The dignity of ballerina Natalia Makarova 10
I was struck by a passage in Natalia Makarova‘s biography, “A Dance Autobiography,” (Knopf, 1979) edited by Robert Gottlieb (“What did ballet ever do to deserve this?”) when he was editor-in-chief at the New York publishing house. The text recalls an indignity Makarova suffered at the Kirov Ballet soon before she defected to the West ...
Ronni Chasen’s restaurant renaming
Gaining her first p.r. experience by promoting her brother Larry’s blaxploitation movies, Ronni Chasen soon joined the renowned entertainment publicity firm, Rogers & Cowan. The powerful p.r. macher, Warren Cowan, became the young woman’s mentor, and by some accounts, her lover. Urban legend has it that early in their ten-year working relationship, Cowan took his ...
Jack Cole’s top ten list 3
Film zany Michael Schlesinger enjoyed ribbing me with this ‘top-ten list’ he conjured for arts•meme: Top ten things choreographer Jack Cole liked about Christmas 10) Holiday spectaculars at Radio City Music Hall — boy, can them Rockettes kick or what? 9) People telling me how much they love “The Christmas Song.” (Oh, wait, sorry, that’s ...
Bird watching
New York dance critic Elizabeth Zimmer contributes this review to arts•meme: BLACK SWAN aced its opening weekend, albeit one of the slowest box-office weekends of the year; The New York Times on December 6 reported that in the art-house category, playing at only 18 theaters, it grossed $1.4 million, a record for Fox Searchlight, which released it. The ...
Bloody mamas: violence against women in art and life
Monday, November 15, 2010, was a grisly night for women in Los Angeles. Both in art and in life, the blood of women flowed unnaturally and to no good purpose. Shortly after midnight, Ronni Chasen, the owner of her own public relations firm and a hard-driving career woman, was found bleeding to death, crashed in ...
Judy Garland doesn’t care, and I don’t care either! 1
I love the insouciant song written for vaudevillian Eva Tanguay in 1906, “I Don’t Care.” It’s my theme song. Here Judy Garland sings it in “I Don’t Care,” from “In the Good Old Summertime” (1943). The anthem is also the arts•meme theme song. They say I’m crazy Got no sense But I don’t care They ...
Proud Hollywood Boulevard survivor: Larry Edmunds Book Shop 1
Dec
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2010
Film historian and author Robert S. Birchard contributes this story to arts•meme. For over 70 years and through three locations, Larry Edmunds Book Shop has been a Hollywood institution, known the world over as the place to go for books related to the movies as well as stills, posters and other film-related memorabilia. Few today ...
Ow! Betty Grable sizzles in Jack Cole choreography 2
Jack Cole and Betty Grable were both friends and colleagues. He called her “Thumper” and she matched his penchant for salty language. He kicked her sagging career into high gear and she relied on him. I love how she shakes it in this number, video below. It’s “How Come You Do Me Like you Do?” ...
BLACK SWAN opens: body double Kimberly Prosa prepared
Here’s body double/dancer Kimberly Prosa, all geared up for today’s sure-to-be clamorous opening of Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan.” The ethereal Odette, the white swan, heavenly in her tutu and feathery head piece … … also tricked out in knee pads and grunge boots. Hey, where’s the pointe shoes? A 21st century combat-ready Odette! Kimberly explains ...