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Soviet film classics find new life on YouTube

AFP, MOSCOW, April 28: The Moscow film company behind some of the greatest classics of Soviet cinema on Wednesday said it had agreed to make dozens of its best-known movies freely available on YouTube.

The agreement between Mosfilm and YouTube means that an initial batch of 50 films that still have legendary status in Russia but are little known outside will for the first time find a wide foreign audience.

The unabridged films have been posted with subtitles and Mosfilm said it will add five more films every week, meaning that by the end of the year a library of 200 films will be available in high definition.

The movies posted so far include "Ivan Vasilevich Changes Occupation", a 1973 comedy where a Soviet engineer accidentally sends feared Tsar Ivan the Terrible to modern Moscow with his homemade time machine.

Also available is "White Sun of the Desert" (1969), the first of a genre of Soviet co-called Easterns set in Central Asia that is still traditionally watched by cosmonauts before every space launch.

Curious viewers may also want to try the 1930s musical comedy set on a river cruise ship, "Volga Volga", which is said to have been the favourite film of Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin.

Better known to Western viewers will be Andrei Tarkovsky's arthouse classic "Mirror" (1975), whose meaning remains elusive even after several viewings.

"For us the YouTube project is very important and interesting," said Karen Shakhnazarov, the director the Mosfilm, in a statement.

"The aim is to give users the possibility to legally watch high-quality video material and prevent the illegal use of our films," he said, adding this was made possible by YouTube's capacity to block pirated content.

Mosfilm traces its history back to the early days of the Soviet Union and cinema in the 1920s when film production was nationalised into the Goskino company.

It acquired its current name in 1935 and still proudly uses the famous Soviet sculpture "Worker and Peasant Woman" as its symbol.

Vienna Ballet sets sights on Japan, Monte Carlo

AFP, VIENNA, April 28: After a first season rich in premieres, the Vienna Ballet under director Manuel Legris will pack its bags next season for a couple of tours to build up its name on the international stage.

So far, two tours are planned: to Monte Carlo in December for two evenings, and to Japan in April 2012, where the company will perform Roland Petit's "Die Fledermaus" as well as a gala evening, Legris announced at a press conference Wednesday.

At home, the Ballet will have three premieres next season: the classic ballet "La Sylphide" by Pierre Lacotte; a homage to Roland Petit; and a third evening dedicated to "Carmina Burana" by Vesna Orlic, "L'Apres-Midi d'un Faune" (The Afternoon of a Faun) by Boris Nebyla and Andras Lukacs's "Bolero."

"We had a great number of premieres this season and I think it is quite exceptional to have this amount of performances," said Legris.

"But I don't think we can manage eight premieres every year," he added, after the company presented a new performance almost on a monthly basis this season.

The Ballet should also develop outside of Vienna, for instance through tours, which will be organised on a more regular basis starting next season.

This was a chance "to show this company because the dancers deserve to travel around the world," Legris said, insisting on the need to put the Vienna Ballet on the international stage.

The French former etoile dancer has earned rave reviews since arriving in Vienna last summer, reviving a ballet company that was long ignored in a city of opera-lovers.

"Each performance gets better and better... the dancers are making progress on stage, they are starting to own the ballet, to own the spirit," he told AFP.

"The dancers have a contract that is renewed every year so they can leave when they wish. And since I've been here, nobody has left."

Two premieres remain this season: a homage to West Side Story choreographer Jerome Robbins and a Nureyev Gala, which will become an annual event and in which Legris is set to perform.

The tribute to Rudolf Nureyev, a former director of the Vienna Ballet and mentor to Legris, will feature some of his most famous works as well as other choreographers close to him.

A still-blistering 'Normal Heart' hits Broadway

AP, NEW YORK, April 28: "The Normal Heart" is about AIDS. Until it isn't.

Larry Kramer's historic play about the beginning of an epidemic that has killed millions can be seen as a time capsule of a period when the disease was first emerging. But it can also be a cautionary tale for any horror we have yet to fully grasp.

Joe Mantello and Ellen Barkin headline this excellent production, which opened Wednesday at the Golden Theatre and represents the play's Broadway debut, 26 years after it was first mounted at the Public Theater.

It starts in 1981 at a doctor's office in New York. A mysterious disease is making men sick and Ned Weeks (Mantello playing Kramer's raging alter ego) discusses it with Dr. Emma Brookner (Barkin).

"I think we're seeing only the tip of the iceberg," says the doctor. "I'm frightened nobody important is going to give a damn because it seems to be happening mostly to gay men."

