine prevent Covid-19? No.

"Vaccines vary in how well they can do that," continued University Colorado Health. "The measles component of the MMR vaccine is about 97% effective in stopping the measles virus. On the other hand, seasonal flu vaccines’ effectiveness in recent years has ranged from as low as 19% to as high as 60%. Keep in mind, though: even if a vaccine doesn’t stop a virus from setting up shop, it can give the immune system a leg up in battling the invader, resulting in a milder or asymptomatic infection."

Webber's tweet about trial participation came after his longtime producer Cameron Mackintosh confirmed that they had shuttered the West End production of Phantom of the Opera after 34 years due to a "huge financial hit" from coronavirus-related shutdowns.

Those credits with the Lancet report include: Safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary report of a phase 1/2, single-blind, randomised controlled trial: Pedro M Folegatti, MSc, Katie J Ewer, PhD, Parvinder K Aley, PhD, Brian Angus, MD, Prof Stephan Becker, PhD, Sandra Belij-Rammerstorfer, PhD, Duncan Bellamy, MSc, Sagida Bibi, PhD, Mustapha Bittaye, PhD, Elizabeth A Clutterbuck, PhD, Christina Dold, PhD - Prof Saul N Faust, FRCPCH - Prof Adam Finn, PhD - Amy L Flaxman, DPhil - Bassam Hallis, PhD - Prof Paul Heath, FRCPCH - Daniel Jenkin, MRCP - Rajeka Lazarus, DPhil Rebecca Makinson, Mbiol - Angela M Minassian, DPhil - Katrina M Pollock, PhD - Maheshi Ramasamy, DPhil - Hannah Robinson, DipHE - Matthew Snape, MD Richard Tarrant, PhD - Merryn Voysey, DPhil - Catherine Green, PhD - Alexander D Douglas, DPhil - Prof Adrian V S Hill, FMedSci - Teresa Lambe, PhD - Prof Sarah C Gilbert, PhD - Prof Andrew J Pollard, FMedSci.

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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

HERMITAGE: THE POWER OF ART A spectacular documentary event tours through St. Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum, a wonderful complex of buildings with the largest collection of paintings in the world, to retrace two and a half centuries. Audiences pass through the magnificent interiors that provided a meeting point for foreign artists, architects and intellectuals creating connections through art and culture.

The history of the museum is marked by the acquisitions of the enlightened Empress Catherine II, whose personality has continued to fascinate art historians and critics over the centuries. Toni Servillo leads us on this journey through the Hermitage and the magnificent city of St. Petersburg with its waterfront, statues, canals and the bridges that form a symbolic cultural and visual element between places and distant civilizations.

Part of the Great Art on Film Series, unspooling Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT.

"The Ridgefield Playhouse is following Connecticut Safety Guidelines in order to continually serve and protect our patrons and community. We ask that you observe the following:

Purchase concession via our mobile site. Available up to two hours prior to the start of the movie- you can pick up your concessions on your way in! The app will be open throughout the film as well.
Ushers will seat you – All tickets are General Admission.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the lobby and bathrooms.
And remember: Facemasks Are Required At All Times! Please maintain a 6 foot distance from others.

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SWEET CHARITY

ISAAC MIZRAHI AND FRIENDS a virtual evening, took place last Sunday as a benefit for the Jewish Center in East Hampton's, New York.

After being introduced by the producer Daryl Roth, Mizrahi will conducted personal, one-on-one interviews with Bob Balaban, the actor, writer, producer, and director; Sandra Bernhard, the actress, comedian, and singer; Andy Cohen, the television talk show host, radio producer, and writer, and Henry Winkler, the actor, comedian, director, producer, and writer.

A silent auction was held in conjunction with the show featuring prizes and experiences including Candice Bergen's Bergen Bags in which Bergen personally hand-paints a monograms or images on your designer bag.

JUDGMENT DAY an online reading of this new play, written by Rob Ulin and starring Tony Award winners Jason Alexander, Patti LuPone, Santino Fontana and Grammy Award winner Michael McKean, will benefit Pittsfield, MA’s Barrington Stage Company and The Actors Fund.

