Sondheim is victorious exclusive MacDowell honor

Stephen Sondheim delivers achieved one of higher raises the bar in inside your creative arts united states, our own Edward MacDowell Medal as for daily life lozenge. The MacDowell Colony, the New Hampshire-based artist residency program, announced Sunday that Sondheim has received an award that has been given to Robert Frost and Georgia O'Keeffe among others. The 83-year-old Sondheim is known for such classic musicals as "A Little Night ...

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Kiss frontman Gene Simmons: "music can save a child's life"

Kiss frontman Gene Simmons made a surprise appearance at a Sioux Falls benefit concert Saturday, where he spoke of music's power to positively shape children's lives. Simmons's appearance came on the final day of a week of concerts to benefit the music academy for Sioux Falls Boys & Girls Clubs members. "This is about kids. We've had our chance. We've got to give them a chance. Anything that gets them off the street is a ...

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Dwayne Johnson: Savior of film franchises

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When your film franchise has gotten tired — the Fast aren't quite as Furious, the Mummy needs a reason to Return — Dwayne Johnson is the guy to call. The 40-year-old actor has become a savior of stale film series, injecting new life into "Fast Five," ''The Mummy Returns," ''Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" and now "G.I. Joe: Retaliation." The former professional wrestler rocks established franchises by joining them on the second or subsequent installment and boosting the property's box office. "Fast & Furious 6" and "Journey ...

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Celeb birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6

March 31: Actor William Daniels ("St. Elsewhere") is 86. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 79. Actress Shirley Jones is 79. Country singer-songwriter John D. Loudermilk is 79. Musician Herb Alpert is 78. Actor Christopher Walken is 70. Comedian Gabe Kaplan is 68. Actress Rhea Perlman is 65. Actor Ed Marinaro ("Hill Street Blues," ''Sisters") is 63. Guitarist Angus Young of AC/DC is 58. Bassist Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers is 42. Actor Ewan McGregor is 42. Rapper Tony Yayo is 35. Guitarist Jack Antonoff of fun. is 29. Actress Jessica Szohr ("Gossip Girl") ...

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Sanjay Dutt says he'll go to prison as ordered

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Breaking down repeatedly, popular Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt said Thursday he will serve his prison sentence for a 1993 weapons conviction and he has not sought pardon in the case linked to the deadliest terror attack in Indian history. Dutt broke his silence a week after the Supreme Court sentenced him to five years in prison for illegal possession of weapons supplied by Mumbai crime bosses linked to a 1993 terror attack that killed 257 people. "I respect the Supreme Court's verdict. I have not applied for any pardon," an ...

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New book shares insights from Steve Jobs' 1st boss

When Steve Jobs adopted "think different" as Apple's mantra in the late 1990s, the company's ads featured Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Amelia Earhart and a constellation of other starry-eyed oddballs who reshaped society. Nolan Bushnell never appeared in those tributes, even though Apple was riffing on an iconoclastic philosophy he embraced while running video game pioneer Atari in the early 1970s. Atari's refusal to be corralled by the status quo was one of the reasons Jobs went to work there in 1974 as an unkempt, contemptuous 19-year-old. Bushnell says Jobs offended some Atari ...

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Singer Warwick files for bankruptcy in NJ

Singer Dionne Warwick owes nearly $10 million in back taxes and has filed for bankruptcy. In a Chapter 7 petition filed this month in New Jersey, Warwick lists liabilities that include nearly $7 million owed to the Internal Revenue Service for the years 1991 to 1999 and more than $3 million in business taxes owed to the state of California. Warwick lists her current address in South Orange. The singer of classics such as "Walk On By," ''I Say a Little Prayer" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" also lists about $21,000 in monthly income and about ...

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The top iPhone and iPad apps on App Store

App Store Official Charts for the week ending March 25, 2013: Top Paid iPhone Apps: 1. Temple Run: Oz (Disney) 2. WhatsApp Messenger (WhatsApp Inc.) 3. Minecraft - Pocket Edition (Mojang) 4. Superstickman Golf 2 (Noodlecake Studios Inc.) 5. Wreck-it Ralph (Disney) 6. Sonic Dash (SEGA) 7. Plague Inc. (Ndemic Creations) 8. Ridiculous Fishing - A Tale of Redemption (Vlambeer) 9. Angry Birds Star Wars (Rovio Entertainment Ltd) 10. Arms Cartel Global (Pixel Addicts) Top Free iPhone Apps: 1. Mini Golf MatchUp (Scopely - Top Free ...

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Bachchan asks fans to save water during Holi fest

Bollywood's biggest star, Amitabh Bachchan, wants his fans to enjoy a dry Holi and save water during the Hindu festival of colors because of a drought in western India. Bachchan said on his Facebook page Tuesday that "I have expressed that we play a dry Holi without water." The 70-year-old actor known as "Big B" posted similar notes on his other social media accounts, which are followed by millions. The Holi festival on Wednesday is celebrated by playing with dry colors as well as colored water. Several districts in the western Indian state of ...