That comment would prove prescient: The rest of the play is about how a group of gay men turned into activists as they grappled with a lethal disease whose method of transmission was unclear. In those early days, some advocates argued that homosexual men must stop having sex entirely.

"I've spent 15 years of my life fighting for our right to be free and make love whenever, wherever," one character cries. "You're telling me that all those years of what being gay stood for are wrong ... and I'm a murderer."

The play is very much the personal story of Weeks (and so of Kramer), the Cassandra who helped found the Gay Men's Health Crisis and bickered with colleagues about the best way to address the disease.

Mantello as Weeks is pugnacious ("We're not yelling loud enough!"), fights with his straight brother (a nice turn by Mark Harelik), who seems more concerned with building a $2 million house in Connecticut than backing his sibling, and tries to comfort his dying lover (a wonderful John Benjamin Hickey). Mantello manages to make his unlovable Weeks lovable and he steers clear of hagiography.

Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe co-direct and push the throttle — each scene is fraught with emotion, anger is quick to explode, papers are tossed with abandon, and any moment of humor is milked for the relief it offers from a hectic production.

There are wonderful soliloquies performed by Lee Pace, who tells the harrowing story of his character taking his dying lover home to Phoenix only for a petrified hospital staff to stuff the body in a Glad Bag, and by Barkin, whose polio-stricken doctor has a blistering exchange with a panel of government officials who decline to fund her work.

"Anyway you add all this up, it is an unconscionable delay and had never, never existed in any other health emergency during this entire century," she spits back. "We are enduring an epidemic of death."

This is not a lyrical or operatic play such as Tony Kushner's "Angels in America," which also dealt with AIDS and had its first major New York revival this season. Kramer is hardly subtle. He uses the play as a soapbox, attacking then-Mayor Ed Koch for apathy and The New York Times for not spreading the word about the plague.

It is in those moments that the work transcends the New York of the 1980s. Was this also what it was like for peace activists watching in horror as the massacres in Darfur or Bosnia were starting? "The Normal Heart" is an indictment of too-cold bureaucracies and less-than-eager politicians. It is also a window into debates the gay community has undertaken as they push for marriage rights — how far to push, how much to refer to their own sexuality, how strident they must be.

The production is wisely very spare, with only a few props used, perfectly in tune with the agitprop feel. Some of the actors not involved in scenes sit in chairs in the dark like silent witnesses, adding to the rawness of the staging.

One key exception is David Rockwell's marvelous raised collage that fills the stage's three walls. At first, it looks like nothing — just white cinderblocks. Upon closer inspection — and with help from the lighting team — the set reveals itself as hundreds of quotes, headlines and statistics about the AIDS crisis.

Since Kramer wrote this play, AIDS has become survivable for many people lucky enough to get new drugs. But there is no cure and people still needlessly die. So that is reason enough to return to 1981 and see — either for the first time or as a reminder — what those first days were like.

British royal wedding schedule

AP, The schedule of events for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

• 0815 BST (0715 GMT; 3:15 a.m. EDT) — Guests begin arriving at the Great North Door of London's Westminster Abbey.

• 0950 BST (0850 GMT; 4:50 a.m. EDT) — Governors-general and prime ministers of realm countries, the diplomatic corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the abbey.

• 1010 BST (0910 GMT; 5:10 a.m. EDT) — Prince William and Prince Harry leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.

• 1015 BST (0915 GMT; 5:15 a.m. EDT) — The princes arrive at Westminster Abbey.

• 1020 BST (0920 GMT; 5:20 a.m. EDT) — Members of foreign royal families arrive at Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace.

• 1027 BST (0927 GMT; 5:27 a.m. EDT) — Middleton's mother, Carole, and brother, James, arrive at the abbey.

• 1030 BST (0930 GMT; 5:30 a.m. EDT) — Select members of Britain's royal family arrive at the abbey.

• 1040 BST (0940 GMT; 5:40 a.m. EDT) — Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, leave Buckingham Palace for the abbey as Prince Andrew and daughters Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie; Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie; Princess Anne and her husband Timothy Laurence arrive for the ceremony.

• 1042 BST (0942 GMT; 5:42 a.m. EDT) — Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, arrive at the abbey from Clarence House.

• 1045 BST (0945 GMT; 5:45 a.m. EDT) — The queen and Prince Philip arrive at the abbey.

• 1051 BST (0951 GMT; 5:51 a.m. EDT) — The bride, accompanied by her father, Michael, leaves the Goring Hotel for the abbey.