The reading will premiere on Saturday, August 22 and will be available for viewing for a limited period of 96 hours only through Tuesday, August 25.

In Judgment Day, Sammy Campo, a deeply corrupt, morally bankrupt lawyer (Jason Alexander), has a near-death experience in which he encounters a terrifying angel (Patti LuPone) who threatens him with eternal damnation. In a desperate attempt to redeem himself, Sammy teams with a Catholic priest (Santino Fontana), who is having his own crisis of faith as he struggles against Church authority (a monsignor played by Michael McKean). Together Sammy and the priest debate the timeless questions of Western philosophy – “morality,” “faith,” and “Are people any damn good?” – as they form an unlikely bond in this irreverent comedy.

The cast also features Loretta Devine (Della), Josh Johnston (Doctor), Bianca LaVerne Jones(Principal), Julian Emile Lerner (Casper), Justina Machado (Tracy), Carol Mansell (Edna), Michael Mastro (Jackson) and Elizabeth Stanley (Chandra).

Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is an award-winning theatre located in Pittsfield, MA, in the heart of the Berkshires. Co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, BSC’s mission is to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways of bringing new audiences into the theatre.

The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. Through offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Actors Fund serves everyone in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance with programs including social services and emergency financial assistance, health care and insurance counseling, housing, and secondary employment and training services.

SPREADING THE WORD

RECORDING ACADEMY'S DISTRICT ADVOCATE DAY mobilized nearly 2,000 academy members to confront their senators and congressional representatives as a part of the Academy's 7th annual District Advocate Day - the largest nationwide day of advocacy for music and its makers.

The initiative represents the culmination of the Recording Academy's "Summer of Advocacy," and consisted of a series of virtual meetings between members and their elected officials to discuss legislative proposals that will help music creators and music businesses survive the pandemic.

"District Advocate Day has always been an important initiative for music advocacy and it's especially true now," said Harvey Mason jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "Creators are among the hardest hit and first out of work, yet music is what brings the world together in hard times — and for many, it brings hope. Today, we raise our voices to remind legislators of the vital role music plays during this pandemic and, equally as imperative, the creators behind it who are struggling and desperately needing a helping hand from this country's leaders."

District Advocate Day participants included four-time Grammy winner Yolanda Adams; six-time Grammy nominee Brandy Clark; seven-time Grammy winner José Feliciano; 11-time Grammy winner John Legend; eight-time Grammy winner Ziggy Marley; two-time Grammy nominee Victoria Monét; three-time Grammy nominee Offset; and nearly 2,000 other music professionals.

District Advocate Day, along with the Recording Academy's annual Grammys on the Hill in April, are the Recording Academy's premiere advocacy events, and are credited by bipartisan legislators with helping to pass the Music Modernization Act into law — the largest update to music legislation in the past 40 years.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR returned last Friday, August 14, to Regent's Park in London in an open air production. Restaged as a 90-minute concert version without an interval, the show will perform for six weeks. To comply with social distancing requirements, it will play in front of a reduced-capacity audience of 390 people, a significant reduction from the theatre’s usual 1200 seat capacity. Additional protocols include compulsory masks for the audience and temperature checks, in addition to one-way traffic and cashless retail systems.

Timothy Sheader’s bold revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock-musical premiered at the venue in 2016, returning in 2017 and most recently playing at the Barbican in 2019.

Timothy Sheader, the show’s director and artistic director of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre said: “It has been, and continues to be, an incredibly challenging time for everyone working in the theatre industry. While the arts sector awaits details of how the government’s support package will be disseminated, I’m heartened that we have been able to start work again with a number of our colleagues and to employ over 140 people, including 70 performers and freelancers, at least for a brief period this summer.”

