Chapel forms phone-hacking suit

LONDON -- News Intl. has made the decision to pay for 600,000 ($951,000) in damages and expenses to Welsh singer Charlotte now now Chapel and her parents to remain their phone-hacking situation in the defunct News around the world newspaper. This is probably the greatest funds yet released, which reflects the fact Chapel will be a teen when her voicemail message message was frequently jeopardized, as well as the extended period of time the offences happened. Church's situation is particularly sensitive for News Corp., the U.S. parent of News Intl., because reviews emerged that Glenn Mulcaire, the non-public eye who jeopardized her phone for your News around the world, also had the U.S. cell phone levels of her La agent and her NY publicist within the notes. It isn't known whether their phones were jeopardized. However when such evidence emerges, it could lay News Corp. open to a wider FBI probe of the activities on U.S. soil. Speaking outdoors London's High Court on Monday, Chapel mentioned, "What I've discovered since the suit continued has sickened and disgusted me. Nothing was considered not permitted by people who attacked me and my family members, just to generate money for just about any multinational corporation." Church's situation mentioned that 33 articles in news reviews around the world were triggered by journalists or scientists unlawfully hacking into her family's voicemails between 2002 and 2006. The newspaper used information acquired to pressure Church's mother into co-operating by getting articles about her suicide attempt. News Intl. developed a public apology incorporated within the settlement, half of which takes care of the Chapel family's legal costs. But Chapel mentioned, "No matter the apology the newspaper just given, these people were ready to visit any measures to prevent me submitting their behavior. They are not truly sorry. They are just sorry these were given caught." Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Antonio Banderas To See Pablo Picasso

33 Days notifies story of Guernica muralThe last major portayal we could consider was an angry Anthony Hopkins (although more recently there's a brief turn by Marcial Di Fonzo Bo in Evening amount of time in Paris), nevertheless it seems Pablo Picasso will have more dashing form in 33 Dias (33 Days), where he'll be carried out by Antonio Banderas.Where the Hopkins film, James Ivory's Which makes it through Picasso, covered a comprehensive slice in the artist's existence focusing round the various women he was psychologically connected with, 33 Days' focus will probably be narrower. That certain are just covering just the beginning and growth and development of Picasso's masterpiece Guernica. The film's position is the painting attracted Picasso from a person crisis, throughout duration of his relationship while using French artist Dora Maar.Completed the summer season of 1937, the 25ft painting signifies a violent chaos of people and animals, and should bring concentrate on the blitzkrieg bombing in the Basque town by Franco-supporting German forces through the The the spanish language language Civil War. It presently lives within the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, which is generally one amongst the fantastic pieces of art in the last century.33 Days, that's allotted at 8 million pounds, is written and directed by Carlos Saura (The seventh Day, Goya In Bordeaux), with legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storraro (Apocalypse Now) in predicts join the project.Typically the most popular considered Picasso is always that he was short and bald, however when you appear at pictures of Picasso inside the 19 thirties, Banderas out of the blue seems like quite canny casting. Furthermore, you will find the present Fanatics song, telling us that whenever Picasso walked lower the street, women could not resist his stare. That alone makes Banderas appear entirely appropriate."He's a personality that has attacked me for just about any very very long time," states Banderas. "I am from Malaga, which he was produced four blocks where I used to be born."Shooting round the French and also the the spanish language language-language film starts inside the summer season.

Michael Rosenbaum Recalls Old Days

Morena Baccarin will co-starHe spent a few years paying his dues on TV as Lex Luthor in Smallville, and he's snagged a few movie roles here and there. But now Michael Rosenbaumis stepping up to direct his first full-length film,Old Days.He'll step in front of the camera too, starring as Jim Owens, a frustrated actor who returns home from the bright lights of Hollywood to the slightly dimmer pastures of Indiana and his 15th high school reunion. Naturally, there are complications as Jim gets into trouble with his old friends and rediscovers his feelings for his high school sweetheart (Morena Baccarin, most recently seen in US telly drama Homeland).Rosenbaum has also recruited Sarah Colonna, Harland Williams and Jay Ferguson for the film, which he'll kick off shooting early next month. While it'll be his first spin behind the camera for a film, he's already got horror short Fade Into You scraping through post production and also wrote and produced fantasy short Ghild back in 2010.

