The Arts

Ethics official says Mnuchin should not be disciplined for ‘Lego Batman’ pitch

WASHINGTON — A top government ethics official said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin should not be disciplined for plugging “The Lego Batman Movie” — as long as he keeps his promise not to do it again. Mnuchin handled the controversy better than White House adviser Kellyanne Conway did when she ran afoul of the same law […]

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Danish musicians, Italian conductor, global appeal

By Eileen Wingard SAN DIEGO — The Italian, Grammy-Award Maestro, Fabio Luisi, newly appointed principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, led his forces in an engaging concert of works by Nielsen (1865-1931), Wagner (1772-1822) and Mahler (1869-1911). The program, at the Jacobs Music Center last Thursday evening, was sponsored by the La Jolla

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Eileen Wingard, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky files a sexual harassment suit against Roger Ailes and Bill Shine

Fox News was hit with another sexual harassment claim Monday, as on-air contributor Julie Roginsky filed a lawsuit against the network’s former chief executive Roger Ailes and its current co-president Bill Shine. The suit filed Monday in New York State Supreme Court is the latest legal salvo in what has become a spiraling crisis for

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

‘Babi Yar’ poet Yevtushenko dies

  TULSA, Oklahoma (WJC) — Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, whose 1961 poem about the Nazi massacre at Babi Yar near Kiev helped to expose rampant anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union, died Saturday at 84. Yevtushenko passed away in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He had been a faculty member at the University of Tulsa since the mid-1990s.Some 34,000 Jews were

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials

Improv maestro Gary Austin, founder of the Groundlings, dies at 75

LOS ANGELES — Gary Austin, who founded the Los Angeles improv company the Groundlings — a troupe that launched the careers of Paul Reubens, Will Ferrell, Lisa Kudrow and Melissa McCarthy — died Saturday in Los Angeles at age 75 after battling cancer. The Groundlings shared the news of Austin’s death at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

500-year-old ‘Prague Haggadah’ found

Just prior to Pesach (Passover), the National Library of Israel revealed that it had acquired the velum Prague Haggadah two months ago, when the library purchased the famed Valmadonna Collection of Judaica. The Haggadah was printed in Prague in 1556. A previous Haggadah was printed in 1526, but no copy survived. Several elements of the

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East

Pamela Anderson Writes About WikiLeaks Founder In Blog

Former “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson opened up about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a blog she penned Thursday. In a candid post, Anderson said that her relationship with Assange was “no secret” and that he was “one of my favorite people.” “Julian is a human being who is extremely empathetic and cares deeply about the

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International, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Settlements of more sexual harassment claims against Bill O’Reilly are reported

NEW YORK — Revelations of sexual harassment claims involving Fox News keep piling up, with the news Saturday that two additional women who accused star anchor Bill O’Reilly had received settlements — one in 2011 and one just months ago. According to a report in The New York Times, late last year a payment of

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

George Takei announces bogus congressional run against Rep. Devin Nunes

Former “Star Trek” star George Takei on Saturday said he’d run next year again U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, California Republican, triggering widespread support before his would-be congressional run was revealed to be a well-played April Fool’s Day prank. “Well, the cat’s out of the bag it seems. Let’s do this! #Takei2018,” the actor-turned-activist tweeted shortly

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Sculptor’s work on refugees takes on increased resonance in new London exhibit

Drawing on the Old Testament as inspiration, the late Chaim Stephenson crafted compassionate scenes of familial pain and drama By Anne Joseph LONDON –Acclaimed Anglo-Israeli artist and self-taught sculptor Chaim Stephenson had a lifelong sympathy for people driven from their homes. In a career that spanned over 60 years, he produced a huge body of

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International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts