Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: January 19, 2020
By: Laura Deni
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GRAMMY CEO DEBORAH DUGAN ON 'ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE' AFTER MISCONDUCT ALLEGATION

Deborah Dugan. Photo: Recording Academy

It couldn't have come at a worst time. A Grammy scandal. The venerable awards presentation airs on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles next Sunday, January 26, 2020.

On Thursday, January 17, 2020 it was announced that Deborah Dugan was "immediately" put on "administrative leave" following a misconduct allegation by a female senior leader at the organization.

She immediately countered through her attorney Bryan Freedman who issued a statement: "What has been reported is not nearly the story that needs to be told. When our ability to speak is not restrained by a 28-page contract and legal threats, we will expose what happens when you ‘step up’ at the Recording Academy, a public nonprofit.”

According to The New York Times, Dugan had sent a memo to the Academy’s human resources department, indicating that she was concerned about the organization’s practices including spending, stating that “something was seriously amiss at the Academy” and citing voting irregularities, financial mismanagement, “exorbitant and unnecessary” legal bills, including conflicts of interest involving members of the academy’s board, executive committee and outside lawyers.

The board consists of four officers and 40 trustees who benefit from travel, entertainment and other perks.

Dugan was appointed to the position last August. She replaced retiring Neil Portnow, who headed up the organization for 17 years, becoming the first woman appointed to helm the academy. Previously she had been CEO of Bono's (RED) organization.

Freedman's use of the phrase "step up" is in reference to comments by Portnow which led to his retirement. Those took place following the 60th Grammy Awards when he said that that women should “step up” if they want to be better represented in the music industry.

The Recording Academy's statement: “In light of concerns raised to the Recording Academy Board of Trustees, including a formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy team, the Board has placed Recording Academy President and CEO Deborah Dugan on administrative leave, effective immediately. The Board has also retained two independent third-party investigators to conduct independent investigations of the allegations.

“The Board determined this action to be necessary in order to restore the confidence of the Recording Academy’s Membership, repair Recording Academy employee morale, and allow the Recording Academy to focus on its mission of serving all music creators,” the statement continued. “Board Chair Harvey Mason Jr. will serve as interim President and CEO pending the conclusion of the investigation. The Recording Academy Board of Trustees is committed to fostering a safe, diverse, and inclusive workplace, music industry, and society.”

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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

THE INSIDE WORLD: CONTEMPORARY ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN MEMORIAL POLES opens January 24, 2020 at the Fralin Museum in Charlottsville, Virginia - the only museum dedicated to Aboriginal art outside of Australia.

The Inside World, on view at the Fralin January 24-May 24, 2020, presents 112 memorial poles by 55 artists from remote Aboriginal communities in the tropical northern region of Australia known as Arnhem Land.

“The Inside World is an exciting opportunity for the Fralin Museum of Art and Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection - to serve students, faculty and visitors in a new way,” said Matthew McLendon, the J. Sanford Miller Family Director at the Fralin. “By coming together in one location, we are able to present visual and academic experiences that advance new ideas and new ways to view the world.”

With this collaboration, which illustrates the potential impact that partnership could have on serving students, faculty and visitors, the two museums are exploring the possibility of sharing a larger space on University Grounds in the future.

Traditionally, memorial poles - known as lorrkkon, upun or arrakitj - were used to house the bones of the deceased. Interment in a memorial pole marked the final point in a long and complex funeral process designed to guide the spirit of the deceased on its final journey. It signified the moment when spirits were considered to have finally returned to their ancestral homes - when they had left all vestiges of the mundane “outside” world and become one with the “inside” realm of the ancestral world.

“Contemporary memorial poles are not ritual objects, but metaphors for the crossing of cultures: they are spirit vessels that hint at the existence of ancestral energy that permeates all things,” said Henry F. Skerritt, curator of the Indigenous Arts of Australia at Kluge-Ruhe. “The result is a celebration of life. Walking in this forest of bones, we find ourselves reborn. Faced with this joyous exploration of a culture so distant and different to our own, the world is made more alive.”