LATINO THEATER COMPANY offers virtual online season starting August 18. Over the next five months, the company will stream a combination of archival footage of past, fully-staged hit productions; live streamed, “sneak-peek” readings of plays set for on-stage production in 2021 (or whenever theater is permitted to resume); live online conversations with company members; and live readings of new plays selected for the company’s annual Unmasking New Works playreading series. All events are free and will be available for viewing at www.thelatc.org.

The season will open on Tuesday, August 18 with an archival video presentation of Latino Theater Company’s 2014 production of Premeditation, a dark romantic comedy written by resident company playwright Evelina Fernández and directed by LTC artistic director José Luis Valenzuela. Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. But how many end in murder? A follow-up, online conversation with the artists will take place on Wednesday, August 19.

Other August presentations include - Tuesday, August 25 will see streaming archival video of the 2009, Los Angeles Times “Critic’s Choice” production of Solitude, also written by Fernández and directed by Valenzuela, with a follow-up conversation on Wednesday, August 26. Inspired by a collection of essays on Mexican thought and identity by Octavio Paz, Solitude explores love, death, destiny and family through a contemporary lens, accompanied by live music from cellist Semyon Kobialka.

On Friday, August 28, tune in for a sneak-peek reading of August 29, a play named for the date in 1970, exactly 50 years ago, when Los Angeles Times columnist Ruben Salazar was killed while covering a large Chicano-led anti-war demonstration in East L.A. In the play, a university professor is writing a book on the life of Salazar. As she writes, those days from the late 1960s and early 1970s come to life, helping her recall the past and challenging her to renew her activism. The reading will be preceded by a live, online conversation on Thursday, August 27. Written and first produced in 1990 by members of the Latino Theater Company, then known as the Latino Theater Lab, August 29 was initially announced to open this month at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and is now scheduled to receive a fully staged production in 2021.

EAST LYNNE THEATER COMPANY presents a play about Dorothea Lynne Dix:Not Above a Whisper. I'd have to be deaf and blind not to have heard and read the protests against me since I started investigating the treatment of the indigent mentally ill. 'And a woman made these terrible discoveries? It really should not be discussed above a whisper.'"

Dorothea Lynne Dix is talking to a lawyer, Charles Dearing, on February 25,1843, in the State Legislature's building in Boston, down the hall from where the Legislature actually meets. Dix is awaiting the outcome of her plea to help those who have mental disabilities, who cannot help themselves. Charles Dearing is a lawyer for the opposition.

As many in the United States celebrate the certification of the 19th Amendment, one-hundred years ago, on August 26, 1920, it is important to note how women had to make their voices heard in government, prior to when they were given the right to vote. Dix spent two years documenting treatment of the mentally ill just in the state of Massachusetts, however, it was Dr. Howe, who read her findings before the State Legislature. No woman, at that time, was allowed to deliver such requests in person. Dix traveled to every state to compile evidence about the horrific conditions for the mentally ill, and in every state, she had to find a man to speak for her in State Legislatures. Fortunately, there were men like Dr. Howe, who believed her cause. In 1843, he married Julia Ward, who later wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

From Tuesday, August 18 through Friday, August 21, a staged reading of this forty-minute play involving Dix and Dearing, "Not Above a Whisper," will be a free presentation on East Lynne Theater Company's YouTube Channel.

ELTC's artistic director, Gayle Stahlhuth received a commission from The Smithsonian Institution to write a play about Dix. It premiered at The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. in April,1983, with Stahlhuth and her husband Lee O'Connor performing. During the next four years, they toured Not Above a Whisper to mental health organizations throughout the country, to help raise money and awareness.

For this special staged reading, Stahlhuth and O'Connor will reprise the roles they first performed 37 years ago.

THE ART OF BROADWAY ORCHESTRATION a 92Y Online Class with Naomi Lewin and guests Jonathan Tunick, Harold Wheeler, Larry Hochman and Alex Lacamoire takes place Monday, August 24, 2020.

