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Strike ENDS—Broadway Reopens

After 19 days of darkness Broadway is reopening for business. According to news reports, late last night, during the third day of marathon negotiations between the stagehands union and producers, a compromise was reached. Now, shows are scrambling to get their acts together so the curtain can go up later today. You’ll recall the work stoppage began November 10th after the issue of wages and how many stagehands were required to open a Broadway show and keep it running couldn’t be hammered out between the two parties. Producers were concerned about having to pay stagehands more in return for a … Continue reading →

“The Grinch” and Grace Get the Go Ahead

“I think one Grinch in town is enough.” That’s the word from a New York State Supreme Court judge who ordered the reopening of “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas!” despite the ongoing Broadway stagehands strike. Which means as of 11 a.m. tomorrow the show will go on… at least for “The Grinch.” More than two dozen other plays and musicals will remain dark. However, for the thousands of Broadway ticket holders who traveled to the Big Apple for the Thanksgiving weekend the news couldn’t have come at a better time. “We got our miracle on 44th Street,” the … Continue reading →

Broadway Stagehands Strike Affects Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

You’d think it was the night before Christmas around our home given how excited my daughter is for tomorrow to “get here already.” She’s 3 years old and a huge Hello Kitty Supercute (the cape- and tiara-wearing feline superhero) fan. The same Hello Kitty that will be floating down Broadway Thanksgiving morning during the Macy’s Parade. Hello Kitty, Sesame Street’s fairy-in-training Abby Cadabby, and 12 other giant helium balloons will fill the skies over New York City tomorrow as part of the 81st annual parade. But besides the character balloons, 2,000 cheerleaders and 11 marching bands, the famous Turkey Day … Continue reading →

Back to the Bargaining Table

Could an end to both the Broadway stagehands and the Writers Guild of America strikes be in sight? In just a few hours striking stagehands and Broadway producers are going back to the bargaining table, exactly one week after the work stoppage began and less than a week before the start of the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday weekend when most plays and musicals rake in millions of dollars. According to representatives from both sides, negotiations will resume this weekend “at an undisclosed place and time.” The good news even prompted New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to weigh in about the move. … Continue reading →

Paige Davis Returns to “Trading Spaces”

I used to be one of the biggest “Trading Spaces” fans around. Seriously, I would rearrange my Saturday nights just so I could be home in time to watch the popular TLC home makeover series. I adored Vern Yip; wished Frank Bielec was my uncle; coveted Paige Davis’ job; wanted Hildi Santo-Thomas to be my neighbor; and dreamed of the day Ty Pennington would craft me my own wooden china cabinet. I was a dedicated fan for years until producers decided to give the show a makeover of its own. They dropped perky Paige and brought in a slew of … Continue reading →

Elvis Finds a New Home and Broadway Still Dark

And the winner is… Elvis fans who think the King is still alive. In a previous blog I discussed an interesting item I saw on eBay—-the contents of the Elvis is Alive Museum. The museum’s 81-year-old owner decided it was time to pass on his expansive collection of Elvis memorabilia–including an inordinate amount of photographs, books, FBI files, and DNA reports that aimed to support the theory that Presley never died—–to someone who could keep the debate alive for decades to come. Enter Andy Key who offered a winning bid of $8,000. The die-hard Elvis fan who insists the King … Continue reading →

“Little House on the Prairie–The Musical”

I don’t know if a more dedicated “Little House on the Prairie” fan exists… If my friend Kristine’s husband had consented, my pal would have changed her name to Laura Ingalls Wilder long ago. This is a woman who would rearrange her daily schedule (mind you she has two kids) to watch “Little House” reruns when they aired on local TV up until about a year ago. She has all the books, the books on tape, walls lined with videos she recorded when the show used to air on TBS… no doubt about it; Kristine is a die-hard “Little House” … Continue reading →

Writers’ Strike—-Producers Hit Back

It’s been exactly one week since Writers Guild of America members hit the picket lines and it doesn’t look like they will be leaving anytime soon. But, as the numbers of celebrities joining the strike’s front lines grows, producers (the other half of the warring factions) displayed some defensive moves by taking out full-page ads in today’s trade papers to state their case. Ads with the headline “Setting the Record Straight,” which appeared in “Variety” and “The Hollywood Reporter,” emphasized that writers already get paid when TV episodes and films are downloaded from Internet stores such as Apple iTunes. What’s … Continue reading →