• 1055 BST (0955 GMT; 5:55 a.m. EDT) — Bridesmaids and pages arrive at the abbey from the Goring Hotel.

• around 1100 BST (1000 GMT; 6:00 a.m. EDT) — The bride arrives. Marriage ceremony, which will be relayed on audio speakers along the wedding route, begins.

• 1215 BST (1115 GMT; 7:15 a.m. EDT) — William and his new wife emerge from the abbey and depart in the 1902 State Landau, a carriage, and travel to Buckingham Palace, followed by the queen.

• 1230 BST (1130 GMT; 7:30 a.m. EDT) — The bride's carriage procession arrives at Buckingham Palace, followed by members of Britain's royal family and other foreign royals 10 minutes later.

• 1240 BST (1140 GMT; 7:40 a.m. EDT) — Guests for the wedding reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.

• 1325 BST (1225 GMT; 8:25 a.m. EDT) — William and Middleton, accompanied by the queen and their families, appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

• 1330 BST (1230 GMT; 8:30 a.m. EDT) — The royals watch a ceremonial flypast from the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight before returning inside for the queen's reception for some 600 guests.

• 1800 BST (1700GMT; 1 p.m. EDT) — Private reception begins at Buckingham Palace for 300 guests.

Prince William, Kate at final wedding rehearsal

AP, LONDON, April 28: Prince William and Kate Middleton have arrived at Westminster Abbey for a final wedding rehearsal.

St. James's Palace says that the couple, the bride's parents and Prince Harry are at the abbey with senior clergy for the private rehearsal.

Wednesday's rehearsal will be their last chance to run through the service before their wedding Friday.

A convoy of cars arrived at the abbey as hundreds of excited tourists and dozens of broadcasting crew looked on.

Middleton's parents, Michael and Carole, drove to London from their Berkshire home earlier Wednesday to base themselves at the Goring Hotel. They will be staying there for the next three nights.

The couple had held rehearsals before, but this is the first time they did inside the abbey.

'American Idol' finalists croon Carole King tunes

AP, LOS ANGELES, April 28: Scotty McCreery won back some friends on "American Idol."

After receiving criticism from the show's judges for playing it too safe last week, the deep-voiced 17-year-old country crooner of Garner, N.C., enticed the panel with his buttery rendition of "You've Got a Friend" on the Fox talent competition's evening of Carole King tunes Wednesday. It was 22-year-old rocker James Durbin of Santa Cruz., Calif., who was dubbed a front-runner though.

Randy Jackson proclaimed that Durbin "just might win the whole thing" after his electric reworking of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." Steven Tyler didn't say he saw Haley Reinhart, the bluesy 20-year-old college student of Wheeling, Ill., winning the contest, but he did claim that he "just saw God" after Reinhart's upbeat rendition of "Beautiful."

"You have one of the best voices in the competition," Jennifer Lopez told Reinhart.

Jacob Lusk and Lauren Alaina were praised for going outside their comfort zones. Tyler lauded a plaid-clad Lusk, the 23-year-old spa concierge of Compton, Calif., for "shaking his tail feathers" on "Oh No Not My Baby," while Lopez hailed Alaina, the 16-year-old high school student of Rossville, Ga., for reaching for the high notes on "Where You Lead."

"I don't know if I love the song," Jackson told Alaina. "What I did love is that you came up there with a vengeance."

Casey Abrams might want to take a cue from Lusk. Lopez told Abrams, the 20-year-old eccentric film camp counselor of Idyllwild, Calif., that she wanted him to "loosen up your legs a little bit" after his jazzy performance of "Hi-De-Ho," popularized by Blood, Sweat and Tears. Tyler was more enthused, informing Abrams that it "made my scalp itch, it was so good."

The top six finalists were also paired for duets of King classics. Abrams and Reinhart brought their growling chemistry to "I Feel the Earth Move," while McCreery successfully backed up a soaring Alaina during "Up on the Roof." Durbin and Lusk's awkward attempt to out-wail each other on "I'm Into Something Good" was deemed something bad.

Law & Order SVU's Hargitay sues talent agency

Reuters, NEW YORK, April 28: Mariska Hargitay, who stars as detective Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," has sued to stop a talent agency from claiming a share of her earnings from the hit NBC television show.

According to a complaint filed Wednesday in a New York state court in Manhattan, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment LLC early this month filed an arbitration claim in California seeking commissions and other sums for Hargitay's work on SVU's 11th and 12th seasons.