Today, these poles are made as works of art, and artists included in the exhibition are some of the most respected contemporary artists working in Australia today. These include John Mawurndjul AM, who was recently honored with a major retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney and the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide, and Djambawa Marawili AM, whose work has been included in the Moscow, Istanbul and Sydney Biennales. Two of the artists in the exhibition, Gabriel Maralngurra and Joe Guymala, will be traveling to Charlottesville for the exhibition opening and will offer a Saturday Special Tour on January 25th with Henry Skerritt.

The Inside World: Contemporary Aboriginal Australian Memorial Poles originated at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada and was organized by Henry F. Skerritt, curator, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. The exhibition at the Fralin is drawn from the collection of Debra and Dennis Scholl and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia.

MINDBENDER MANSION a new traveling exhibition opening January 25, 2020, at the Fleet Science Center in San Diego, CA>

Mindbender Mansion is an eclectic place full of puzzles, brainteasers and interactive challenges guaranteed to test the brainpower and problem-solving skills of even the most experienced puzzlers. Adults and children alike will enjoy exercising their minds as they try to master each of the 11 individual brain teasers and the three group activities, which encourage intergenerational play in thisfun and unconventional new exhibition.

Throughout the exhibition, visitors will find a combination of tabletop brainteasers they can solve on their own and larger group challenges that require assistance from their friends and family. The group challenges include:

Feeding Frenzy-Kitchen mayhem is guaranteed in a race to beat the clock by filling T.V. dinner trays (with five kinds of food) on a fast-moving conveyer belt.

Spelling Fever-Visitors will race to correctly spell answers to trivia questions, within a limited amount of time, by hopping on letter squares that light up.

Amazing Maze-In this version of the classic steel ball labyrinth game visitors must work together to tilt a table in different directions, guiding a ball into six holes as quickly as possible or within the allotted time.

STEM-based educational content is unexpectedly woven into the puzzles, videos and group challenges found inside Mindbender Mansion. At the heart of the exhibition, visitors will find the essential scientific tasks of problem-solving and critical thinking, while group challenges require the use of communication, collaboration and teamwork skills.

Open from January 25 to April 19, 2020, at the Fleet Science Center. It was produced and is toured by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, in Portland, Oregon.

CREATION MYTHS Artist Hugh Hayden explores history, slavery and the creation of the America we know today through a series of site-responsive installations at Art@Bainbridge, the Princeton University Art Museum’s gallery space in downtown Princeton featuring the work of emerging contemporary artists. Challenging issues of home, craft and the politics of materials, Hayden reimagines the domestic spaces of Bainbridge House, which dates to 1766, through meticulously constructed surrealistic sculptures.

Titled Creation Myths, the installation responds to the history of Bainbridge House by creating distinct but interconnected domestic spaces. In the “kitchen,” iron skillets fused with casts of African masks consider the enslaved cooks who helped create American cuisine; in the “study,” a claw-machine arcade game filled with cotton bolls references the quintessential act of slave labor; in the “dining room,” an oak table covered in large-scale thorns evokes the unattainability of the American Dream. Together, these spaces craft a narrative – part fiction, part history – that evokes themes of cuisine, leisure and education and explores the intersections of these themes with slavery’s complex legacy.

Much of his lumber sources are imbued with meaning, including mesquite he hand-harvested on the U.S.-Mexico border and Christmas trees salvaged from Park Avenue trash bins.

The installation is curated by Alex Bacon, curatorial associate, with Mitra Abbaspour, Haskell curator of modern and contemporary art.

Based in New York, Hayden (born 1983, Dallas, Texas) received his Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University and Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University. He has completed residencies at the Abrons Art Center and Glenfiddich, and his work has been featured in several exhibitions in the U.S. and in Europe, including as one of the inaugural-year commissions at The Shed in New York’s Hudson Yards.

