Camille Paglia Oct 23, 2009
They're doing breakneck vaudeville while liberal hosts are primly stirring their non-caffeine green tea. Why do you and others in the press keep misattributing this "magic Negro" comment to Rush Limbaugh. (Salon)
Slanguage Dictionary Oct 23, 2009
" (See also: ozoner, passion pit) headliner -- the top act or performer on a vaudeville or revue bill; "Judy Garland was the headliner at the Palace on three occasions ... The term seeks to differentiate serious theater (think Shakespeare, think O'Neill) from vaudeville or burlesque; "Choreographer Michael Kidd distinguished himself in legit before working in pictures.". (Variety)
Joaquin Miller's Abbey to be restored Oct 22, 2009
Over the next five decades, he planted more than 75,000 trees in Oakland and on Yerba Buena Island, taking breaks to report on the Klondike gold rush for William Randolph Hearst and perform on the vaudeville circuit. Ambrose Bierce called him "the greatest-hearted man I ever knew" and "the greatest liar this country has ever produced." Miller's response, allegedly, was "I always wondered why God made Bierce.". (San Francisco Chronicle)
Report From Israel: The Coming Intifada? Oct 22, 2009
Break a leg, you vaudeville clowns. by mnbrant October 22, 2009 3:16 AM EDT. (CBS News)
Vic Mizzy, who wrote 'Addams Family' theme, dies Oct 20, 2009
They won a pair of radio contests and toured the East Coast vaudeville circuit. While serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, the pair wrote several hit songs, including "Three Little Sisters" and "Take It Easy.". (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Area Briefs (2) Oct 20, 2009
America the Music (over 231 years in the making) is a musical vaudeville celebration of the American spirit and a time of appreciation for the men and women who serve and have served our country. Name. (Brownstown Jackson County Banner, IN)
Bob Dylan's Christmas Album Isn't a Joke. It's Great. Oct 17, 2009
On albums like (2001), (2006), and (2009)and on his fabulous Dylan has been dipping further into America's musical back pages with an expansive vision of roots music that takes in not just blues and gospel and country but 19th-century parlor songs, vaudeville ragtime tunes, Tin Pan Alley's Hawaiian ballads, and other products of the ye olde pop industrial complex. Dylan's love for crooners like Bing Crosby is evident in Modern Times' "," a note-for-note homage to the 1930s hit ".". (Slate)
'AN EVENING OF BROADWAY': Dinner theater to benefit local SPCA Oct 15, 2009
An act performed as a salute to the bygone vaudeville days and which Quay compared to a production from the mega-successful Blue Man Group will also be included in the show. Talent from the Junior OPTP's program will be showcased, as well. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
Hey Hey, I wasn't laughing Oct 12, 2009
Last week's was very focused on the evening format, which I was never that fond of - kind of the last gasp of vaudeville. I didn't commit to watching either special completely, but couldn't believe how pleasing it was to see Ossie and Jackie again in last night's show. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
KCCT play runs through Oct. 17 Oct 9, 2009
The comedy revolves around a famous vaudeville team billed as Lewis and Clark, The Sunshine Boys. After a bitter split-up on the Ed Sullivan Show, the aging comics haven t spoken in years. (Terrell Tribune, TX)
Theater review: Melodrama’s ‘Scary Poppins’ is a scream Oct 8, 2009
The vaudeville revue is entitled the United Swing Organization Vaudeville Review ... Scary Poppins and the United Swing Organization Vaudeville Revue plays through Nov. 15. (Lompoc Record, CA)
The World War II We Were Not Meant to See ... Smithsonian Channel Epic Presentation --APOCALYPSE: THE SECOND WORLD WAR Oct 7, 2009
It is written by the historian Daniel Costelle and produced by CC&C Louis Vaudeville and France 2 in association with Smithsonian Channel. ABOUT SMITHSONIAN NETWORKS. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Tickets on sale for KCCT comedy Oct 4, 2009
The play features the story of Al Lewis and Willy Clark, a one-time vaudeville team known as Lewis and Clark and their 40-plus year relationship. Additional performances are scheduled for 8 p.m., Oct. 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 and at 2 p.m., Oct. 4 at 115 N. Adelaide in the old city hall building. (Terrell Tribune, TX)
'Capitalism: A Love Story': Money Jungle, By Kurt Loder Oct 3, 2009
