Kathleen O'Connell

^ 2 ^3 Which one goes after their own forehead with the staple gun - Rourke or Portman? I'd say Portman, judging from the trailer ... Favorite comment from the EW PopWatch comment thread: I hope it is every bit as lurid as that trailer makes it look.

I couldn't find anything on whitehouse.gov, so I shot them an email 1) saying Thank you! and 2) asking if a live stream or a post-performance video would be available for viewing in whitehouse.gov's video room. Let's hope they say yes! ... and you might consider sending an email yourselves to let the Administration know there's an audience for serious dance. Go to www.whitehouse.gov and click on "Contact us" in the upper right hand corner. (You can opt out of the White House's email list if you're worried about being bombarded with announcements, press releases, and the like.)

Well, Atlanta Ballet, Lauri Stallings, and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton gave it a shot in 2008. From CNN: Hip-hop meets ballet in Big Boi's 'big' debut In her review for the The New York Times (When Ballet Plays Footsie With Hip-Hop) Roslyn Sulcas was rather appreciative of the effort, though she didn't hesitate to point that it was a flawed one. She admitted that in terms of gaining a new audience, Patton definitely won: But she didn't dismiss Stallings' work out-of-hand: I really like the sentence Sulcas put in parentheses, so I'm going to repeat it: "Ballet can't achieve modernity by association, only by an extension of its own physical laws and principles."

Because it's August ...

Actually, the Time-Warner Building, which is an office/hotel/shopping/restaurant/theater complex, is the property of Time-Warner, so it can name it anything it wants. The theatrical venues are the stages of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola is a restaurant, a commercial venture. Not sure what its tie is to Coke (not to be confused with Koch). This was lazy cutting and pasting on my part. As you've pointed out, the Time Warner Building is where the Jazz at Lincoln Center theaters are housed. Why the Lincoln Center website omits "Jazz at Lincoln Center" from the venue listing is a mystery to me since it's what the marquee over the entrance says, even though the theaters are used for non-jazz related performances too. I should have excised "Time Warner Building" and pasted in "Jazz at Lincoln Center" or "Jazz at Lincoln Center [in the Time Warner Building]" or something like that just to be clear.

Thank goodness for that! (And thanks for pointing it out!) This very issue has come up with respect to the planned renovation of Avery Fischer Hall. From The New York Times: The Parents of Helene Kaplan Fusebox? At least there's Electchester in Queens to honor Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers of New York ...

Mashinka, At this point I think it would be exceptional for a performance venue not to be named after a donor. Naming rights are even awarded to parts of venues. Carnegie Hall, for instance, houses three separately named theaters: Stern Auditorium, Zankel Hall, and Weill Hall. The former is named after the violinist Isaac Stern, who was instrumental (um, no pun intended) in saving Carnegie Hall from the wrecking ball in the 60's. (Thank heavens 1) that the house was saved and 2) that the organization had the grace to name the largest auditorium after someone who did something other than write checks to make that happen.) The latter two, however, are named after donors. It's also not uncommon for non-stage sections of venues--e.g., atriums and terraces-- to be separately named. Most famously, the Metropolitan Opera's "Vilar Grand Tier" was rather unceremoniously unnamed when the donor (Alberto Vilar) was convicted of fraud and failed to deliver the amount he'd pledged. (His name was taken off of the Royal Opera House, too, if I recall correctly.) Here's a list of Lincoln Center venues. My guess is that every name used (with the exception of the Metropolitan Opera, of course) is that of a donor. David H. Koch Theater Damrosch Park Metropolitan Opera House Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater Vivian Beaumont Theater Josie Robertson Plaza Avery Fisher Hall Alice Tully Hall, Starr Theater The Juilliard School Morse Recital Hall Paul Recital Hall Peter Jay Sharp Theater Stephanie P. McClelland Drama Theater Samuel B. & David Rose Building The Clark Studio Theater Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Rehearsal Studio The Walter Reade Theater Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery Hearst Plaza Barclays Capital Grove Time Warner Building Frederick P. Rose Hall Rose Theater Allen Room Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola Irene Diamond Education Center As you can see, the performance hall inside Alice Tully hall now called "The Starr Theater." But other parts of the hall have been re-named as well: we now have the "Citi Balcony," "the Morgan Stanley Lobby," and the "Hauser Patron Salon" (admittance by invitation only). So far, no one's ponied up enough $ to bump Abraham Lincoln from top billing. The mere mortals among us may name seats. For a mere $5,000, for instance, you can name a seat in Alice Tully Hall. (But note that a "prime" seat -- center orchestra rows J-T-- goes for $10,000. You get a $1,000 per seat discount if you name two ...) It's not just the arts -- big sports arenas now sell naming rights to large corporations. (You would not believe the outcry when this first happened!) Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, was once Enron Field. Lo how the mighty have fallen. It would be gracious if a big donor were to say "Oh no, please name it after fabulous artist or humanitarian X, not me!" of course, but I actually find it less offensive to name a theater after a donor than to name a highway after a sitting State Governor or Legislator. That always rubs me the wrong way, even if said governor or legislator was instrumental in wangling the requisite pork. That's what they're paid to do, after all ...