On view through June, 2020, at Princeton University Art Museum’s Art at Bainbridge galleries in Princeton, NJ.

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SWEET CHARITY

PRINCESS ANNE, THE PRINCESS ROYAL

The investiture for Princess Anne (back to camera) begins as Duchess Camilla is instructed: "Chancellor, in recognition of her many years of public service, support of many education and research-based charities and contribution to sport, it is my pleasure to invite you to confer on Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal the Degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa”. Photo: Clarence House.

was presented with an honorary degree from her sister-in-law Camilla, the Duchess of Rothesay at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. The Princess Royal was conferred with the degree by the wife of Prince Charles in her role as the university's chancellor. Princess Anne was nominated by the university for the honor in recognition of her charity work.

Long considered the hardest working of the Royals she is involved with over 300 charities, organizations and military regiments in the UK and overseas. It was revealed in December 2017 that the Princess Royal had undertaken the most official engagements that year out of all the royal family, her mother included.

Camilla - known as the Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland - said she was not sure if there was "a collective noun for chancellors", as Princess Anne is chancellor of the rival University of Edinburgh. She was elected Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh effective March 31, 2011, succeeding her father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who stepped down from the role in 2010.

Camilla then quipped "Ladies and gentlemen, we shall have no talk of rivalry today. But I might just casually observe that, while we are to celebrate our 525th birthday next month, the University of Edinburgh is comparatively youthful - a mere 437-years-old."

Camilla became the university's chancellor - a role which dates back to 1860 - in 2013.

The Princess Royal said it was a "real honor" to be recognized by the university.

A special award was also being presented to the Denis Law Legacy Trust, which provides free outreach projects to children and young people. Law, an Aberdeen-born Scotland and Manchester United former footballer who played as a forward was among the trust's representatives at the event. Prof George Boyne, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, said he was "delighted" those "acting in the service of others" were being recognized.

MOULIN ROUGE the elaborate Broadway musical will participate in wildfire relief efforts for Australia. Profits from the January 26 performance at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund and WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue. A benefit performance the following day coincides with the nation’s Australia Day.

Company members will take part in the Make It Rain Rally, an initiative developed by Australian castmates Karli Dinardo and and Reed Luplau. The event at (Le) Poisson Rouge, directed by Luplau, will also feature performances by Ben Folds, Postmodern Jukebox, Morgan James, Alexis Michelle, and actors from Frozen; Hamilton, and Tootsie. Proceeds are earmarked for the above mentioned charity organizations.

ENCOMPASS NEW OPERA THEATRE stages its Musical Salute on Sunday, January 26, at the National Arts Club in New York City.

Honorary Gala Chair, Sheldon Harnick will pay tribute to Academy Award and Tony Award-winning luminaries, Estelle Parsons and Maury Yeston with a star-studded musical salute. The elegant evening – hosted by Midge Woolsey of Thirteen/WNET and WQXR Radio - will feature recollections and tributes by well-known Musical Theatre and Opera personalities and friends. Musical entertainment will feature stars of stage and screen. Beth Ertz is the Music Director/Arranger/Pianist and Jay Leonhart will perform on Bass. Michael A. Kerker of ASCAP and Nancy Rhodes of Encompass will co-produce. The 2020 Gala Chairs are Daniel J. De Siena and Deborah Surdi.

Sheldon Harnick will present Maury Yeston with the Sheldon Harnick Award for Creative Excellence and Estelle Parsons with Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in the American and Musical Theatre.

Encompass Musical Salute past honorees include Sheldon Harnick (both for his 80th and his 90th Birthdays), John Kander, Charles Strouse, Jerry Herman, Jerry Bock, Maury Yeston, Joseph Stein, Richard Maltby, Jr., David Shire, John Weidman, Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Menken, Joel Grey, Jeanine Tesori, Barbara Cook, Lee Adams, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, Terrence McNally, Christine Ebersole, Laura Benanti and Bartlett Sher.

