Inaugural speech for cultural event

A select number of now-dark Broadway venues will begin opening in April for a series of live- performance pop-up events that could establish the safety protocols needed for the theater industry’s eventual return. Beginning with the Shubert Organization’s Music Box Theatre on 45th Street, Broadway theaters will be among the venues housing the events of the NY PopsUp program described as a new 100-day arts festival throughout New York City and State. The series is being overseen by producers Scott Rudin and Jane Rosenthal. Though the PopsUp festival had been previously announced, the inclusion of Broadway theaters as the program’s “flexible venues” was disclosed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo today. The series of live indoor performances across the state begins April 2. Outdoor events began Feb. 20. Related Story Bill C. Davis Dies: 'Mass Appeal' Playwright-Screenwriter Was 69 The venues will utilize safety protocols, developed by NY PopsUp in coordination with … [Read more...] about Select Broadway Theaters To Open For New York Pop-Up Events Beginning In April

Marisa Acocella was raised in a devout Catholic family. But one of the Bible’s main teachings seriously bugged her. “I always thought, how could a male God give birth to all this?” Acocella says, gesturing at … everything. “It never made sense to me. There had to be a God the Mother.” The question nagged her all through her childhood in Roselle Park, New Jersey, her college years studying art at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute, her early jobs in advertising in the Eighties. In 1992, while she was working on her first comic strip, “She,” for Mirabella magazine, another idea for a title popped into her head: The Big She-Bang . Which just so happens to be the name of her latest graphic novel, published last fall. “So, I’ve had this idea for more than 25 years,” Acocella says. Related Stories Angel Olsen: No One Sings Quite Like Candi Staton From the Ocean to Outer Space: The Adventures of Dr. Kathy Sullivan Related Stories 'We Are Better People Because of … [Read more...] about Marisa Acocella’s ‘Big She-Bang’ Theory

For all intents and purposes, Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony was an imitation of life; stars dressed up for “red carpet” pictures from homes and hotel suites around the world, before logging onto a Zoom meeting to hear the results. Even the show’s hosts were in different cities, interacting awkwardly around broadcast delays. But after a barrage of negative attention on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in the days leading up to the show, it was the imitation of sincerity in addressing the criticism that rankled most. In a half-hearted attempt to answer perhaps the biggest challenge to the HFPA’s integrity in its history — and there have been plenty — the org’s president Ali Sar, vice president Helen Hoehne and former president Meher Tatna dedicated less than a minute , in only 100 words, to their vow to do better, and in so doing, rushed through their meas culpa faster than the any of the indulgent president’s speeches of years past. Instead, the show upped the … [Read more...] about The Golden Globes Is Beyond Fixing And The HFPA’s Time Is Up – Commentary

Sean “Diddy” Combs has a message for the Grammys bureaucrats: “They work for us.” Taking over the annual pre-Grammy party hosted by Clive Davis , Combs delivered a 50-minute speech that aired his grievances with the Recording Academy. His sentiments may be a prelude to other diatribes during tonight’s televised event, which are being held in the shadow of a legal battle with former CEO Deborah Dugan and the Recording Academy’s Board of Directors. Accusations of voting irregularities, sexism and cronyism have been floated in the dispute. Diddy was given an icon award at the Davis party, and spoke of his pain at past treatment by the Recording Academy. “I have to be honest. The last few days I’ve been conflicted. I’m being honored by this industry I love, this family that I love, but there’s an elephant in the room and it’s not just about the Grammys,” he said. “This is discrimination and injustice everywhere at an all-time high. But there’s something I need to say to the Grammys … [Read more...] about Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs: “Black Music Has Never Been Respected By The Grammys”

EXCLUSIVE : A+E Networks veteran Gena McCarthy is stepping down as EVP and Head of Programming, Lifetime Unscripted and Head of Programming. fyi , and is leaving the company after 10 years. Search is underway for her replacement. “Gena is an exceptional person and creative executive,” said Paul Buccieri, President of A+E Networks Group. “We thank her for her leadership, and for her many lasting contributions to the company, and wish her ongoing success.” McCarthy joined Lifetime in 2010 as SVP Reality and Alternative. She developed and produced the network’s first wave of homegrown hit reality shows following the acquisition of Project Runway , including Dance Moms, Bring It!, Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, Project Runway All-Stars, Preachers’ Daughters , and The Week the Women Went . She also managed ongoing production of Project Runway. Related Story Janet Jackson Doc Series Lands At Lifetime, A&E; Reba McEntire Strikes Two Movie Deal … [Read more...] about Gena McCarthy Exits As Lifetime’s Head of Unscripted & fyi’s Head of Programming