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Disgraced Soprano Tamar Iveri Performs at Anti-Abuse Concert, Repairs Relationship with LGBTI Community

Disgraced Georgian soprano Tamar Iveri performed at an anti-violence charity concert last night in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. The performance marks the first stage in the singer's attempt to rebuild her international career, after gaining worldwide criticism for homophobic comments made on her Facebook page last year.Iveri posted a letter on her Facebook page and addressed it to then-Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili May 18, 2013, the day after Orthodox Christian groups violently assaulted participants in a gay pride march in Tbilisi.The letter reportedly included the following statements: "I was quite proud of the fact how Georgian society spat at the parade" and "Please, stop vigorous attempts to bring the West's 'faecal masses' in the mentality of the people by means of propaganda."In a series of conflicting statements, Iveri subsequently claimed that either her husband wrote the offending post or that the couple had worked on it in tandem. Either way, following "Limelight’s" breaking of the story in June and the notoriety Iveri gained from the comments, the Georgian soprano was forced to exit her contracts with Brussels’s La Monnaie and other opera companies.
By Jaime Prisco

  • Bill Murray's 'Groundhog Day' to Be Turned Into a Musical: Tim Minchin of 'Matilda' Releases Song

    Bill Murray movie fans rejoice! A musical adaptation of the popular 1993 film "Groundhog Day" is currently in the works, with comedian-musician Tim Minchin writing the music and lyrics.While Minchin praises the original, Harold Ramis-directed film as a "true comedy classic," he does note that his musical version will "be both instantly recognizable and utterly different," according to "The Independent."Minchin, the songwriter for the hit musical Matilda, will be working with fellow "Matilda" director Matthew Warchus as well has Danny Rubin, who is writing the book, according to "The Independent." He notes that the idea for this adaptation has been around for years, with the legendary Stephen Sondheim originally toying with the idea."I've actually spoken to [Sondheim] about it," Minchin says, according to "The Independent," "and the truth is he was only ever tossing the idea around. It got put on the back burner, and he is now happy that we're making a go at it. We have Steve's blessing — and it's a blessing I value enormously.”
    By Jaime Prisco

  • Eric Garner's Last Words Turned Into Performance Piece at Protest

    Amid the throng of protesters, the words “I can’t breathe” echoed through Grand Central Terminal Tuesday night, Dec. 9. The plea of Eric Garner, the black man who was recently killed by a white police officer in Staten Island, New York, was re-enacted by a group of performance artists in a rallying cry for justice.The speaker was Chazz Giovanni, a recent graduate of the acting program at SUNY Purchase. Giovanni recited all of Garner’s last worlds, which were recorded on video before his death in July after Officer Daniel Pantaleo put him into a chokehold.As Giovanni spoke Garner’s last words, dozens of dancers circled him, some beating on cookie tins as they chanted, "We can’t breath." Others broke into pairs to act out a simple, stylized move based on a chokehold. After each round of the monologue, the group fell to the ground, mimicking death.
    By Jaime Prisco