NANCY PELOSI THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE accompanied by her husband Paul, made a surprise appearance at the San Francisco Ballet's 2020 season opening Gala held at the San Francisco City Hall on Thursday, January 16, 2020.

Guests dined on Dungeness crab salad, smoked braised beef short rib and chocolate ballet slippers dusted with gold.

The evening raised more than $3 million to support the company’s programming and education work.

ADRIENNE WARREN SHINES IN TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL

Adrienne Warren as Tina Turner in the Broadway musical. Photo by: Manuel Harlan.

Tina Turner is an iconic performer who survived a bad childhood, an abusive husband and an ever changing music market to reinvent herself at least three times. Effectively presented on the more accommodating big screen in the 1993 What's Love Got To Do With It starring Angelia Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner - the life story is now on stage at the 1,478 seat Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.

It's difficult for me to view Tina- The Tina Turn Musical from a totally impartial perspective because I saw the real deal in Las Vegas more times than I can count. If I was doing any work for the hotel's opening act there would be nights when I saw parts of that Ike and Tina Turner casino show more than once. You couldn't help but walk past the casino lounge become transfixed at Tina's performance. At that time we all knew that Ike was evil and abusing Tina. As long as she tolerated it, there wasn't much anyone else could do. That isn't blaming the victim, it's simple pointing out that wives of domestic violence generally cover for their abuser and are reluctant to press charges.

When that same person was also ignored or abused as a child (as Tina was) it's a given that abuse will continue as an adult. The victim doesn't know how to respond to any other kind of attention.

That is double downed when the husband is also in control of your career - and on drugs.

Ike Turner could make my skin crawl just by looking at me.

He treated Tina as a wind up sex toy - whose on stage presence was to turn on the customers.

The audience for their Las Vegas performances were generally men - many of whom were overweight, smoking cigars, leering and literally drooling. That's what Ike wanted. He knew his crowd. Tina used that microphone as a substitute penis. When Tina began Rollin' on the River and Proud Mary the room would all but shake from her shimmy gyrating. When she licked the microphone and all but crammed it down it down her throat nobody would have been surprised if the vice square had stopped the show.

The story line of the Broadway juke-box musical is a bit disjointed and 41 listed musical numbers all perfectly orchestrated by Ethan Popp with musical supervision, arrangements, additional music by Nicholas Skilbeck who also conducts. However, the songs don't necessarily fit within the time frame of the story.

That's not a criticism as much as it is a commentary on the difficulty it is to convey in a stage production that Tina has had more lives than a cat and each are distinct. That metamorphosis isn't in depth translated to Broadway.

Tina in Vegas was before her lion mane wig days, on Broadway set into the wig cap by Campbell Young Associates. In Vegas the Ike & Tina Turner Revue was a mash up of strip club raunchy and erotica polished to an art form.

Mark Thompson’s costume designs shimmy - brought to movement by Anthony van Laast’s choreography. The Ikeettes, as the singers which back Ike (effectively portrayed by Daniel J. Watts) were called, are tremendous: Holli' Conway, Kayla Davion, Destinee Rea and Mars Rucker,

What stands out in the Broadway show is star Adrienne Warren who dynamically portrays Tina. An exceptional talent she rocked in this show when the musical premiered in London. A Tony nomination is all but guaranteed.

As a child Tina was known as Anna Mae Bullock - played by the talented Skye Dakota with Myra Lucretta Taylor ably portraying her sympathetic grandmother Georgeanna. Zelma (Dawnn Lewis) is Anna Mae's emotionally disenfranchised yet critical mother, while David Jenning is cast as Zelma's near-do-well husband.

Dictator Ike rechristened Anna Mae as Tina.

Ike has long been called a Svengali and the transformation of Anna Mae into Tina is a spot on definition by Merrian-Webster: "In George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby, a young artist's model named Trilby O'Ferrall falls under the spell of Svengali, a villainous musician and hypnotist. Svengali trains Trilby's voice through hypnosis and transforms her into a singing star, subjugating her completely ..."