Behind every Broadway musical is an orchestrator who turns the composer’s melodies into what you actually hear in the theater - from the sweeping strings in A Little Night Music, to the modern vibe of Hamilton. Legendary orchestrators Jonathan Tunick (A Little Night Music; Sweeney Todd; Pacific Overtures), Harold Wheeler (The Wiz; Dreamgirls; The Full Monty), Larry Hochman (The Book of Mormon; Spamalot; The Addams Family), and Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton; Dear Evan Hansen; In the Heights) shed light on how they create the sound of Broadway in a 92Y School of Music conversation with Naomi Lewin. Lewin is host of the popular syndicated program “Classics for Kids” and former host of weekday afternoon music on WQXR.

JOE BONAMASSA as part of BBC Proms performs a session from the guitar legend's home on Saturday, August 22, 2020.

NEW YORK COMIC CON is going on line. The annual New York Comic Con, which was scheduled to be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center October 8 through October 11, will now be virtual. Fans will be able to interact with the NYCC panels via YouTube’s community and live chat features, as well as ReedPop’s Discord channel, with talent Q&As being planned as one of the features of the interactive element for the show.

JAMES CORDEN'S return to a studio broadcast last Monday was an ingenious, comedic delight as he spotlighted hand sanitizers, temperature checks and navigating those Plexiglas barriers. Socially distanced crew members and musicians wearing masks were seen as was the mask wearing tech conducting a safety check.

Totally topical and funny.

THERE'S A SONG THERE SOMEWHERE Blake Shelton posting on his twitter account: "God blessed the broken road that lead me straight to booze......"

BROADWAY'S DIANA THE MUSICAL PREMIERES ON NETFLEX

Diana a musical about Princess Diana will hopscotch over the stage and first be aired on Netflix - perhaps setting the stage for redoing the way Broadway reaches an audience.

The musical, with book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music and lyrics by David Bryan tells the story of the late Diana Spencer, will stream on the digital platform next year before it returns to Broadway, slated to open May 25, 2021 at the Longacre Theater.

Producers are banking on Americans being obsessed with the British royal family and Princess Diana has a plethora of devoted, rabid fans.

With Broadway creatives anxious to hit the boards, nerves are frayed. The artists most easily rebook-able are those who have won major awards and those whose household names sell tickets.

All others needn't apply.

Stage productions are financially risky and some of the most expensive to mount.

Look for slimmed down efforts and even shorter productions. Nothing terribly avant guard or wildly experimental will prompt people to risk their health and pay top dollar.

Broadway is waiting to see what happens when the flu seasons hits and discover the effectiveness of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Last month the filmed version of Hamilton was released by Disney+. Hamilton featured the original Broadway cast and filmed at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, drew upon a phenomenal success, first off Broadway and then dominating the Broadway box office, following by touring success and then that all important Disney streaming. The Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking streaming musical was a smash hit.

Diana, on the other hand, is looking to the stage filmed streaming to entice audiences to want to see the production in person - first on Broadway and then on tour.

The unusual business model is risky and expensive. There are contracts with the creatives, the cast has to be paid, which requires all of the unions to come to terms, and even with the Covid-19 shutdown, the cost of recording shows versus the money they will bring in commercially is - until now considered prohibitive - still not expected to turn a profit.

Long feared that broadcasts would cannibalize future Broadway or touring production, a recent survey by ticketing app TodayTix found more than a third of respondents who hadn't seen Hamilton live were more likely to buy a ticket after seeing the recent broadcast of the musical on Disney+.

While the theater is not something you watch on your phone, the unusual Diana promotion is betting that viewers will be so besotted by the streaming that they'll ante up hard earned dollars to see it in person.

Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, BroadwayHD and Disney+, have a wealth of theatrical resources available where you can find live recordings of original productions from Broadway and the West End.

The difference is that cameras came in towards the end of the production and filmed for later viewing - many times after the show had closed on Broadway.

Last Friday night PBS aired a rebroadcast of the London made for television The Sound of Music. At the same time the musical Pal Joey starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, and Kim Novak was airing on the movie channel. Both were free to watch.

