dirac

Well, not everyone. (Sniff.) Oh, and in future, no one with a California address will be able to buy tickets to see PNB. (Grrr.) That said -- Beat Denver! -- Sullen in San Francisco

Ashley says in her book, and also (with less detail) in the interview, that Balanchine would not necessarily change steps right away. Often he would want the dancer to try to overcome the obstacle, and only after demonstrated effort would he resort to changing the step. In the interview she mentions McBride as the big turner, but in the book she wrote specifically of her troubles with Marnee Morris' variation in "Who Cares?"

Thank you for posting, vipa. Much of the material through the death of Balanchine will be familiar to those who have read Ashley's excellent book, but I didn't mind hearing it again. I was struck by what she said about doing unfamiliar Balanchine ballets after his death - that she had a few questions only he could answer and without him there she had to manage as best she could. For some things, not even the most dedicated curation can compensate for the loss of the maker of the dance, I gather. She also talks about the trauma of retirement. Very good interview.

Be of good cheer, non-fans - you won't have "Breaking Pointe" to kick around any more. I had a lot of problems with the show for obvious reasons but I would rather have had it do well than tank, if only to reward whoever thought a ballet reality show might appeal to a mass audience. That's life.

It happens pretty regularly. The split makes questionable sense in light of the control that most directors exert over the modern-day production process, but it is a way of spreading the wealth.

No, it was pretty creepy. My first thought was, "I hope Tom Brady is watching game film." DiCaprio seemed embarrassed. If Tina Fey wasn't a woman she'd be getting tougher criticism for it, I'm sure. For anyone curious, the joke and related information on Leo's love life are here. On a Comedy Central roast it would have been fine (and the less cautious phrasing it would have received there would might even have made it funny). As it was the joke was crude and only that. The Golden Globes are more relaxed than other network awards show, but not that relaxed. One of my perennial peeves relates to the winners who come up to the stage and say, "Hully gee, I wasn't expecting to win, so I don't have a speech," and then ramble on until they strike up the music. You got nominated, prepare a little something, it won't destroy your (probably nonexistent) reputation for modesty. There were a lot of those this year. Usually British actors not named Winslet are concise and graceful, but Jacqueline Bisset proved an unhappy exception to the rule. I thought perhaps her meds might have interacted badly with the champagne. At any rate I hope they did. Bisset also unloaded a four-letter word that the censor couldn't stop in time. Frocks were mostly safely conservative sheaths, although Sandra Bullock dared to be a little different. The Golden Globes tend not to be overly reliable predictors of the Academy Awards as the people who run it are reputed to be open to the highest bidder, which is the only reasonable explanation for some of their choices. The split of the difference giving 12 Years a Slave the best picture nod and Alfonso Cuaron best director may be one, though.

I must say it is evident early on that Frances has no future as a dancer.....

I did eventually catch this on DVD, thanks to flipsy's recommendation. The plot is indeed simple, maybe a little too simple even for ninety minutes. Has anyone else seen it?

Drew writes: I agree. Also, Macaulay's criticisms of Ringer drew more attention because, as discussed when this controversy first arose, issues of weight are more fraught for women in ballet as well as in the culture at large. In addition, as Drew observes, it wasn't the first time Ringer's tendency to put on weight had attracted public notice. Certainly men also suffer from eating disorders, but the cultural expectations are different for the sexes. Men in ballet have to be in superb shape, but unlike female dancers they aren't required to be more or less underweight for the norm. It's not surprising that Macaulay's comments on Angle didn't receive the same amount of attention, although Macaulay himself pointed to them by way of self-defense. Certainly critics should be allowed to comment on a dancer's appearance, including weight, when appropriate. Performers present themselves onstage to be looked at and weight matters.

An interview with Fabrice Calmels in which he discusses his height.

Thanks, Helene. I didn't know about this.

From the article: Going by the information presented in the story, I see little in the way of news here, given that the current dispute does not involve salaries and if you look closely at the stats the trumpeted numbers don't seem to be quite as impressive. As a longtime Times subscriber, however, I know that it is disturbing news to the paper, and presumably a portion of its readership, when people in blue collar jobs earn good money and workplace protections through agreements reached via collective bargaining.

Undoubtedly that's why he was so much fun to watch, if a trial for interviewers to control. Of course for many years he was often drinking heavily. That does tend to contribute to unpredictability, and it may not be especially delightful to deal with, it should be said. O'Toole doesn't seem to have been as obnoxious a lush as some of his fellow "hellraisers," however.

Johnny Carson said that O'Toole was the most difficult guest he'd ever had, a large statement given the source. He could be a tad unpredictable.

De Havilland comments briefly on her sister's death. (The link also has a Fontaine photo gallery.) She's "shocked and saddened." I'm sure she is, although I confess part of me was hoping she'd say "I smoked a victory cigar." In any case Olivia seems in good health. Long may she wave!

Thank you for the link, Ray. The arguments presented by Older are familiar ones - the debate over Hollywood stories that are ostensibly about black oppression but feature a white movie star or focus on white activism is ongoing. Lincoln excited a number of lively arguments on the topic. My own favorite Bad Example is Cry Freedom, a picture that purported to be the story of Steve Biko but is actually about a nice white journalist played by Kevin Kline who gets radicalized. As the writer of Ray's article points out, it isn't so much a question of fiddling with the story to eliminate any good white guys but a matter of which stories are reaching the screen and why. Not having seen 12 Years a Slave I cannot judge, but the movie has a black protagonist (with no Christoph Waltz in a fat part to steal the show) and it seems to me that should be regarded as progress from Older's point of view.