However, the Broadway audience isn't going to buy tickets so they can study the influence of Ike over Tina. They are there for the music and for Warren's performance. The accuracy of the time line in the script as related to the music won't bother fans. Neither will the fans be distraught that the frenetic stage production has characters which lack depth.

High-octane lighting by Bruno Poet and excellent sound design by Nevin Steinberg. Placing the band on a two-tiered scaffold for a Brazilian stadium show is brilliant. Well thought out projection design by Jeff Sugg.

Musicians: Guitar: Sherrod Barnes and Aurélien Budynek; Bass: Winston Roye; Drums: Rocky Bryant; Percussion: Yuri Yamashita; Trumpet/Flugel: John Walsh; Trombone: Sara Jacovino; Alto/Tenor Sax: Kristy Norter; Tenor/Baritone Sax: David Mann; Keyboard: Nicholas Skilbeck and Alvin Hough, Jr.; Electronic Programmer: Phij Adams and Randy Cohen; Music Preparation: Josephine Bearden, Russell Bartmus and JoAnn Kane Music Service.

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Book: Katori Hall, with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins. Cast: Adrienne Warren, (as Tina Turner), Daniel J. Watts (as Ike Turner), Dawnn Lewis (as Zelma), Myra Lucretia Taylor (as Gran Georgeanna), Steven Booth (as Phil Spector/Terry Britten), Gerald Caesar (as Raymond), Charlie Franklin (as Roger Davies), Matthew Griffin (as Craig), David Jennings (as Richard Bullock), Ross Lekites (as Erwin Bach), Robert Lenzi (as Carpenter), Gloria Manning (as Young Alline), Jhardon Dishon Milton (as Ronnie), Mars Rucker (as Alline), Jessica Rush (as Rhonda), Jayden Theophile and Antonio J. Watson (alternating as Young Craig), and Skye Dakota Turner (as Young Anna-Mae). Nkeki Obi-Melekwe serves as alternate Tina Turner, covering the role on Wednesday and Saturday matinee performances.

GRAMMY HALL OF FAME WELCOMES RECORDINGS AS 2020 INDUCTIONS

The Recording Academy welcomes 26 inductions to its distinguished Grammy Hall Of Fame, continuing its ongoing commitment to preserving and celebrating timeless recordings. This year’s additions recognize a diverse range of both single and album recordings at least 25 years old that exhibit qualitative or historical significance. Recordings are reviewed each year by a special member committee comprised of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts, with final approval by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. With 26 new titles, the Hall, now in its 47th year, currently totals 1,114 recordings. Eligible recipients will receive an official certificate from the Recording Academy.

2020 Grammy Hall Of Fame Inductees:

AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ SUITE "Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite" Machito Mercury (1950) Track

CAPITOL PRESENTS THE KING COLE TRIO The King Cole Trio Capitol (1944) Album

CAROLINA SHOUT James P. Johnson OKeh (1921) Single

CLOUDS Joni Mitchell Reprise (1969) Album

DEVIL GOT MY WOMAN Skip James Paramount (1931) Single

EAT A PEACH The Allman Brothers Band Capricorn (1972) Album

EVERY BREATHE YOU TAKE The Police A&M (1983) Single

FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE! Peter Frampton A&M (1976) Album

HOW CAN A POOR MAN STAND SUCH TIMES AND LIVE Blind Alfred Reed Victor (1930) Single

I'LL FLY AWAY The Chuck Wagon Gang Columbia (1949) Single

I'M A MAN Bo Diddley Checker (1955) Single

I'M A MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW The Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys Columbia (1951) Single

IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK Public Enemy Def Jam (1988) Album