Hargitay said she had been a client of a predecessor firm, William Morris Agency Inc. But she said an agreement under which that firm received 10 percent of her gross earnings ended in September 2004, and that she dropped the firm in May 2009.

The arbitration claim "therefore came as a surprise" given that Hargitay never had or agreed to a relationship with William Morris Endeavor, and has paid all commissions and other sums owed, the complaint said.

William Morris Entertainment has several offices, including in New York and Beverly Hills, California, its website shows. No one at the Beverly Hills office was immediately available to comment. A call to the New York office was not answered.

Hargitay seeks a court order declaring that she has no obligations to William Morris Entertainment, awarding damages and other remedies.

Comcast Corp has a majority stake in NBC.

Grammy, Broadway producer John Cossette dies at 54

Reuters, LOS ANGELES, April 28: Broadway musical producer John Cossette, who also followed in his father's footsteps to stage the Grammy telecasts and other entertainment award specials, has died at age of 54, his family said.

Cossette served as executive producer of several Grammy Awards, along with the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Awards and Latin Grammy Award ceremonies.

He also produced the Broadway musical "Million Dollar Quartet," about the Memphis recording origins of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

"We are deeply saddened to report that John Cossette, 54, has passed away. We ask that you please respect our privacy during this incredibly emotional time," his wife, Rita, and two daughters said in a statement on Tuesday.

They did not give the cause of death, nor the time or place of Cossette's passing.

Cossette was the son of Pierre Cossette, known as the father of the Grammy Awards telecast for his influence in persuading the major networks to air the annual music industry ceremony, who died in 2009 at the age of 85.

The Recording Academy, which sponsors the Grammys, described John Cossette in a statement as a "remarkable live television producer."

"However, it was his warmth, easy-going nature, passion for music and the arts, and tireless dedication to the Grammy Awards and Latin Grammy Awards that was unmatched," Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, and Latin Recording Academy president Gabriel Abaroa said in a joint statement.

Shirelles and Dionne Warwick sue new Broadway show

Reuters, NEW YORK, April 28: The producers of a new Broadway musical about the 1960s girl group The Shirelles have been hit with a lawsuit charging them of pilfering the names and likenesses of the original members.

Singer Dionne Warwick, who is also portrayed in the show "Baby It's You", joined the legal action which was filed in New York Supreme Court a day before Wednesday's opening night.

Three of the four women -- surviving member Beverly Lee, who owns the trademark to "The Shirelles" name and the estates of Doris Coley Jackson and Addie Harris McFadden -- filed their lawsuit on Tuesday.

"Baby It's You!" is the story of Florence Greenberg, a suburban housewife from New Jersey who discovered the all-girl group and created Scepter Records. It has been running in preview at New York's Broadhurst Theater for several weeks.

The Shirelles had hits in the 1960s with records like "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," "Dedicated to the One I Love" and "Soldier Boy." They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Oren Warshavsky, an attorney for the four, said that like many other recording artists in the 1960s, his clients were not treated well even as they were growing in popularity.

"It's unfortunate that they have to live through it again and watch their stories be told, again without their consent," he said.

The lawsuit accuses Warner Bros. Theater Ventures Inc., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Broadway Baby LLC, of "cashing in on plaintiffs' stories and successes, while using plaintiffs' names, likenesses and biographical information without their consent and in violation of the law."

Paul McGuire, a Warner Bros. spokesman, declined comment.

Warshavsky said the timing of the suit on the eve of opening night was a coincidence. The plaintiffs had been in discussions with Warner Bros., but they could not resolve their differences and took legal action, he said.

Feisty boxing mom portrayed in "The Fighter" dies

Reuters, LOS ANGELES, April 28: The mother of retired boxing champion Micky Ward, whose story was turned into the Hollywood movie "The Fighter," died on Wednesday at the age of 79, her son said.

Alice Ward was played in the 2010 movie by actress Melissa Leo, who won a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance as the feisty mother of nine children.

Dicky Eklund, the older half brother of Micky Ward, told the Massachusetts news website www.lowellsun.com that Ward died at a Boston hospital after doctors took her off life support.

"We lost the leader of our family," Eklund told the Lowell Sun. "She was a great woman, a strong woman. She taught us all what it means to be strong because she never gave up on any of us."

Ward had gone into cardiac arrest in January.

Melissa Leo also won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of Ward in "The Fighter", which also brought an Oscar for Christian Bale in his role as Eklund.