Dolores Claiborne – The Opera
An opera by Tobias Picker, based on the novel Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
By arrangement with Andrew Welch · Commissioned by San Francisco Opera
Desperate. Passionate. Trapped. Dolores Claiborne is willing to do whatever it takes to save herself and her daughter—even if that means taking a life. One of the most compelling characters to emerge from the imagination of Stephen King, the feisty Maine housekeeper is a natural fit for opera—and specifically for the dark theatricality of American composer Tobias Picker, who “embraces opera as a populist art form” and “does so with undeniable skill” (The New York Times). Memorably played by Kathy Bates in the 1995 movie, Dolores will be sung by Patricia Racette (Sep 18, 22, 25, 28), “an artist at the peak of her powers” (Opera News) and Catherine Cook (Oct 1, 4), a singer who knows how to “delight with a treasure chest of voice and gesture” (Bay Area Reporter). This chilling work features a libretto by poet J. D. McClatchy. “Expert conductor” George Manahan is at the podium (Financial Times) and the “imaginative” and “inspired” James Robinson directs (The Wall Street Journal).
Mercedes McCambridge
Carlotta Mercedes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 – March 2, 2004) was an Academy Award-winning and Golden Globe-winning American actress. Orson Welles called her “the world’s greatest living radio actress.”
McCambridge was born in Joliet, Illinois, the daughter of parents Marie and John Patrick McCambridge. She graduated from Mundelin College in Chicago. She began her career as a radio actor during the 1940’s while also performing on Broadway.
Her Hollywood break came when she was cast opposite Broderick Crawford in All the King’s Men (1949). McCambridge won the 1949 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role, while the film won Best Picture for that year. McCambridge also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and New Star of the Year – Actress for her performance.
In 1954, the actress co-starred with Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden in the offbeat western drama, Johnny Guitar, now regarded as a cult classic. McCambridge and Hayden publicly declared their dislike of Crawford, with McCambridge labeling the film’s star “a mean, tipsy, powerful, rotten-egg lady.”
McCambridge played the supporting role of ‘Luz’ in the George Stevens epic, Giant (1956), which starred Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean in his last role. In 1959, McCambridge appeared opposite Katherine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer.
Of more interest to casual readers of this site, McCambridge provided the dubbed voice of the demonically possessed child Regan in The Exorcist, acted by Linda Blair. McCambridge was promised a screen credit for the film’s initial release, but she discovered at the premiere that her name was absent. Her dispute with director William Friedkin and Warner Bros. over her exclusion ended when, with the help of the Screen Actors Guild, she was properly credited for her vocal work in the film.
In the 1970’s, she toured in a road company production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as Big Mama, opposite John Carradine as Big Daddy. She appeared as a guest artist in college productions such as El Centro College’s 1979 The Mousetrap, in which she received top billing despite her character being murdered less than 15 minutes into the play.
In the mid-1970’s, McCambridge briefly took a position as director of Livingrin, a Pennsylvania rehabilitation center for alcoholics. She was at the same time putting the finishing touches on her soon-to-be released autobiography, The Quality of Mercy: An Autobiography (Times Books, 1981).
McCambridge died on March 2, 2004 in La Jolla, California, of natural causes.
Cold Turkey
A short film by Thor Arnarsson. A troubled teenager tries to get rid of the most dangerous addiction of them all – cannibalism. Check out the facebook page HERE
COLD TURKEY from Thor Arnarsson on Vimeo.
Turkish Exorcist
Check out these clips from the Turkish version of The Exorcist… so bad it’s awesome.
Teen Exorcists
Some Friday fun… have a laugh at these idiots: They are young, all-American girls who enjoy horse riding, karate and Sherlock Holmes. But there’s more to Brynne, Tess and Savannah than wholesome pursuits – they’re exorcists.
The girls believe much of the world’s population is possessed by evil spirits which are causing addiction, depression and suffering. In a fight against the devil’s army, they have been touring America performing public exorcisms on their believers.
Now they are taking the fight to a city they think of as one of the most spiritually corrupt in the world – London… God help us all…
R.I.P. Richard C. Sarafian
Vanishing Point director Richard C. Sarafian has died in Santa Monica of complications from pneumonia. He was 83. The New York City-born Sarafian had suffered a fall recently where he broke several ribs and his back. He contracted the infection while recovering from that incident, according to his son Daran Sarafian.
Richard Sarafian’s direction of the iconic 1971 car pic was an inspiration to Quentin Tarantino, who gave the director a Special Thanks in the credits of 2007’s car-themed Death Proof. The director was also behind the camera of several early iconic TV series like Batman, I Spy, 77 Sunset Strip and Westerns including Gunsmoke. His last directing job was a 2011 episode of Zorro: The Legend Continues. Sarafian was a presence in front of the camera too: Among his acting gigs, his good friend Warren Beatty cast him in both Bullworth and Bugsy, and he also was in Don Juan DeMarco opposite pal Marlon Brando. Sarafian was also a longtime friend of fellow director Robert Altman although they apparnetly became more like rivals after Sarafain married Altman’s sister, Joan. The couple had four sons and a daughter.
The Walking Dead – Spinoff Series
AMC is expanding another successful series into a scripted franchise. After giving the go-ahead last week to Better Call Saul, a spinoff series from Breaking Bad, the network just announced that it is in the initial stages of developing a companion series to mega hit The Walking Dead.
The new drama series has a target on-air date of 2015. It will be will be executive produced by The Walking Dead executive producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert for AMC Studios. “Building on the success of the most popular show on television for adults 18-49 is literally a no-brainer,” said Charlie Collier, AMC’s president and general manager. He noted that the companion series will have “an entirely new story and cast of characters”. “It’s a big world and we can’t wait to give fans another unforgettable view of the zombie apocalypse,” he said. Added Kirkman, on whose comic The Walking Dead was based. “After 10 years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn’t be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of The Walking Dead universe. The opportunity to make a show that isn’t tethered by the events of the comic book, and is truly a blank page, has set my creativity racing.”
Season 3 of The Walking Dead ranked as the top program on television (broadcast or cable) among adults 18-49. Season 4 kicks off October 13. Besides their scripted extensions, both The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad also spawned talk show companion series, Talking Dead and Talking Bad, respectively.
American Psycho – The TV Series
Oh dear… American Psycho is headed to television. FX Channel has put in development an American Psycho drama series that takes place decades after the events in the 2000 movie starring Christian Bale and the Bret Easton Ellis novel on which the film was based. Lionsgate TV, whose sibling Lionsgate Films was behind the American Psycho feature, and FX Productions are producing the series shepherded by former Lionsgate Films head of production-turned producer Allison Shearmur and writer Stefan Iaworski. Described as an update of American Psycho, the drama series fast-forwards from the late 1980’s, when the movie was set, to present day. It will feature serial killer Patrick Bateman, now in his mid-50s but as outrageous and lethal as ever, taking on a protégé in a sadistic social experiment who will become every bit his equal — a next-generation American Psycho. The project will be written by Paradigm-repped Jaworski who will executive produce with Shearmur and Ed Pressman.
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