She won her Academy Award for Suspicion, although it was generally considered a compensation award for not winning the previous year with Rebecca. (The movie itself isn't bad until the end, which departs from the original book and makes no sense whatsoever.)

I hadn't heard that about My Favorite Year, sandik. I do know Seattle and the Guild 45th cinema are said to have played a crucial role in getting The Stunt Man to a wider public (with an assist from William Arnold of the late lamented Seattle Post-Intelligencer). The Stunt Man ran at the Guild 45th for almost a year, proving the picture could draw audiences and attracting studio backing for distribution. Without that boost The Stunt Man might never have made it. That made a big deal to O'Toole as well - the role was his comeback performance after a long period in the doldrums.

Hard upon the sad news about Eleanor Parker and Peter O'Toole, this. Joan Fontaine is dead at age 96. Another link with the golden age of Hollywood gone. Her older sister, Olivia de Havilland, survives her. (I guess Olivia wins this round.) Never the world's greatest actor but she was very good in Rebecca and contributes a great deal to the success of that film. RIP to one of Hollywood's great beauties. The link has some nice color pics, one of Joan and Olivia in happier days.

The NYT obit: He wasn't born the "blond" six-footer mentioned in the article - early photos show a shock of wild dark curls and a very prominent schnoz. He went blond for Lawrence and decided to stay with it. So sorry he's gone. He was always a favorite of mine. He has been retired for a couple of years, but he still appeared for the occasional witty and charming interview. He survived most of his fellow "hellraisers" handily and in decent enough shape, although I can't say he looked young for his years. If he'd never made another picture he'd have a place in film history with "Lawrence" and he is wonderful in it, the character of his Lawrence cohering even when the Lawrence of the script does not. He had great range. Not every actor can manage Henry II and Mr. Chips. Favorite O'Toole performances: Lawrence of Arabia Country Dance The Ruling Class The Stunt Man Masada Goodbye, Mr. Chips (with then-wife Sian Phillips contributing a great bit as a wicked lady of the theater ) His Hamlet for the National Theater was a bit of a bust - I think it was Olivier, who directed him, who said he didn't have the stamina - you need to be in shape to do those big thumping classical parts - and his Macbeth was of a legendary awfulness - people were queuing for it just to see how bad it was. The Guardian obit has this tidbit: Thanks for posting, MakarovaFan.

A story on Misty Copeland, with a video clip of a joint interview with Copeland and Virginia Johnson on "The Couch."

Indeed, since the subject of the movie is obvious Oscar bait. Giamatti as Kirstein is somebody's bad idea, I hope the movie doesn't have too many of them. Thanks for posting the information, Natalia, I hadn't heard.

It’s commonplace for contemporary opera stars to travel, and it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re limited to standard repertory items. The “standard” operatic repertory is also much more expansive than the ballet’s very small one. As a rule (exceptions noted) ballet stars have grown both as stars and artists by identifying with one house and style and generally staying close to home. I think of Markova and Fonteyn. Ashton said the former was making a big mistake by leaving Sadler’s Wells (and him) and he was right. The peripatetic stars of the 1970s did not always benefit artistically from their travels. Times are changing, of course. The breakup of the Soviet Union has led to greater international opportunities for dancers who once would have remained behind the Iron Curtain. International travel is easier and cheaper than ever. A dancer doesn’t have to be with ABT to enjoy a role made on him by its resident choreographer – Ratmansky is probably arriving on the next plane to do a ballet on your company if you’ve got the price. (Or Wheeldon, or any other hot choreographer du jour.) And it’s impossible to blame dancers for choosing to make hay while the sun shines. It's a short career.

Thanks for the link, Helene. According to the link they haven't yet found anyone beautiful, delicate, soulful and serious enough for the lead. The "troubled past" is standard issue for the protagonist of a contemporary cable drama. Perhaps Claire will be mentally unstable and reliant on prescription drugs to keep her on an even keel. Her mother earned the money to put Claire through ballet school by becoming a methamphetamine dealer. Halfway through Season 2, we will discover that Claire's real name is Dick Whitman.....

Oh, I expect some of those superannuated types may already be regular balletgoers, hobbling out to see the company (admittedly hard to see through the cataracts) when not taking meetings with the estates and trust guy, even when music by the Cute One isn't on the menu. I've seen some, not all, of the new series. It seems to hit all the usual marks pleasantly enough and I enjoyed seeing the clips of dancers in class. Truly the beautiful people. Martins comes through well as he often does in interviews. It would be nice to hear more from ballet masters and mistresses and perhaps SAB faculty as well but perhaps I just haven't gotten far enough into the series. People new to the ballet might actually benefit more from a few episodes of "Breaking Pointe," for all its flaws, if only because the longer form permits the conveyance of more information and because the tone is less bland. I'm not sure how interesting these bits and pieces would be for me if I weren't already interested in ballet and curious about today's NYCB.