Diana is directed by Christopher Ashley, the head of La Jolla Playhouse, where the show originated. The full creative team includes scenic design by Tony Award-winner David Zinn, costume design by Tony Award-winner William Ivey Long, lighting design by Tony Award-winner Natasha Katz, sound design by Tony Award-nominee Gareth Owen, orchestrations by Tony Award-nominee John Clancy, and casting by Telsey + Company.

Previews for Diana began on February 19, 2019 at the La Jolla Playhouse. The world premiere of Diana opened the following month on March 3. The limited run was extended twice and closed on April 14, 2019. Following the La Jolla production, the producers continued work shopping the musical. The production was eventually picked up and began previews at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway on March 2, 2020 with the same directing team.

The show was planned to open on March 31, 2020 with sales from a large block of seats on March 16 to benefit the The Actors Fund national human services organization However, on March 12 the show suspended production due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Netflex production will be filmed on the stage of the Longacre Theatre where previews begin March 2, without an audience. It will then be released on the streaming platform sometime before its new opening night of May 25, 2021.

'We speak for the entire company when we say that we couldn't be more excited to finally be able to share our show with theater lovers everywhere,' the show's producers said in a statement Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

The production’s safety protocols have received approval from Actors’ Equity Association. The numerous provisions include routine testing, isolation plans for all actors and stage managers, and HVAC changes to ensure proper ventilation backstage.

The full Broadway company return to their roles, including Jeanna de Waal in the title role, Roe Hartrampf as Prince Charles, Erin Davie as Camilla Parker Bowles, and Tony winner Judy Kaye as Queen Elizabeth.

Rounding out the cast are ensemble members: Zach Adkins, Tessa Alves, Ashley Andrews, Austen Danielle Bohmer, Holly Ann Butler, Bruce Dow, Lauren E.J. Hamilton, Andre Jordan, Gareth Keegan, Nathan Lucrezio, Tom?s Matos, Chris Medlin, Laura Stracko, and Bethany Ann Tesarck. Swings are Stephen Carrasco, Richard Gatta, Emma Hearn and Shayne B. Hopkins.

The official description: "This is the story of the most famous woman of the modern age: Diana, Princess of Wales. Thrust into a spotlight brighter than any the world had ever known, Diana soon finds herself at odds with her husband, an unrelenting news media, and the monarchy itself. Leading fiercely with her heart, Princess Diana stands up for her family, her country and herself, while managing to capture the hearts of the world. She defied expectations, she rocked the royals and she created a legacy that will endure forever."

For those who have had their fill of Diana stories, gossip and event rehashing since her tragic death in a 1997 Paris car crash while being pursued by paparazzi, watch the streaming to ogle the costumes William Ivey Long created just for the title character - all 38 of them.

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

Jokes from Wayne Alan, comedian and owner of the The Historic North Theatre and Performing Arts Center in Danville, VA .

Whoever could have guessed this year would turn out like it has? We sure did not have 2020 vision.

We need a 12-step group for compulsive talkers. They could call it On Anon Anon. Paula Poundstone

To the guy who stole my antidepressants: I hope you're happy now.

Q: What do you get when you combine an insomniac, an agnostic, and a dyslexic? A: Someone who lays awake at night wondering the true meaning of Dog.

The cable repairman was on my street and asked me what time it was. I told him it is between 8 am and 1 pm.

I bought one of those tapes to teach you Spanish in your sleep. During the night, the tape skipped. Now I can only stutter in Spanish. Steven Wright

"Has your son decided what he wants to be when he grows up?" I asked my friend. "He wants to be a garbageman," he replied. "That's an unusual ambition to have at such a young age." "Not really. He thinks that garbage-men work only on Tuesdays."

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

AMC MOVIE THEATRES the nation's largest movie theater chain, will reopen in the U.S. on August 20 with retro ticket prices of 15 cents per movie on the first day of reopening. The chain proclaims: “Movies in 2020 at 1920 Prices.”

During its opening-day promotion, AMC will unspool catalog films, including Ghostbusters; Black Panther; Back to the Future and Grease. Those classics will continue to play afterward for $5.