There's lots more, some of it riveting, some of it bordering on vaudeville. Moore once again labors to hold the movie's sprawling elements together with his familiar lovable-schlub persona part homespun Marxist, part wisecracking provincial and the look of sly mock bafflement on his face as first a Wall Street executive and then a Harvard professor try (and fail) to explain the financial mystery of derivatives is one of the more entertaining things in the film. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Come one, come all, to annual street fair Oct 3, 2009
At 10 a.m. the Vaudeville Shoppe will be featured at Memorial Park, while the Maynard Public Library will open its used book sale. That sale will run to 3 p.m. The Vaudeville Shoppe will put on a second show at 11:30 a.m.. (Beacon Villager, MA)
THEATER REVIEW Oct 1, 2009
Though the actors are engaging, they lack the needed vaudeville and verbal skills, and Smith's pacing demonstrates how a failure to exploit pauses can make a short work seem too long.. E-mail Robert Hurwitt at. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Wooly mammoths and wars and floods, oh my! Oct 1, 2009
(Stage cards were used in Vaudeville Theaters as title cards for the various acts and were usually flipped through by a showgirl. The use of technologically produced stage cards was genius, and gave the set design a fresh feel. (Juneau Empire)
Brothers chronicle recession on film Sep 26, 2009
"I couldn't sleep for the month of August," says Austin, who checked out every theater in San Francisco before booking the Victoria, a 100-year-old vaudeville house with 500 seats for $1,200. "We only have money for one screening," he says. (San Francisco Chronicle)
A little piece of Oz Sep 25, 2009
I was just out of high school in Massachusetts and appearing in vaudeville Times Square with an act called Three and a Half Steps ... I was just out of high school in Massachusetts and appearing in vaudeville Times Square with an act called Three and a Half Steps. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
A stupid curse Sep 24, 2009
Simon's inspiration for this work may well have been vaudeville and the likes of comedy teams such as Smith and Dale or Abbott and Costello. Simon himself wrote for "Your Show of Shows," the TV show starring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, known for their goofy charm. (Erie Times-News, PA)
My New York: Ace Freheley Sep 21, 2009
2) Trash & Vaudeville, 4 St. Marks Place, at Third Avenue ... 2) Trash & Vaudeville, 4 St. Marks Place, at Third Avenue My buddy Jimmy [Webb] works there. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Musical parallels reality television Sep 18, 2009
"I love the music and the dancing, and the vaudeville style of presentation," she said. "You just don't see that anymore.". (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Theater review: 'Brief Encounter' Sep 18, 2009
Anarchic humor deepens the pain of lost love, and iconoclasm reinvigorates nostalgia in director Emma Rice's mashup of a classic David Lean film, the wit and melody of Nol Coward and a carnival of vaudeville ... Her most inspired touch, though, is to use vaudeville, slapstick and Coward's songs to open out the story even more, foregrounding the parallel, happier romances of the cafe workers. (San Francisco Chronicle)
'Chicago' wows 'em Sep 17, 2009
" Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, it's instantly clear that the show's ingredients are not the stuff of which so many sweet-and-lovely musicals are made. The leading female characters, Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, both have committed homicide. Their lawyer, Billy Flynn, is motivated mainly by the size of the fee he can collect. The women compete for his services and for the attention of a criminal-celebrity-hungry media. The show ends with the women teaming up for a possible future in showbiz. So... (Erie Times-News, PA)
Opp's Lew Childre kept Alabama at heart (3) Sep 14, 2009
The son of a judge, he began his career in Opp with childhood ambitions of becoming a vaudeville star ... According to historians, Childre was forever in search of that "traditional" vaudeville career ... In his tenure there, which lasted for many years, he was finally able to show his "country vaudeville" talent. (Atmore Advance, AL)
Theater reviews: Fringe Festival opens Sep 12, 2009
And Garcia packs enough mimetic and vaudeville chops for several shows. Any visit to the Fringe is as much a gamble as a gambol. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Serious series Sep 11, 2009
The percussive dances range from South African Gumboot to sand dancing, buck, a salute to vaudeville, body percussion, jazz and more, danced to music ranging from Blind Boy Fuller to Brubeck to Mozart. The company's work may be previewed at www. (Brainerd Daily Dispatch)