Pulitzer Foundation Presents Performances by Former Prisoners

The St. Louis-based Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in partnership with Prison Performing Arts, St. Patrick Center, and Employment Connection will present "Staging Old Masters," a theater program enabling former prisoners and homeless veterans to transcend social barriers by performing live for audiences. Beginning February 23, the participants, now trained actors, will guide attendees through the Foundation's current exhibition, "Reflection of the Buddha." "The highly personal relationship that one has with art and the profound impact that it can have on a person's life can be no better demonstrated than with the Staging project," Emily Rauh Pulitzer, founder and chair of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, said in a statement.Each performance of theater vignettes is designed to heighten the audience's connection with the 25 works on viewa selection of Buddhist masterworks from the 2nd to 18th centuries, along with two related works of contemporary art. The mini-productions' goal is to stimulate dialogue with the viewers about the exhibition, its historical significance, and its resonance for a contemporary world. It will also serve as a morale booster for the actors.The performance represents the culmination of a collaborative and multi-disciplinary initiative, requiring the actors to participate in five months of weekly workshops that include art instruction, meditation, theater exercises, and rehearsals. Employment counseling and assistance was provided at the same time.Samantha Thomas, an actor who participated in the Pulitzer's "Staging Old Masters" program two years ago and is a participant in the current endeavor, says her experience in the program, helped her through recovery and spurred her on to become a drug treatment counselor. She is now in college and on the honor's list."We have found it both meaningful and highly impactful for all involved," Lisa Harper Chang, the Pulitzer's community projects director, said in the release.Prison Performing Arts (PPA) is a 21-year-old program that serves incarcerated juveniles and adults throughout Missouri. Its mission is to employ the performing arts to nurture discipline, teamwork, and communication skills that are essential for re-entering the society. In addition, it offers ongoing programs for participants who have been released.Watch video interviews with some former participants below. Staging Old Masters, Spring 2009: Interviews with the Actors 1 from The Pulitzer on Vimeo. Staging Old Masters, Spring 2009: Interviews with the Actors 2 from The Pulitzer on Vimeo.

Hilty gets a Marilyn encore

Actress Megan Hilty is developing a Marilyn habit: Thesp, who stars in the upcoming NBC skein "Smash" as the wannabe star of a Marilyn Monroe musical, will appear this spring in the Encores! staging of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." In the semi-staged concert perf of the 1949 tuner, Hilty will play dumb blonde Lorelei Lee, the role that helped make Monroe a screen icon in the 1953 movie version of the title. Based on Anita Loos' 1925 novel, storyline centers on Lorelei and her best friend as they embark on a trip to Europe. Helmed by John Rando ("Urinetown") and choreographed by Randy Skinner ("42nd Street"), "Blondes" will be the third and final offering in the 2012 Encores lineup. Later this month the series begins perfs of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's "Merrily We Roll Along" starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, to be follow by a March run of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Pipe Dream." Broadway regular Hilty played the Dolly Parton role in the tuner version of "9 to 5," and also has appeared in "Wicked" on the Rialto, in L.A. and on tour. The annual Encores! series of limited-run concert stagings has yielded a handful of Broadway transfers, including the longrunning revival of "Chicago" as well as "Wonderful Town," "The Apple Tree" and "Finian's Rainbow." "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" runs for seven perfs May 9-13, with further casting to be announced. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