The chain will operate at reduced capacity to facilitate social distancing, along with increased theater cleaning and required mask wearing.

11 MAJOR LAS VEGAS HOTEL CASINOS owned by MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Inc., Red Rock Resorts Inc. and Boyd Gaming Corp remain closed indefinitely. They are: Park MGM, which includes the NoMad hotel.

Still closed: Texas Station, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho and the Strip located Palms. Also having no reopening date are: the Eastside Cannery, Main Street Station and Eldorado Casino. Still shuttered are: The Cromwell, Planet Hollywood Resort and Rio.

The Mirage is set to reopen on August 27.

WARNER MEDIA MEDIA SLASHES 600 WORKERS with the exits taking place being last Monday as movie theater shutdowns and streaming competition ravage its film and TV business. The cuts impacted multiple film and TV units, with Warner Bros. and HBO particularly effected.

As part of the realignment, leaving the company are Jeffrey R. Schlesinger president, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution; Ron Sanders, president, Worldwide Theatrical Distribution & Home Entertainment and evp, International Business Operations; and Kim Williams, evp and chief financial officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The widespread layoffs come in the wake of an overhaul at the media company’s top ranks initiated by Jason Kilar, who took over as WarnerMedia CEO in May.

WarnerMedia Entertainment and direct to consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt and content chief and TBS, TNT and TruTV president Kevin Reilly were kicked to the curb a week ago.

ACCORDING TO THE WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION (UNWTO) the Covid-19 pandemic could cost global tourism and related sectors between $1.2 trillion and $3.3tr in lost revenue depending on the timing of recovery.

LE REVE a Cirque du Soleil production at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas has announced that it will remain permanently closed. The popular productions performed more than 6,000 shows since it opened in 2005.

The permanent closure places about 275 Wynn employees who worked on Le Reve in the unemployed category.

THE NEW YORK CITY MAYOR'S OFFICE OF MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT (MOME) and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) have announced that Steiner Studios has been selected to develop a 500,000-square-foot film and television production hub on the Made in New York Campus at Bush Terminal in Sunset Park.

"The facilities will include eight new soundstages, gut-renovations of two historic buildings, and a new parking facility. Steiner will complete the adjacent Bush Terminal Piers Park and build a new playground designed with community input. By expanding production capacity and investing in skilled job training and talent development programs, the new production hub affirms our commitment to increasing access and opportunities for New Yorkers in the film and television industry and strengthens the City’s role as a center for film and television production."

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO . . .

THE PRINCESS ROYAL, ANNE who celebrated her 70th birthday on Saturday, August 15, 2020.

The Covid-19 lock-down altered plans for the birthday girl.

Reportedly the same type of big bash her brother Prince Charles enjoyed a year and a half ago was squashed by the Covid-19 epidemic. According to her son-in-law Mike Tindall, who married Anne's daughter, Zara in 2011, the former rugby player said plans were in place to celebrate as a family. Tindall revealed the news during an interview on the BBC’s The One Show speaking to host Alex Jones, Tindall said: “We did have plans. It would have been up in Scotland, but obviously with COVID – Aberdeen’s been locked down a bit – I think everything’s been scaled back a little bit. We will be doing something. I don’t know if she knows, so my lips are sealed.”
,br> Long admired as the hardest working member of the royal family, her son-in-law termed his mother-in-law "wonderful" and “incredible.”

ITV put together a documentary marking Anne's 70th birthday in which the Princess Royal helps her mother navigate modern technology, like Zoom.

She has a keen sense of humor. Regarding her well known love of horses she has said: "When I appear in public people expect me to neigh, grind my teeth, paw the ground and swish my tail - none of which is easy."

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

PAUL VINCENT REALE composer of classical concert music, passed away from prostate cancer on July 22, 2020. He was 77.

His vast output ncludes music for every musical instrument. Reale was recorded on Naxos, MSR Classics, and ABLAZE/Albany labels.

His catalogue includes 12 piano sonatas. Most recently (2019) he completed is a Concerto for Violoncello, Strings, and Percussion. Music is recorded on Naxos, He was a member National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (member executive vote since 1989).