Clown acts not so funny in 'Comedy of Errors' Sep 9, 2009
Everyone wears exaggerated vaudeville costumes (by Alexae Visel) and blue-, green-, white- or brown-face and many speak in broad ethnic accents. The concept isn't new. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Future of Troys Proctors Theater debated Sep 5, 2009
A grass roots group is rallying to save the old in downtown Troy, N.Y., from demolition, claiming the historic vaudeville house can be restored for $15 million. About a dozen members of the group, Troy Proctor s Inc., gathered under the deteriorating marquee on Fourth Street today, urging city officials to not use a just-awarded $4 million state grant to demolish the theater and replace it with office and retail space. (Albany Business Review, NY)
David Avadon, 60; was illusionist and pickpocket Sep 4, 2009
His mother had been an acrobatic dancer in vaudeville, and his father was an engineer. In his 20s, he adopted Avadon as his stage name. (Boston Globe)
A collaborative night from Counting Crows and company Sep 2, 2009
Instead, Counting Crows invited Michael Franti and Spearhead and Augustana to mix and match and rotate on their respective originals as well as a heap of fun covers throughout the night, in what felt like a heady mash-up of a vaudeville variety show, 60s-style revue, reggae sunsplash, and an all-star benefit concert. Van Morrison s Caravan proved an apt opener and concert mission statement as Crows lead singer Adam Duritz, Franti, and Augustana frontman Dan Layus traded verses with ease, as they... (Boston Globe)
Is The Maryland Theatre haunted? Sep 1, 2009
Of the four types of hauntings residual, intelligent, poltergeists and demonic the investigators said they believe the theater, which opened as a vaudeville house in 1915, might be experiencing residual hauntings. Keller described residual hauntings as those involving spirits that are trapped in time and repeat the same actions over and over while unaware of peoples presence. (The Herald-Mail Online)
More theater offerings in the fall Aug 31, 2009
Stateless: a hip-hop vaudeville experiment: Dan Wolf, who wrote last year's blockbuster "Angry Black White Boy," and co-author Tommy Shepherd explore aspects of German and Jewish history with music by One Ring Zero and Gebrueder Wolf. Ellen Sebastian Chang directs the world premiere to open the former Traveling Jewish Theatre's first season under its new name, the Jewish Theatre. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Ernest ‘Brownie’ Brown, 93, vaudevillian and tap dancer Aug 29, 2009
WASHINGTON - Ernest Brownie Brown, a vaudeville entertainer and a founding member of a tap dance ensemble called the Copasetics that helped keep the dance style alive long after its golden age, died of prostate cancer Aug. 21 at a nursing home in Burbank, Ill ... By 12 he was performing with a vaudeville troupe called Sarah Venable s Mammy and Her Picks. (Boston Globe)
* JOHNNY NEIHU'S NEWS WATCH: Everyones doin the apology shuffle Aug 29, 2009
Would someone do the country a favor, get the old vaudeville hook out and yank these guys off the stage. Forget responding to a genuine disaster; these guys couldnt respond to a toilet crisis in their own homes. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Family matters Aug 28, 2009
The family-friendly show kicks off at 7 p.m. Also included in the performance are shadow puppets and other traces of his vaudeville roots. "Very early on I promised my wife that our marriage would not be part of my act, so I had to do something to fill the time," he quipped. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Daytime Emmy Awards work for a memorable night Aug 28, 2009
The downtown historic landmark, where Judy Garland performed her vaudeville act in the '30s and where has held auditions, will be the venue for the 36th annual Awards on Sunday. But the change of scenery from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood is only one of the new elements producers have added to the telecast, which airs on the CW at 8 p.m.. (Multichannel News)
Decades after Heyday, Burlesque Is Back Aug 27, 2009
"True burlesque is more of a kitschy Vaudeville act than anything else. It's all about the art of the striptease, a cheeky and titillating performance that can induce chuckles, cheers and longing sighs all at once," says Katie Laird, a burlesque fan in Houston. "Performance is the key word here, not naked gyrations for dirty dollar bills.". (CBS News)
Arts: the week ahead Aug 27, 2009
DOUG ELKINS AND FRIENDS FRAULEIN MARIA The imaginative Elkins turns Rodgers and Hammerstein s The Sound of Music on its ear, bringing the beloved musical s songs to life with choreography that includes vaudeville sight gags and a variety of social dances. The show sold out its performances in New York. (Boston Globe)