At City Ballet, A Choreographer's Happy Homecoming

At City Ballet, A Choreographer's Happy Homecoming By Jocelyn Noveck January 31, 2012 NY (AP) At the end of the all-Christopher Wheeldon evening at NY City Ballet this weekend, the choreographer came out alone for a curtain call. The crowd stood and cheered. It would have been a rare moment for any choreographer, let alone one who isn't yet 40.Wheeldon looks even younger than his 38 years, and may always seem like a wunderkind. But he's already created more than 40 ballets and is steadily burnishing a reputation as one of the world's very top choreographers.The occasion Saturday at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater had the air of a festive homecoming. Wheeldon, a former NYCB dancer, was the company's first artist in residence, and then resident choreographer, before he left in 2008 to form a new company, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, with huge expectations on his young shoulders.The experiment ended unhappily a few years later (the company continues without his name, and without him). But his success only grows he's been choreographing up a storm for companies worldwide, and will even create a dance for the closing ceremonies at this year's London Olympics. And here he was, with an all-Wheeldon evening at City Ballet an honor usually reserved for the late greats George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.First up was a world premiere, "Les Carillons," set to Georges Bizet's "L'Arlesienne" suites. A romantic and colorful romp for 20 dancers, the work featured some of the company's top ballerinas, including the veteran Wendy Whelan and the newer generation of stars, Sara Mearns and Tiler Peck. With its 19th-century music but contemporary choreographic flourishes, the work felt, appealingly, old and new at the same time.If "Les Carillons" (the title refers to a set of bells) was well received, it still felt a little like a work in progress, without the tightness and punch of the 2001 "Polyphonia," one of Wheeldon's best-loved works. Alas, on Saturday this terrific ballet, beautifully performed, was also an occasion for sadness.In the third of its 10 sections, principal dancer Jennie Somogyi, in the midst of a pas de deux with Gonzalo Garcia, suddenly faltered and gasped. She had, it later emerged, torn the Achilles tendon in her right foot. The ballerina limped offstage, in obvious pain. An entire audience winced in sympathy.Within moments, though, Peck, who knew the role but hadn't danced it in months, was mobilized. Alerted by loudspeaker as she was getting her hair done for the third ballet, she threw on some pointe shoes and another dancer's costume, had a quick rehearsal in the wings, and swept onstage minutes after the injury, in time for Somogyi's entrance in the seventh section. It went off without a hitch, and the pinch-hitting ballerina deservedly got an extra-loud ovation at the curtain call.The final ballet of the evening was Wheeldon's crowd-pleasing "DGV: Danse a Grande Vitesse (Dance at High Speed)" a playful twist on the term for France's high-speed train, the TGV. To the churning, driving music of modern composer Michael Nyman, the ballet examines the concept of high-speed movement, and features a cool, apocalyptic-looking set of twisted metal by Jean-Marc Puissant.Standouts here were the wonderfully lithe Teresa Reichlen, with those impossibly long legs, and a terrifically intense Ashley Bouder, whose flexed-foot lifts with partner Joaquin de Luz transformed her into a spoke on a wheel.In all, it was, despite the sadness of Somogyi's injury, a wonderful night of ballet and yet another sign that Wheeldon is one of the most popular and promising choreographers of his time.Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. At City Ballet, A Choreographer's Happy Homecoming By Jocelyn Noveck January 31, 2012 NY (AP) At the end of the all-Christopher Wheeldon evening at NY City Ballet this weekend, the choreographer came out alone for a curtain call. The crowd stood and cheered. It would have been a rare moment for any choreographer, let alone one who isn't yet 40.Wheeldon looks even younger than his 38 years, and may always seem like a wunderkind. But he's already created more than 40 ballets and is steadily burnishing a reputation as one of the world's very top choreographers.The occasion Saturday at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater had the air of a festive homecoming. Wheeldon, a former NYCB dancer, was the company's first artist in residence, and then resident choreographer, before he left in 2008 to form a new company, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, with huge expectations on his young shoulders.The experiment ended unhappily a few years later (the company continues without his name, and without him). But his success only grows he's been choreographing up a storm for companies worldwide, and will even create a dance for the closing ceremonies at this year's London Olympics. And here he was, with an all-Wheeldon evening at City Ballet an honor usually reserved for the late greats George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.First up was a world premiere, "Les Carillons," set to Georges Bizet's "L'Arlesienne" suites. A romantic and colorful romp for 20 dancers, the work featured some of the company's top ballerinas, including the veteran Wendy Whelan and the newer generation of stars, Sara Mearns and Tiler Peck. With its 19th-century music but contemporary choreographic flourishes, the work felt, appealingly, old and new at the same time.If "Les Carillons" (the title refers to a set of bells) was well received, it still felt a little like a work in progress, without the tightness and punch of the 2001 "Polyphonia," one of Wheeldon's best-loved works. Alas, on Saturday this terrific ballet, beautifully performed, was also an occasion for sadness.In the third of its 10 sections, principal dancer Jennie Somogyi, in the midst of a pas de deux with Gonzalo Garcia, suddenly faltered and gasped. She had, it later emerged, torn the Achilles tendon in her right foot. The ballerina limped offstage, in obvious pain. An entire audience winced in sympathy.Within moments, though, Peck, who knew the role but hadn't danced it in months, was mobilized. Alerted by loudspeaker as she was getting her hair done for the third ballet, she threw on some pointe shoes and another dancer's costume, had a quick rehearsal in the wings, and swept onstage minutes after the injury, in time for Somogyi's entrance in the seventh section. It went off without a hitch, and the pinch-hitting ballerina deservedly got an extra-loud ovation at the curtain call.The final ballet of the evening was Wheeldon's crowd-pleasing "DGV: Danse a Grande Vitesse (Dance at High Speed)" a playful twist on the term for France's high-speed train, the TGV. To the churning, driving music of modern composer Michael Nyman, the ballet examines the concept of high-speed movement, and features a cool, apocalyptic-looking set of twisted metal by Jean-Marc Puissant.Standouts here were the wonderfully lithe Teresa Reichlen, with those impossibly long legs, and a terrifically intense Ashley Bouder, whose flexed-foot lifts with partner Joaquin de Luz transformed her into a spoke on a wheel.In all, it was, despite the sadness of Somogyi's injury, a wonderful night of ballet and yet another sign that Wheeldon is one of the most popular and promising choreographers of his time.Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.