1963 Columbia College , Bachelor of Arts; 1967 Columbia University , Master of Arts; University Pennsylvania , Doctor of Philosophy, 1970 A Professor at the , University of California at Los Angeles since 1969, he retired in 2004.

Reale leaves behind his cats and his loving wife, Claire Rydell.

SALOME BEY Obie Award winning American-born Canadian singer-songwriter, composer, and actress who lived in Toronto, Ontario, since 1966 died August 8, 2020. She was 86.

Dubbed Canada's First Lady of the Blues, the singer toured the world with Andy & the Bey Sisters. Bey appeared on Broadway in Your Arms Too Short to Box with God, for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award for her work on the cast album. She put together a blues & jazz cabaret show on the history of black music, Indigo - which earned her the Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding performance. The show was later taped for TV networks.

Bey recorded two albums with Horace Silver, and released live albums of her performances with the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir and at the Montreux Jazz Festival. She received the Toronto Arts Award for her contributions to the performing arts in 1992, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for lifetime achievement from the Black Theatre Workshop of Montreal in 1996. In 2005, she was made an honorary Member of the Order of Canada.

Beginning in her early sixties, Bey began showing signs of dementia. As of 2011 her illness had progressed to the point that she could no longer perform. She married Howard Berkeley Matthews on April 7, 1964. They had three children, including the singer SATE, formerly known as Saidah Baba Talibah, and singer/performance artist Jacintha Tuku Matthews. Matthews died in August 2016 at the age of 80.

TRINI LOPEZ singer, guitarist, and actor died at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California from Covid-19 complications on August 11, 2020. He was 83.

During the 1960s he topped the charts by creating a unique mix of American folk, Latin and rockabilly music. His hits included .13 chart singles through 1968, including Lemon Tree (1965), I'm Comin' Home, Cindy (1966), and Sally Was a Good Old Girl (1968). On the adult contemporary chart, he racked up 15 hits, including the top-10 singles Michael (1964), Gonna Get Along Without Ya' Now (1967), and The Bramble Bush (1967).

In addition to a recording career, he gained fame as a movie actor including one of The Dirty Dozen (1967).

In 1964 Gibson Guitars asked him to to design a guitar for them. He designed two: the Trini Lopez Standard, a rock and roll model based on the Gibson ES-335 semihollow body, and the Lopez Deluxe, a variation of a Gibson jazz guitar designed by Barney Kessel. Both of these guitars were in production from 1964 until 1971, and are now highly sought-after among collectors. Owners of the guitar include Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.

Trini also regularly starred in Las Vegas. During a few of his engagements I wrote patter for him to say to the audience between numbers.

He was a delightful gentleman who liked to stay physically fit, back in the days when Las Vegas resorts didn't have the spas and fitness equipment as they do today. Trini was always looking for a way to exercise. Almost 50 years ago, when I moved from an apartment into a house Trini was elated. It was his opportunity to exercise. He showed up with two of his crew and the three of them moved me into the house, using lifting and carrying furniture as weight bearing exercise.

Back then I had grass in the front lawn. A couple of Las Vegas engagements later, the phone rang and Trini's representative asked: "Can Trini come over and mow your lawn? He needs some exercise."

BENJAMIN VEREEN, JR who went by Benji, a dancer and choreographer and son of Tony award winner Ben Vereen has died. He was 55.

He had been missing since July 27.

His father was notified of his son's death of Saturday, August 9 and made the news public on Tuesday, August 11, 2020.

He released a statement saying, "I am sorry to announce my son Benjamin A Vereen Jr., affectionately known as "Benji" passed away. Benji was a dancer and a choreographer with an extraordinary artistic talent and we will hold him in our hearts forever. Thank you to the public for loving my son. We would appreciate allowing our family to mourn this privately."

His 16-year-old daughter, Naja, was killed in an auto accident in 1987, on the New Jersey Turnpike when a truck overturned on her car.

Next Column: August 23, 2020
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