MISERLOU Dick Dale And The Del-Tones Deltone (1962) Single

OH MARY DON'T YOU WEEP Swan Silvertones Vee-Jay (1959) Single

PANCHO AND LEFTY Willie Nelson And Merle Haggard Epic (1982) Single

PIANO RAGS BY SCOTT JOPLIN Joshua Rifkin Nonesuch (1970) Album

Q: ARE WE NOT MEN? A: WE ARE DEVO! Devo Warner Bros. (1978) Album

SWEET CAROLINE (GOOD TIMES NEVER SEEMED SO GOOD) Neil Diamond Uni (1969) Single

SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) Eurythmics RCA (1983) Single

TAJ MAHAL Taj Mahal Columbia (1968) Album

THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN' Nancy Sinatra Reprise (1965) Single

TINY DANCER Elton John Uni (1972) Single

WALKIN' AFTER MIDNIGHT Patsy Cline Decca (1957) Single

WIPE OUT The Surfaris Dot (1963) Single

ZODIAC SUITE Mary Lou Williams Asch (1945) Album

SPREADING THE WORD

GWYNETH PALTROW'S HEADLINE MAKING VAGINA SMELLING CANDLE poses a lot of questions - such as - how did they obtain the desired aroma? The selections of aromas in whatever product they will be placed requires a sensitive nose and a lot of sniffing. Chemists who are part of the process range from inhaling flower aromas to underarm pits for deodorant and soap companies.

So . . .

Little Timmy goes to school for the first time and the teacher asks him what his daddy does for a living. To which little Timmy replies: He smells vaginas.

HENDRIX TALKS focusing on how Jimi Hendrix used the guitar and changed the way we think about music Guitarist, and expert of Jimi Hendrix’s sound, Nigel Jones presents this series of interactive talks each with a theme related to an event in Hendrix’s life. On Saturday, January, 25 the topic is The Trendsetter.

This talk will look at what innovations in guitar playing Jimi Hendrix pioneered and how these transcend through music to today. Hendrix was first to the party with a long list of guitar techniques; Nigel will demonstrate how these have been championed through many decades of music.

At The Handel & Hendrix Museum in London.

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE will issue new Love stamp with a first-day ceremony on January 23 at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis to honor the love the research hospital exudes. The 2012 Danny Thomas forever stamp was also issued at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The design of the nondenominated (55¢) Love: Made of Hearts forever stamp is composed of almost 300 small hearts in pink or red. Most of the 124 red hearts vary slightly in size from the pink hearts and are all carefully grouped to create a vibrant large heart shape in the center of the design.

The Made of Hearts stamp is offset printed with microprinting. Ashton Potter USA, one of the two current Postal Service stamp printing contractors, printed and processed the new stamp.

EXHIBITING COMMON SENSE: CROWN PRINCE OF NORWAY according to Royal Central, when questioned about the Harry and Meghan kerfluffle, Crown Prince Haakon, 46, advised: "I think if everyone should take their time to breathe, and I am sure they will find good solutions."

On Saturday, January 18, 2020 that "solution" was announced by Buckingham Palace that Harry and Meghan are no longer royals and will no loinger be able to use HRH before their names. They can be known as Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan or The Duke and Duchess of Sussex but without the HRH since they are no longer "Royal."

The Queen said in a statement: "Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family.

"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family.

"I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.

"I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family.

"It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life."

In a carefully worded announcement the Palace stated: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are grateful to Her Majesty and the Royal Family for their ongoing support as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.

"As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments. They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties.

"With The Queen’s blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations.

"While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty.

"The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared their wish to repay Sovereign Grant expenditure for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home.

"Buckingham Palace does not comment on the details of security arrangements. There are well established independent processes to determine the need for publicly-funded security.

"This new model will take effect in the Spring of 2020."

In the meantime, Meghan has signed a deal with with Disney to benefit a wildlife charity. Reportedly brokered by her husband, Meghan will do a voiceover for an unspecified Disney project in exchange for a donation towards the conservation charity Elephants Without Borders. The deal was set prior to the couple announcing they are "stepping back" as senior members of Britain’s royal family.

