Author Stephen King offers left-leaning talk show (AP)

BANGOR, Maine – Stephen King is offering an antidote to what he sees as the biases of right-wing radio talk shows by hiring a former Green Party vice presidential candidate to co-host a morning talk show on two stations he owns.

In a rare public appearance, the horror writer held a news conference Tuesday in Bangor, Maine, at the headquarters of his three-station Zone Radio network.

"The Pulse Morning Show" will be co-hosted by 50-year-old Pat LaMarche and 43-year-old Don Cookson, a former television reporter. LaMarche ran for vice president as a member of the Green Party in 2004.

During the news conference King said, "We're a little to the left, but we're right."

The show will begin airing on WZON-AM and WZON-FM at 6 a.m. on Sept. 12.

Yahoo! News

Larry Flynt offers Hustler Apparel to The Situation (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Typically, Larry Flynt spends most of his time, effort and money getting people out of their clothes. In the case of Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, he'll make an exception.

The "Hustler" honcho has extended an offer to "Jersey Shore" star Sorrentino, after clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch stated last week that they'd be willing to pay him to stop wearing their clothing.

In an open statement to the reality-TV guido, Abercrombie claimed that being associated with Sorrentino "is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand."

Flynt, who has no such concerns, reached out on Tuesday to let Sorrentino know that he can always pick up some booze-and-hair gel money by modeling his Hustler Apparel clothing line.

"The Sitch might not be good enough for Abercrombie & Fitch, but he's good enough for us," Flynt said in a release.

The release invited Sorrentino "to explore a variety of clothing options" that Hustler Apparel has to offer.

Yahoo! News

Small opera group offers engaging 'Ariadne' (AP)

By MIKE SILVERMAN, For The Associated Press Mike Silverman, For The Associated Press – Sun Aug 14, 2:31 pm ET

NEW YORK – The downsizing of the city's No. 2 opera company is shining a brighter light on the many smaller troupes that have taken fragile root in New York City's cultural soil.

One such group, the Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, is presenting a brief summer season, consisting of Richard Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos" and Mozart's "The Magic Flute." The "Ariadne," especially, is an impressive display of what can be accomplished on a tiny budget.

For decades, the New York City Opera provided a place for up-and-coming singers who sometimes went on to major careers, often at the Metropolitan Opera. But financial problems have driven the NYCO from its Lincoln Center home, and its future is uncertain.

Meanwhile, scrappy companies like Dell'Arte, which was founded in 2000, offer a valuable opportunity for young performers, many of them just out of school. They don't get paid for their work, but they do get a chance to learn new roles, receive intensive coaching — and, best of all, perform in front of a live audience.

On Friday night, a talented cast working on a nearly bare stage in a rented space in the East Village made "Ariadne" come to life more buoyantly than it sometimes does in major houses with lavish sets.

The first half of the performance, the opera's prologue, was especially engaging. Director Benjamin Spierman created sharp interactions among the characters as they made backstage preparations for an entertainment at the estate of the richest man in Vienna. If the evening's second half was less enthralling, that's partly the fault of Strauss and his librettist, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, for stretching out some of the material to the point of tedium.

Almost everyone showed vocal promise. As the Composer, mezzo-soprano Sarah Heltzel sang with fire and allure; soprano Mary Ann Stewart displayed a big, rich voice as Ariadne, and coloratura Jennifer Moore handled Zerbinetta's vocal acrobatics with aplomb — though her simpering portrayal was ill-advised. As Bacchus, tenor Shawn Thuris managed some heroic high notes with only occasional signs of strain.

It helped that Strauss wrote "Ariadne" for a reduced orchestra, allowing the 11 musicians assembled under conductor Christopher Fecteau's baton to provide a reasonable facsimile of the score.

That wasn't quite the case Thursday, when a different ensemble led by Samuel McCoy sounded underpowered in a transcription of Mozart's opera. And despite a program note promising an interpretation that emphasized the work's Masonic symbolism, director Susan Gonzalez offered little more than characters shuttling on and off stage.

Best among the "Flute" singers was soprano Sable Rivera, who brought a pleasant light lyric sound and an infectious charm to the small role of Papagena.

Both operas will play again next weekend with almost entirely different casts. For the audience, it's a chance to support aspiring singers just launching their careers — and maybe to hear some who will go on to make names for themselves.

