Fame or Famine

Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been a distinct pleasure to be part of your online experience in the Performing Arts. It’s been an interesting blog to write, with a subject matter as broad as “the Performing Arts,” and at times it’s been frustrating in that there’s so much to write about that just choosing something has been difficult.
We live in exciting times – the “death of live performance” that was feared with the advent of digital media never happened, and if anything there is more live performances simply because they can now be webcast, broadcast, etc. More people than ever …read more

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Dancing with the Stars does not, I’m sheepishly admitting, start for another couple of months- though my reports of possible contestants was right on. I can even add absolutely positively unverified rumors of Clint Eastwood and Kim Kardashian to the mix. But don’t quote me on that…
Dancing with Drama
What I’m not so glad to hear about on the celebrity blogs is the search criteria by which the show’s producers are picking potential candidates. Apparently they are looking for divorcees or at least former couples to have them competing on the same show. Or even better, someone with some kind of …read more

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Everyone was happy and excited for Bailey Hanks, winner of MTV’s Legally Blonde reality competition. She beat out the other legal blondes and landed her leading role, which she premiered last Wednesday. The other contestants went home, heads hung low, bitter and defeated, right?
Well, not so much.
Surprise! You’ve Got Contracts!
As it turned out, the producers had jobs in mind for all four of the top contestants in the show.

Rhiannon Hansen will play Margot, Elle’s best friend, in the touring company of Legally Blonde
Autumn Hurlbert will join the Broadway cast as Elle’s understudy
Lauren Zakrin will not only join the touring company …read more

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This smoking ban thing becomes more and more interesting…Chicago seems pretty much set in its ways, with no hope in the near future of th Jersey Boys getting to light up again.
The problem lies in the fact that there is both a state law in Illinois and a city of Chicago law, and the latter is forbidden from making the former any weaker. This means that an exemption for theater can be tricky – lest Chicago fall to the thespian hedonism currently infesting Minneapolis.
Before the Ban, With a Cast of Thousands
Thanks to a comment by Karl, I learned that in …read more

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From the same city that banned foie gras recently (and then suddenly repealed it) comes the news that even in theatrical productions where cigarettes and other smoking is an “integral part” of the play – it’s not allowed.
That’s right. Jersey Boys, currently playing in Chicago, had portrayed the doo-wop singers accurately – that is, singing on the street corners with cigarettes hanging out of the their mouths. But since Chicago has a city-wide smoking ban, an “irate theatre goer” complained to…well, to someone, but no one seems to know who, or where the complaint originated. However, the play has removed …read more

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I’m afraid my internet connection punked out on me at the end of the Blog-Off, and I didn’t make all 24 posts in 24 hours. But I had a lot of help from guest bloggers, and here is one article by Dana Pellebon, an actor, writer, and producer from Madison, WI.
Writer’s groups are a dime a dozen these days and very few distinguish themselves.  Inkslingers, based out of Madison, WI, is one of the very few who do and manage to have their work produced.  I have been lucky enough to act for them on and off throughout the past …read more

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Welcome to the first post of the Great Blog Off here at B5Media! It’s part of our charity drive to raise money for the Actor’s Fund.
Even though it’s technically still the 19th here at Fame or Famine Central, I’m starting the Blog Off now because in England the clock just ticked over to the 20th, the day we are going for one blog post per hour. We have a few different bloggers set to guest post here, including a wonderful in-depth article about the Screen Actors Guild.
But let’s start with something completely different: a backstage tour of the London production …read more

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Out of New Zealand comes the performing arts group Soul Speed, a combination of artists from dance, live music (traditional and classical), costume design, and theatre all with a mutual concern for the environment. They draw inspiration from Awe Waiwai, or ancient essence.
A Collaborative Approach
“The power of theatre and dance as a catalyst for positive action and change is what drives Soul Speed’s performances. We work collaboratively, drawing inspiration from who we are and where we live,” says Ardre Foote, the director. ” Our performances are kaupapa (vision) driven with an indigenous contemporary approach.” …read more

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It’s kind of funny that while your average American male would rather eat cod liver oil than go to an opera, the same guy will stand in line for an hour to see a new Jackie Chan movie. Yet the fact is, Jackie Chan’s roots go to the Chinese Opera, which has a vast and rich tradition dating from around 755 A.D.
That’s right. The same opera that today uses the most modern lights and sound techniques goes back well over a millenium in its history. And, as stars like Jackie have shown, they have kept the appeal – I would …read more

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June 20th is the date of the gReat Blog Off here at B5 Media – and I had grand plans for posting one post for every time zone, starting at midnight on June 20th, Greenwich Mean Time.
I’ve been foiled by the Indonesians, though – more specifically, the International date line. It’s been June 20th in Jakarta for almost fifteen minutes already! So let’s take the plunge in a direction that I don’t normally talk about more than a tiny bit here at Fame or Famine: costume design.
EION 2013, Designers for Star Trex X1
The new trek movie is scheduled for release …read more

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