Causing some controversy are reports that in July 2019, when Harry attended the premiere of The Lion King, he approached and was overheard asking Disney CEO Bob Iger for a voiceover job for his wife.

The contact signing also indicates that the royal "step back" has been in the works for months.

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SILENT SKY by Lauren Gunderson.

Directed by Seema Sueko.

Featuring Laura C. Harris, Nora Achrati, Emily Kester, Peter Shaw and Holly Twyford.

The captivating story of ground-breaking astronomer Henrietta Leavitt. She blazed a trail to the stars and left a lasting legacy on Earth.

A decade before women gained the right to vote, Henrietta Leavitt and her fellow women “computers” transformed the science of astronomy. In the Harvard Observatory, Leavitt found 2,400 new variable stars and made important discoveries about their fluctuating brightness, enabling fellow scientists to map the Milky Way and beyond. This inspiring drama explores the determination, passion and sacrifice of the women who redefined our understanding of the cosmos.

Henrietta's measurements helped scientists determine how far away the stars are from Earth. Her research on luminosity informed the work of Edwin Hubble and countless others. Even today, we use her findings to help us understand the expanse of the universe.

Set design by Milagros Ponce de León. Costume Design Ivania Stack. Lighting Design Rui Rita. Sound Design and Original Music André J. Pluess. Choreography Karma Camp. Hair and Make-Up Designer Anne Nesmith. Dialects and Vocal Director Lisa Nathans. Production Stage Manager Brandon Prendergast. Assistant Stage Manager Julia Singer.

January 24-February 23, 2020 at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC.

BUG by Tracy Letts.

Directed by David Cromer.

Featuring ensemble members Randall Arney, Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood.

"You may know the famed mind-bending cult classic from its 2001 Chicago run or 2006 adaptation to film -but you’ve never seen Bug like this. Bug's Steppenwolf premiere hits the stage January 23."

At Steppenwolf in Chicago.

UP AND AWAY created by Kevin Hammonds - book and lyrics and Kristin Bair music.

Directed by Dan Murphy.

Up and Away "uses rapid-fire character changes and old-fashioned stage magic to tell the story of brothers Joe (Paul Wrona) and Jerry Jessup (Colin Stephen Kane), who leave Farmtown for Big City after Joe discovers he has superpowers. Along the way they meet aspiring reporter Susie Dare (Malia Tippets), eccentric billionaire Ronak Fairchild (Joe Theissen), and over 35 other characters - all played by the five person cast."

Up and Away plays January 23 - February 23 at the Broadway Rose New Stage, New York City.

MOJADA: A MEDEA IN LOS ANGELES by Luis Alfaro.

Directed by Rebecca Martinez.

The Greek tragedy Medea is reborn through the experiences of a young immigrant family living in modern-day Los Angeles. Shrouded in evocative mysticism, this tale of love, loss and transformation pulses with an escalating sense of danger. In this fresh retelling, Medea and Jason grapple not only with their own star-crossed marriage, but with the weight of the sacrifices demanded in the battle between assimilation and tradition.

Cheryl Uman~a (Medea). Peter Mendoza (Jason). Alma Martinez (Tita). Guadalís Del Carmen (Josefina). Maggie Bofill (Armida). Cole Sanchez (Acan). Luis Chavez (Soldier).

The creatives are: Scenic Designer: Mariana Sanchez. Costume Designer: Carolyn Mazuca. Lighting Designer: Mextly Couzin. Composer and Sound Designer: David R. Molina. Voice and Dialect Coach: Adriano Cabral. Casting By: Pat McCorkle and Katja Zarolinski, McCorkle Casting Ltd. Assistant Director: Alexis Cabrera. Stage Manager: Tony Dearing. Assistant Stage Manager: R. Christopher Maxwell. Production Assistant: Jenna C. Koch.