Yahoo! News

Auctioneer offers "hot" sale of Tony Curtis items (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – For those who like their celebrity memorabilia "hot," a Beverly Hills auctioneer has just the right sale -- fine art, jewelry and other items once owned by "Some Like it Hot" actor Tony Curtis.

Curtis, an Oscar nominee for "The Defiant Ones," art lover and painter himself, died in 2010 at age 85, leaving a trove of items that will be sold off by Julien's Auctions Gallery this September, the auctioneer said on Tuesday.

"Tony always said he was an artist first and an actor second," said Darren Julien, the president and CEO of Julien's Auctions. "I think he would love the exhibition that we created...He's looking down now and hoping the items find a good home because he truly loved these pieces."

Collectors will have the opportunity bid on items such as a Russian 14 carat gold and sapphire cigarette case estimated at between $4,500 and $6,500 and an Andy Warhol "Some Like it Hot" shoe that's worth $20,000 and $30,000. A trefoil dish inset with Russian coin is estimated at $3,000 to $5,000.

Curtis appeared in over 100 films during his 60 years in show business, winning critical acclaim for both comedic and dramatic roles.

Among his most memorable movies were the comedy "Some Like It Hot," co-starring Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe. His credits include "Spartacus," "The Boston Strangler" and 1958's "The Defiant Ones," in which he played a white prison escapee who is chained to a black man, portrayed by Sidney Poitier.

While his Hollywood career was glamorous, Curtis' personal life was racked by turmoil and change. He was married five times, his first and most famous to actress Janet Leigh.

The estate auction features property Curtis owned throughout much of his life, from the time he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II to the 2000s.

An 18 carat gold Audemars Piguet Chronograph wristwatch is estimated at $6,000 to $8,000, according to Julien's Auctions.

For fine art collectors there are ceramics and prints by Picasso, Braque, and Chagall, and a collection of 20th century American, British, and European paintings.

Curtis's own paintings, drawings, prints and other art work will also be sold, as well as his numerous Hollywood awards, mementos, photos, clothing and personal effects.

(Reporting by Jason Kandel, Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Yahoo! News

Faye Dunaway offers to give up subsidized New York apartment (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Faye Dunaway, the Oscar-winning actress, said on Wednesday that she intends to give up her rent-stabilized New York City apartment after her landlord filed papers in housing court Tuesday to evict her for not actually living there.

Reached by phone at her production company, Port Bascom Productions Inc., in West Hollywood, California, Dunaway said she left the apartment, at 314 East 78th Street, in May.

Dunaway alleged that the realty company that owns the building, 7 of 8 Realty Co., initiated the eviction proceeding because she insisted the landlord paint the apartment.

"I couldn't even live in it, and it was really quite gross there," she said. Dunaway said she spoke with the landlord, Henry Moses, twice on Wednesday morning. "I have the keys waiting for him," she said.

"It's over, as far as I'm concerned," Dunaway said, adding, "I don't make it a practice to speak about these things."

Reached by phone Wednesday evening, Moses declined comment. His attorney, Craig Charie, said, "These are fabricated allegations to avert the real issue: that she fails to occupy the premises as her primary residence."

Dunaway, 70, who is best known for her roles in "Network," "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Chinatown," said she remained in the apartment because of the comparatively low rent and because it was "Bill's house," referring to her mentor, the playwright William Alfred.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported, Charie filed a petition in New York City Civil Court asking a judge to evict Dunaway from the apartment because she did not use it as her primary residence, according to court papers. Dunaway was paying a monthly rent of $1,048.72 for the one-bedroom unit. The lease, which Dunaway first signed in 1994, expired in July, the lawsuit said.

Dunaway's son, Liam Dunaway O'Neill, was listed as a subtenant in the lawsuit, but in a statement, he denied ever being a resident of New York.

"I've never signed a lease or a sublease for a New York apartment. I am confident that my name will be cleared," the statement said.

In a notice included in the court filing, the landlord said Dunaway is a California resident. She is registered to vote there, owns a home in West Hollywood, and has a California driver's license.

Tenants who do not use a dwelling as their primary residence are not entitled to the protections of the Rent Stabilization Law, including a renewal lease or continued occupancy, the lawsuit said.

(Reporting by Jennifer Golson; Editing by Greg McCune)

Yahoo! News