No, the tempo is not at all what we are used to these days. The dust jacket of my book, printed in 1965, states that 'the book thunders on from melodrama to melodrama', but it's a very slow-gathering storm. Richard Chamberlain as Dantes? The book describes him as very-dark haired and, after being imprisoned, very pale skin, something like Keanu Reeves. In fact, Reeves would also fit the melancholic-yet-inscrutable look the Count affects. The Count of Monte Christo seems to be in the air this week: from "The Billionaire and the Book Lover," an article in this week's New York on the battle between Leonard Riggio and Ronald Buckle over Barnes and Noble:

That was my response too! I tallied up 71 and just couldn't believe it was that many.

What - no Handel? This must be the first NYCO season in quite some time that didn't feature a Handel opera. Too bad - NYCO could usually be counted on to deliver a decent production and a good cast, and I believe their Handel productions did OK at the box office, too. I always enjoyed their off-the-beaten path 19th century opera productions, too; "L'esir d'amore" is a delightful opera, but it would be nice to sample some more rarely seen works by Donizetti, Rossini, or Bellini instead. But I'm really intrigued by the three "monodramas" -- "Erwartung" is the only one I know -- and a chance to hear Lauren Flannigan is always welcome. I've heard so much good stuff at NYCO that you don't really hear much of anywhere else -- I'm hopeful the company can be rebuilt into a substantial presence once again.

Bart, If you haven't read them yet, you might enjoy Robert Harris' three Roman novels, Pompeii, Imperium, and Conspirata. The last two are, believe it or not, page-turners about Cicero told from the point-of-view of his slave-secretary, Tiro (who apparently really did invent a form of shorthand). They're pretty accurate, witty, lots of fun -- and a useful reminder that as far as politics goes nothing has changed over the last two millenia. I read Ursula LeGuin's Lavinia earlier this summer, and recommend that too, although its about Rome before Rome was really Rome. (It's LeGuin's take on the life of the woman Aeneas married when he and his band of Trojans arrived in Latium. Lavinia says nary a word in the Aeneid, so LeGuin has given her a voice.) I seem to be on a genre fiction kick at the moment: I just finished China Mieville's two latest works, The City and the City and Kraken as well as several of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. The City and the City is a police procedural wrapped in a modern urban fantasy: two Eastern European cities occupy the same physical space, but their respective residents are trained from birth not to perceive the existence of the other city and its inhabitants. The whole premise is fascinating; one city seems to be secular-Christian, the other secular-Muslim. Kraken makes sly fun of just about every sci-fi / urban fantasy trope out there (as does Pratchett, of course), topped off with some of Mieville's signature, ingenious grotesqueries. I'm in the middle of Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story -- a funny and bleak dystopia about the near-future -- which I'm enjoying despite the bleakness.

For everyone who said "Marcovicci" - good guess! From Marcovicci's page on NYCB's "Get to Know Our Principals" minisite: Q: What are you most looking forward to dancing this upcoming year? A: Apollo The site is a bit awkwardly designed. You have to click through each dancer's page in order - no jumping ahead allowed - and the dancers are listed alphabetically by first name. Some interesting tidbits: Megan Fairchild would love to be a math teacher and Theresa Reichlen is a biology major looking forward to a second career in the sciences.

Helene, It's a thing of beauty -- just like the site upgrade! Thank you! I know it's going to take time and effort to keep it up-to-date, so thanks in advance for that, too! You need to clue us in on your vitamin regimen or preferred energy drink or whatever it was that fueled you through an effort like this. I promise to buy a case through the Amazon link.

It's a sunburst around one of his nipples. Offensive? That's a pretty harsh word, and in any context except ballet I would reject its application to Craig's tattoo. I just think any visible tattoo is inappropriate for many roles in ballet, Apollo being a prime example. I'm not sure, but if it's on the nipple that's hidden under the sash, then I retract my objection. It's on his right nipple. Scroll down in this post on Evan Namerow's blog Dancing Perfectly Free to see what it looks like. I think it looks fine, but your mileage may vary. (I live where the East Village meets Union Square. In my neighborhood, Hall's tattoo would be considered a nice start.) A quick scan of the images that come up if you google "Apollo" and "Balanchine" show sashes covering either the right or the left side -- and a few barely covering anything at all. If the tattoo's the only thing that disqualifies Hall from being cast as Apollo, just flip the sash.

Try this: Savion Glover - The Colbert Report

Bart and Dirac, Many thanks for adding some context-setting quotes to the thread. I couldn't even begin to formulate a capsule summary of Judt's work, but I think the passages you've selected at least give a flavor of what it was like.