The big tease: Burlesque grows in popularity Aug 27, 2009
A kitschy Vaudeville act'Earlier this year in New York, burlesque performer Tara Lee Heffner filed a lawsuit against the Learning Annex for referring to her as a "porn star" in an online ad for classes she was teaching ... "True burlesque is more of a kitschy Vaudeville act than anything else. It's all about the art of the striptease, a cheeky and titillating performance that can induce chuckles, cheers and longing sighs all at once," says Katie Laird, a burlesque fan in Houston. (MSNBC -- Lifestyle)
Mexico, Spanish region set for art festival Aug 25, 2009
The play "Alma de Vaudeville" (Vaudeville's Soul) written by Venezuela's Armando Holzer and performed by the Trayecto Teatro (Theatre Journey) company will be on show during the festival. Also on show will be "Todos Somos un Amor" (We are one love) from Mexican director Efren Sanchez, and Magdalena, Carmen, Frida Kahlo and Calderon, by Spain's Jose Luis Donaldson. (Xinhuanet, China)
Its not funny in a foreign language Aug 21, 2009
"Chinese comedians have to say things well, sing well, do tongue twisters. It's almost like vaudeville.". Sometimes humor is just the smiley-faced flip side of taboos. (Harper's Magazine)
Little Voice stage stars unveiled Aug 21, 2009
The play, about a girl able to mimic stars such as Judy Garland, opens at London's Vaudeville Theatre in October. Vulnerable. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
What was your favorite 50s TV show? Aug 19, 2009
THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW: George Burns and Gracie Allen were a popular comedy team from vaudeville and radio. On television, they played versions of themselves, a married couple dealing with various complications. (Burlington Union, MA)
The Importance of Being Shaq Aug 19, 2009
Shaq rolls up to Ben's place in Pittsburgh and leans into the intercom for a bit of vaudeville typical of the show's cordial trash talk. Ben (curt): "Who is this?"Shaq: "Uh, Shaq."Ben: "Shaq who?"Shaq (matter of fact): "Big Shaq.". (Slate)
Curtain falls on movie theaters Aug 17, 2009
An advertisement in the Farmington Times in February 1923 said the Monarch featured Vaudeville programs on Tuesday nights in addition to the regular picture program. Admission was 20 cents for children, and 40 cents for adults. (Park Hills Daily Journal, MO)
‘Coupla chicks' glows with energy Aug 13, 2009
The Covellite Theater glows with energy from this last in a series of one-act plays, followed by a vaudeville style review ... The dynamic Big Sky Rep Ensemble Andr;e O'Shea, Betty Theil, JoAnne Nordhagen, Jason Driscoll, Brian Mogren, Melissa McGregor and Landon Hansen careens through the Vaudeville show that follows intermission. (Montana Standard, MT)
Movies and special theatres near campus Aug 11, 2009
Originally, there were vaudeville shows before the movie, and the stage is still there at the front of the big main theater. The whole theater is filled with architectural embellishments and details. (The Current Online, MO)
And all that class Aug 9, 2009
O Connor is what is referred to in the industry as a triple threat she sings, dances and acts and her Velma shows off all those talents to great effect, from the sultry opening number All that Jazz to the pure vaudeville of I Simply Cannot Do It Alone and I Know a Girl. Chicago producer John Frost says O Connor s Velma Kelly is an iconic performance, one that you remember for the rest of your theatre-going days. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
New on DVD: A big game, a big rockstar, a big scandal Aug 7, 2009
Back story: Just as it would for the ' Sullivan appearances in 1964-65, the country stood still for 's Sunday night shockwaves on the host's occasionally cutting-edge CBS vaudeville show (Sept. 9 and Oct. 28, 1956; Jan. 6, 1957). (USA Today -- Life)
Klamath County Fair opens Thursday Aug 6, 2009
Karen Quest Cowgirl Tricks, a one-woman Vaudeville comedy western act complete with trick roping, whip cracking, music and surprises. Bob Manning and his Honkytonk Road Show combine vintage electric sound of Bakersfield fame and the smooth swing and shuffle feel of south Texas. (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
Join us August 8th and 9th for Celebrate Hillsboro Aug 5, 2009
Saxophones, trumpets, a 5- to 10-piece drum and percussion corps, electric bass, stilt-walkers, fire eaters, flag twirlers, vaudeville dancers, clown antics and acrobatics will take the Celebrate Hillsboro audience on an amazing musical journey. It will be a sight and sound event to behold. (OregonLive, OR -- News)