January 19 - February 2, 2020 at The Rep in St. Louis, MO.

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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.

WHO'S WHERE

BILLY JOEL performing his hits Saturday, January 25, 2020 at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY.

ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER for more than 40 years, this four-time Grammy Award -winning violinist and musical phenomenon has been a fixture on the world’s most prestigious stages. Beethoven’s 250-year anniversary is the central focus of Mutter's repertoire for 2020. The program for the evening will include Beethoven Sonata for Piano and Violin no. 4, 5, 9. With pianist Lambert Orkis. At Scottsdale Arts on Tuesday, January 28, on the Virginia G. Piper stage in Scottsdale, Arizona.

QUEEN WITH ADAM LAMBERT on stage next Sunday, January 26, 2020 Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.

CHANCE THE RAPPER talking it up to a beat Tuesday, January 21 with Lil Yachty and Taylor Bennett at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO. Thursday's stop is at the Frank Erwin Center, University of Texas in Austin. On Saturday the show is at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.

FOREIGNER singing their hits Monday, January 20, at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Greeneville, TN. On Friday they open a two nighter at the Venetian Theatre, Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, NV.

ELTON JOHN entertains Wednesday, January 22, at Carrington Park, Bathurst, NSW, Australia. On Saturday he opens a two night gig is at the Hanging Rock Reserve, Macedon Ranges, VIC, Australia.

CELINE DION in the spotlight January 21 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC.

JOHN O'HURLEY: A MAN WITH STANDARDS Songs and stories from Seinfeld's J. Peterman and star of Dancing with the Stars! Sunday, January 26 at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, MA.

FINAL OVATION

THERESE TANGUAY-DION, MSM popularly known as Maman Dion, was a Canadian television personality and the mother of singer Céline Dion died January 17, 2020. She was 92.

Therese launched a foundation, the Manan Dion Foundation for the education of disadvantaged children, in 2006, according to CBC. Quebec's Premier tweeted a tribute to Therese last Friday morning, writing, "A remarkable woman, so generous, so loving, who devoted her whole life to the benefit of her family. Our big Québécois family mourns her passing."

DICK WHITEHOUSE Curb Records’ longtime CEO, died Tuesday, January 14, 2020. He served for 55 years with the company, including 35 years as CEO. At the time of his death, he was stills serving as a board member and trustee.

“No one has ever done more for Curb Records than Dick Whitehouse,” Curb Records chairman Mike Curb said in a statement. “He was there from our start in 1964 and was responsible for some of the greatest artist signings in the history of our company. Dick was that rare record executive who understood the totality of our complicated industry.”

He is survived by his wife Joan, s two daughters, Shelley and Debbie, and several grandchildren.

EDD BYRNES New York actor who starred as Kookie, thehip, wisecracking parking attendant on the 1950s-'60s ABC detective series 77 Sunset Strip. Years later he played the smooth-talking Vince Fontaine, in Grease (1978), died unexpectedly Wednesday, January 15, 2020 of a stroke at his home in Santa Monica. He was 87.

At the peak of his popularity, Byrnes received more than 15,000 fan letters a week, exceeding the record that Warner Bros., the studio behind 77 Sunset Strip, had ever received for any star including Errol Flynn and James Cagney. The actor said he once appeared on 26 magazine covers in one week alone.

He got bit by the acting bug in high school but did not seriously consider it until after he had tried numerous jobs, such as driving an ambulance, roofing and selling flowers. At 17, he found work as a photographer's model, which led to an introduction to work as a prostitute. In his 1996 autobiography, Kookie No More, he detailed his addiction to drugs and alcohol and described his work as a photographer's model as a "strange world... Art, wealth, sadism, limousines, sex for money, theater and fine restaurants.”

He is survived by his son, San Diego TV news anchor Logan Byrnes, from his 1962-71 marriage to actress Asa Maynor and his long time companion Cathrine Gross.

Next Column: January 26, 2020
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