The Remarque Institute has made a video and transcript of the lecture available here: "What is Living and What is Dead in Social Democracy"

Writer and historian Tony Judt has died. Judt was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gherig's Disease) about 2 years ago, and became totally paralyzed as his disease progressed. He continued to work nonetheless, writing a series of autobiographical essays for the New York Review of Books and a recently published book, Ill Fares the Land. He was a professor of European History and director of The Remarque Institute at NYU. His 2005 book "Postwar" was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He was married to the dance critic Jennifer Homans; they have two teenage children. Judt's unsentimental (and heartbreaking) NYRB essay about his disease is here: Night. If you read nothing else today, read this. The New York Times' notice about his death is here: Tony Judt, Author and Intellectual, Is Dead . The NYT promises a full obit shortly. In the meantime, a NYT profile of Judt and his struggle with ALS can be found here: A Chronicler of the World now Looks Inward. A longer Chronicle of Higher Education profile of Judt is here: The Trials of Tony Judt . (But be warned: the comments thread turns into an acrimonious debate about Israel in short order. Judt's views on Israel and Palestine were controversial. ) Terri Gross' "Fresh Air" interview with Judt is here: A Historian's Long View on Living with Lou Gherig's. Rest in Peace.

Very seriously, according to this New York Times profile of the Trocs' then ballet mistress, Pamela Pribisco: "Teaching Hairy Guys in Tutus How to Take Flight" ' Towards the end of this slideshow, you can see a picture of Ms Pribisco in rehearsal, with a pair of hairy legs and big feet en pointe in the foreground: "Men en Pointe" The Trocs train their gimlet eye on more than just old-school Russian ballet. They do great (and loving) send ups of Merce Cunningham & John Cage, Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins. The best part of the Cunningham send up ("Patterns in Space") are the musicians (played by a couple of Trocks in avant garde togs), who shake pill bottles and the like with tremendous concentration. There are worse ways to learn about style than watching the Trocs. What the Trocs don't do is dance on pointe the way men might if it were a part of their technical armamentarium. It's an interesting thought experiment to imagine how Western dance might have been different had ballet put men on pointe, too.

Kowroski has danced Terpsichore. Same here. A Greek god with a tattoo?? Judging from the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the vases on display in the Met's Greek and Roman wing, those Greek gods were a pretty rowdy bunch.

I for one would like to see NYCB get out of its golden blond god rut when it casts Apollo. (Unless Igor Zelensky could be persuaded to come back. Sigh. His Apollo—like Hübbe's—was borderline feral; I loved it.) There are plenty of not blonds who could be very interesting Apollos. Others have already mentioned Craig Hall and Gonzalo Garcia. Sean Suozzi had a bang-up spring season and might look good in the role, too. My fantasy program is three Apollos in a row, each with a wildly different cast. Janie Taylor as Terpsichore, just to see what she'd do with it. I'm dying of curiosity based on her recent ladies-and-gentlemen-please-fasten-your-seatbelts performances in "La Valse," "Davidsbündlertänze," and "Rubies." Georgina Pazcougin as Calliope.

Many thanks for posting this link, volcanohunter! I hope they leave it up for a while ...

Well, some of the works in the series are definitely missable, but there are eight Balanchine ballets plus a couple of decent Robbins and Wheeldon works in the whole seven-program "See the Music" series. The general idea of the series itself (a discussion and orchestral demonstration of one work from each program) sounds like it has potential, if tad geeky -- although I gather that the orchestral demonstrations will focus on works that have newly entered the repertory rather than on the acknowledged masterworks, alas. "Call Me Ben" has been dropped, but the series does put all the rest of the "Architecture of Dance" ballets into one handy package for those who might feel inclined to check them out. Naming a program "Girls Night Out" was truly as lame as lame could be. I note that the 2010 / 2011 season programs have reverted to less fanciful names - "Balanchine Black and White," "Founding Choreographers," "All Balanchine," "All Robbins," etc. I do like "All Balanchine All day" on Jan 22 ...

The "Vot tak surpriz" waltz and chorus from Tschaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin." It's not strictly a ballet waltz, although John Taras made a lovely dance for some SAB students to it way back in 1981 for a Tschaikovsky Festival group effort called "Tempo di Valse." Once you hear it you just can't get it out of your brain. Dum DA di dum dum, dum dum dum da da da da da ... now I'll be humming it for hours and might even attempt a swirl or two on my way to the kitchen for another cup of coffee.

Interesting casting for Who Cares? Does this mean that Neal will do the duets with the senior ballerinas (all of whom he's partnered, no?) with the junior ballerinas taking the solos? I'm thrilled that I'll get one last look at Neal in "Chaconne" ... but it's gonna make me cry. He's always been a favorite of mine.