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Hipsters find love in a rock comedy [Review]

Romance can be as elusive as it is enchanting, which might explain the odd choice of title for the lighthearted rock musical "F---- Up Everything," which opened Sunday at the Elektra Theatre. The opening number of the classic boy-meets-girl romantic comedy provides a tidy introduction to its eclectic, energetic cast of characters, a group of recent college grads prowling Brooklyn's late-night music and dating scenes. An up-and-coming indie rock band called Ironic Maiden is playing its final song at a local dive bar. The band's too-cool-for-school singer ...

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'The Croods' catches fire with $44.7M opening

The caveman comedy "The Croods" left an indelible mark on the wall, opening at No. 1 with $44.7 million, according to Sunday studio estimates. The 3-D adventure from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox features a voice cast including Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Catherine Keener. They play a prehistoric family encountering danger and strange new creatures when they're forced to find a new cave. Opening strongly in second place with $30.5 million was "Olympus Has Fallen," an action thriller from "Training Day" director Antoine Fuqua in which ...

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NYC art museum accused of duping visitors on fees

Before visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art can stroll past the Picassos, Renoirs, Rembrandts and other priceless works, they must first deal with the ticket line, the posted $25 adult admission and the meaning of the word in smaller type just beneath it: "recommended." Many people, especially foreign tourists, either don't see it, don't understand it or don't question it. If they ask, they are told the fee is merely a suggested donation: You can pay what you wish but you must pay something. Some who choose to pay less than the full price pull ...

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Chinua Achebe, celebrated Nigerian novelist, dies

The opening sentence was as simple, declarative and revolutionary as a line out of Hemingway: "Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond," Chinua Achebe wrote in "Things Fall Apart." Africans, the Nigerian author announced more than 50 years ago, had their own history, their own celebrities and reputations. Centuries of being defined by the West were about to end, a transformation led by Achebe, who continued for decades to rewrite and reclaim the history of his native country. Achebe, the internationally celebrated Nigerian ...

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Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes dies in Sweden at age 94

Renowned Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes, a composer and bandleader who recorded with Nat "King" Cole, was musical director at Havana's legendary Tropicana Club and a key participant in the golden age of Cuban music, has died in Sweden at age 94. The news of his death was confirmed by Cindy Byram, the agent of Valdes' son Chucho Valdes, who is a well-known musician in his own right. A cause of death was not given. The senior Valdes studied piano and later taught it to Chucho (Jesus Dionisio Valdes), who went on to become a founding member of the internationally ...

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Green Day's Armstrong upbeat in lively SXSW show

Green Day isn't talking about the recent rocky past, but they're playing like the old days. An upbeat Billie Joe Armstrong whipped the Grammy-winning punk trio through an ear-splitting two-hour show Friday night at the South by Southwest Music Festival, returning to the stage for only the second time since Armstrong emerged from a rehab stint that caused the band to postpone an arena tour. The 41-year-old Armstrong made no mention of his problems with substance abuse while playfully bantering with a nearly sold-out crowd Moody Theater and ripping through ...

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Argentine publisher reissues book on Pope Francis

The naming of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis has inspired the enthusiasm not only of many Roman Catholics, but also of a publisher planning to re-launch a book about him by his official biographer, Sergio Rubin. Maria Estomba is a spokeswoman for the Argentina-based publishing house Ediciones B. Ediciones B now owns the Latin American publishing group Vergara, which in 2010 issued "The Jesuit. Conversations with Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio." Estomba says Ediciones B will put out a new version Tuesday called "The Jesuit. The story of Francisco, ...

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Carole King musical eyes Broadway stage

A musical based on the woman behind such pop standards as "It's Too Late," ''You've Got a Friend" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" hopes to make it to Broadway. Producers on Friday announced plans to take "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" to the Great White Way by spring 2014. The story is written by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Douglas McGrath. King composed dozens of 1960s hits with then-husband Gerry Goffin before emerging as a recording artist in her own right. Her 25 million-selling "Tapestry" launched the singer-songwriter ...

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Country music's Jack Greene dies in Nashville

Jack Greene, a longtime Grand Ole Opry star who earned fame with the hit "There Goes My Everything," has died in Nashville at 83. The song showed off his deep voice, made him a star and earned him the single of the year and male vocalist of the year awards from the Country Music Association in 1967. Grand Ole Opry spokeswoman Jessie Schmidt said Friday that Greene died in his sleep Thursday night at home from complications of Alzheimer's disease. Greene performed regularly on the Grand Ole Opry beginning in 1967. His other hits, mostly ...

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X Factor musical to hit London stage

Simon Cowell is bringing "The X Factor" — or a version of it — from television screens to the London stage in early 2014. The acerbic judge's firm, Syco Entertainment, is co-producing a musical spoof written by Harry Hill and directed by Sean Foley about the popular televised singing contest. Syco and Stage Entertainment say that "X Factor - It's Time to Face the Musical!" will be an "affectionate poke" at the talent show. The firms said Friday that the show will include 19 new songs, and that casting and the theater have yet to be confirmed. ...

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Cyndi Lauper just wants to have fun on Broadway

Writing her first musical turned into a time machine for Cyndi Lauper. As the Grammy Award winner began work on the exuberant "Kinky Boots," it took her back to her childhood, where she was likely to be found listening endlessly to cast albums on a record player. There was "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "My Fair Lady." And "South Pacific," of course. She remembers her grandmother coming downstairs and ripping "The King and I" off the player after one too many spins. "My mother said I was a little odd as a kid," says Lauper, 59. ...

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