Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Silverman 'Stands-Up' For Taboos; Donate to Save

•Members of the House ended the hearing to enforce the Stop Online Piracy Act. The act will allow the government to block overseas websites that traffic in copyright-infringing content. Read both sides of the case at Deadline.

•Rape. The mere mention chills your bones…but according to some comedians, like Sarah Silverman it should be able to make you laugh, too. Should referencing such an act really be used to break comedic taboos, though? Read the story at The New York Times.

•Location shoots and TV production rates have been steadily decreasing in Los Angeles, reported Los Angeles Times. They dropped 37 percent  last week and are continuing to  decline.

•The Intiman Theater in Seattle, Washington is accepting donations to schedule four productions for the summer, which will require about $1 million. Why?  To stop their venue from being shut down! So far the theater has received $100,000 from board pledges and $100,000 from an anonymous donor, but it needs your help. The New York Times has more.

 Pictured: Sarah Silverman (Photo: Getty Images)

U.K. Tax Break to Continue Until 2015

Expect more American movies to shoot across the pond. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Britain's current film tax relief, which was to expire in March 2012, will receive an extension until December 2015, reported Deadline. The continuation of the tax break lets Hollywood know that Britain is still looking for its business, especially its large-budget movies.

Another 'Spider-Man' Injury; Gay Cable Founder Dies

• The actor who plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man at the Wednesday and Saturday matinees of  "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" was injured yesterday, reported Newsday. Matthew James Thomas suffered a head inury backstage and went to the hopsital for stitches. According to the producers, the injury was "minor."

• Lou Maletta, the founder of the Gay Cable Network in 1982, has died at the age of 74. Read his obituary at The New York Times.

• Deadline looks at the "hot trends" of the pilot season. Basically, networks are buying a lot of comedies, so starting working on your improv and then write it down.

• The U.S. Sentae voted down a bill that would have ended the FCC's attempt to regulate the Internet, a.k.a Net Neutrality. Read the story at The Hollywood Reporter.

Iranian Actor Facing 90 Lashes for Starring in Film

Iranian actress Marziah Vafamehr is reportedly facing a year in prison and 90 lashes for starring in a film that criticizes Iran's policy toward the arts. Her sentence was revealed by Iranian opposition website Kalameh.com, but authorities have not confirmed its claim.

New Recording Contract; Altercation at 'Newsies'

•An altercation involving six girls and three women, not even a week after the official opening of "Newsies" at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, left even the protesting paperboys impressed. Theater-goers complained that the women were rude and demonstrating rowdy behavior. Eventually the nine were escorted out. Who said the news[ies] is always boring? Read the story at Playbill.

•The American Federation of TV and Radio Artists (AFTRA) has been discussing a new sound recordings contract with all major labels, according to The Wrap. The current contract covers singers, royalty and non-royalty artists, announcers, actors, comedians, narrators and sound effects artists who work on recordings in new and traditional media, and all music formats. It will expire on Dec. 31.

•Deadline reported that Netflix will soon host shows such as "House of Cards" and "Arrested Development" in order to both launch an original programming subcategory and to proceed to advertise for the long-awaited "Arrested Development" movie. 

Pictured: Cast of "Arrested Development” at The New Yorker Festival (Photo: Getty Images)

Complaint Against 'Horror' Shut Down in Georgia

Dramatists Guild of America members have issued a letter of complaint regarding a Georgia mayor's decision to shut down a community theater production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” Playbill reported. Wayne Garner, the mayor of a Carrollton, GA, terminated the production even after it had been approved by a city board and the show’s producers guaranteed that only adults would be allowed to attend the musical. Local politicians viewed the show’s raunchy content as inappropriate for a city-owned community arts center.

Park's Online Network; Christie Cuts Tax Credit

• Prospect Park has vaguely named its upcoming internet network The Online Network. According to Deadline, it will be launched in January of next year with new episodes of canceled soaps "One Life to Love" and "All My Children." There are also plans for scripted and reality programming in the future. Those  new series may be titled "Not One of the Soaps" and "No, The Other One."

• New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed on Monday an approved tax credit for "Jersey Shore," reported The New York Times. The state's Economic Development Authority passed the credit last week, but the governor felt it was "wasteful spending." Christie would know about wasteful spending.

• The sponsor of Washington, D.C.'s Helen Hayes Awards has expanded its mission and a new name. The 27 year-old organization will be dubbed "theaterWashington." Check it out at Playbill.

•  A la Fox and the CW, NBC will stream this week's episodes of its new comedies "Up All Night" and "Whitney" on Yahoo before their television broadcast, reported The Hollywood Reporter. Networks used to fear episodes finding their way online before their TV airings, but that feeling appears to be dissipating. Fox recently enjoyed ratings success with its freshman comedy the "New Girl" even after releasing the first episode on iTunes, Hulu, and Fox On-Demand before its broadcast debut. The CW did something similar with its new dramas "The Secret Circle" and "Hart of Dixie." Prior to broadcast networks adopting this practice, the season premieres of Showtime shows, like "Weeds" and "Dexter," were sometimes "leaked" online before their airing in order to generate buzz.

• New York City Opera announced on Monday how it will fill blank spots in its truncated and itinerant 2011-2012 season. Read the story at The New York Times.

Pictured: Governor Chris Christie (Photo: Getty Images)

Big Day for Net Neutrality, Cold War Metaphors

The Federal Register today published the Federal Communication Commission's much agonized-over net neutrality rules, signaling that the new regulations will go into effect Nov. 20. At last, our long national nightmare is over.

Facebook's Entertainment Goals; B'Way in Cinemas

• Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, gave a press conference regarding the future of the number one social networking site in the world. Los Angeles Times runs down Facebook's upcoming overhaul and its planned partnerships with Netflix, Hulu, and others that will make it a huge digital platform for the entertainment industry. Earlier this week, Reuters reported Facebook was seeking an executive to help form relationships with the music and film businesses.

• The annual holiday CD benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will include performances from the cast of "Anything Goes" and Daniel Radcliffe of "How to Succeed…." The CD "Broadway’s Carols for a Cure, Vol. 13" will be released in November. Read the story at Playbill.

• Four Broadway musicals- "Memphis," "Jekyll & Hyde," "Putting It Together," and "Smokey Joe's Case"- will be shown on silver screens around the world, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

• The technique of Merce Cunningham, avant-garde dancer and choreographer, will be taught after his dance company shuts down at the end of this year. Over the next year, classes will take place at City Center, the Mark Morris Dance Center, and at the Dance New Amsterdam. Check it out at The New York Times.

• The Wrap discusses the decreased enthusiasm in Hollywood for President Obama, as evidenced by a lack of vocal support and campaign contributions from industry bigwhigs. It is pointed out, though, that the 2012 election is just revving up and more advocacy may come next year.

Pictured: Mark Zuckerberg (Photo: Getty Images).

Embezzlement Accusation Against SAG P&H Plans

Craig E. Simmons, the former human resources director for the Screen Actors Guild-Producers Pension and Health Plans, has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor Requesting an investigation into alleged embezzlement at the plans. The story was first reported at TheWrap.com. According to the website, Simmons claimed that he was instructed by pension-and-health CEO Bruce Dow "not to discuss an alleged embezzlement scheme by former chief information officer Nader Karimi and to lie to authorities about other questionable financial activity."