‘The Torch-Bearers’ plays up the laughs Aug 5, 2009
(This scene was originally presented as a vaudeville act, which explains its mechanical humor. . (Boston Globe)
Funny People movie review - Funny People showtimes Jul 31, 2009
This isn t quite as nepotistic as it seems, since Mann is a brightly sardonic comic actress and the girls make a cute vaudeville tag team, one deadpan, the other dreamy. Yet the final hour, which takes place over a long weekend in Marin County, goes nowhere slowly. (Boston Globe)
Connecticut's 'Icebox,' Norfolk, Sure Heats Up in the Summer Jul 31, 2009
The first issue reviewed a vaudeville show, reported on plans to construct a lighthouse on the "treacherous" Toby Pond, presented with an interview of Phineas Dickoy, the Commissioner of Lighthouses and Buoys in the National Forestry Department, and included a plea for the "affectionate young couples who park at the roadside at night [to] get married and cut out the al fresco devotion." Recent Harvard graduate James Laughlin founded New Directions Publishing House in Norfolk in 1936, attracting... (Litchfield County Times, CT)
Fair days are here again in Haines Jul 31, 2009
Circus Contraption, a one-ring traveling circus that combines traditional circus tricks with cabaret, vaudeville and slapstick, are set to perform as well as teach a workshop in clowning, acrobalance and basic rope climbing on Sunday. The Dakk Kwan Dancers of Carcross, Yukon will also perform traditional singing and dancing. (Juneau Empire)
Free, cheap in Jerome Jul 30, 2009
Opened in 1918 for silent films and vaudeville shows, the downstairs is now a gift shop and the upper levels lead through a cinema museum and into the restored theater. $2. (AZCentral -- Travel)
Big Sky Rep's ‘Check, Please' can't be beat Jul 30, 2009
Showcasing the vocal talents and comedic timing of some of Butte's finest local stars, this post-play vaudeville review is a bit bawdy, a little sweet, kind of over the top and downright hilarious ... Andr;e O'Shea, JoAnne Nordhagen, Jason Driscoll, Sandra Mellott, Melissa McGregor, Landon Hansen, Brian Mogren and Betty Thiel wisecrack their way through some of vaudeville's best stereotypes, while Dave Coleman's piano sparkles throughout the show ... Big Sky Repertory Theatre, Butte's premiere... (Montana Standard, MT)
Magician juggles comedy, stunts with magic Jul 30, 2009
He describes his act as a twisted version of vaudeville in the modern age ... The magician combines forces with two to three friends for the vaudeville-style magic and stunts. (Carlisle Sentinel, PA)
The tireless master of modern dance Jul 29, 2009
But neither of his parents discouraged his interest in dance, and at 12 he was sent to a local academy run by a former vaudeville performer called Mrs Barrett. After school, Cunningham enrolled in the Cornish School for Performing and Visual Arts in Seattle. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
River fest kicks off Friday Jul 29, 2009
Pirates will take part in a vaudeville show that features music, dancing, sword fights and all manner of piratical behavior ... 12:30 p.m. Pirate Vaudeville Show, Main Stage ... 3 p.m. Pirate Vaudeville Show, Main Stage. (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
Bang on a Can finale plays minimalism to the max Jul 27, 2009
Ken Thomson and Nathan Smith played their chugging bass clarinet riffs like a vaudeville team, one antic and bouncy, the other serene. Every so often, metallophonist David Cossin would tap out the four shimmering notes that signaled the Bang on a Can players to move to the next section of 18 Musicians, and the group would charge ahead with barely suppressed delight. (Boston Globe)
‘Rip Van Winkle’ a sleeper hit Jul 25, 2009
The Staycation Vaudeville Revue highlighted, in a very humorous way, several places in the Central Coast that tourists and locals all love to visit ... WHAT: Rip Van Winkle and The Staycation Vaudeville Revue run through Sept. 20, alternating with the already running production of Gold Fever at the Rough and Ready and The Villain s Vaudeville Revue. (Santa Maria Times)
Kaye Ballard Losing 10 pounds in 53 years! Jul 24, 2009
While still a teenager, Kaye performed in a USO production of Stage Door Canteen, then came vaudeville and burlesque houses. Funny guy Spike Jones found her ushering in a theatre and put her on his tour singing, playing tuba and doing her wonderful comedy impressions. (Desert Entertainer, CA)
* OTHER RELEASES Jul 24, 2009
Filled with cameos by media personalities playing themselves, this is worth a look, especially for those who long for the return of vaudeville. Gu Gu the Cat. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
