Latest news with #Mrs.Doubtfire
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's Takeover Wrecks Kennedy Center as Subscriptions Plummet
Subscriptions to the Kennedy Center have dropped by more than a third since Donald Trump took over the arts institution and promised to remake it in his image. Sales are down by about $1.6 million, or roughly 36 percent, compared to this time last year, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. By June 2024, subscription sales had produced $4,413,147. But so far this year, the Kennedy Center has only made $2,656,524 off of subscription sales, as well as an additional $155,243 from a special deal, according to internal data shared with the Post by former Kennedy Center staffers. A current staff member anonymously confirmed the numbers. Subscriptions are just one source of revenue for the Kennedy Center. Others include donations, individual ticket sales, and government funding. But the current staffer said it was important to provide an indication of what is going on behind the center's closed doors. 'We understand providing information like this can be seen in a bad light,' the current staffer told the Post. 'But we feel that it is necessary to show that mismanagement by the new leadership is becoming a real problem for the health of the organization.' The employee said that the new Trump-installed leadership has ignored staff opinions and even fired people who disagreed. As a result, 'we feel that we no longer have a choice but to force complete transparency with the public.' Trump took over the prestigious arts organization earlier this year, saying he plans to 'bring it back' from disrepair—meaning get rid of any performances he deems too 'woke.' So far, multiple productions have already backed out of performing at the center in protest against Trump. Interestingly, though, one of the shows Trump has apparently approved to run at the Kennedy Center is Mrs. Doubtfire, which famously features a man in drag. When asked about Trump's effect on the Kennedy Center's popularity, the new leaders pointed to large audiences at events such as a fireworks show by artist Cai Guo-Qiang and a screening of the animated film The King of Kings. Both of those events were free, according to the Post.
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Mrs. Doubtfire star Matthew Lawrence has late Robin Williams to thank for movie role
Matthew Lawrence bagged his 'Mrs. Doubtfire' role because of Robin Williams. The actor was 12 when he played Chris Hillard, one of three children in Christopher Columbus' 1993 comedy-drama that sees Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) disguise himself as an elderly female housekeeper to spend time with his children, Lydia Hillard (Lisa Jakub), Chris and Natalie Hillard (Mara Wilson), following a divorce from his wife, Miranda Hillard (Sally Field). And Robin, who took his own life in 2014 at the age of 63, loved Matthew's audition for the hit 20th Century Fox flick so much, he encouraged Matthew to push himself to the limit and "really play [Chris] up" to secure the role. The 45-year-old star explained to "He got me the role in 'Mrs. Doubtfire'. Got me that role. There was another kid who was definitely in the lead. "Everybody liked, and he, in the audition process, he came up privately and said, 'We gotta push this over the edge for you. We gotta. So when I do something, I'm gonna do something, I can tell you, gotta go along with it. Really play it up. No one's got it yet.' And sure enough, we nailed that moment, and he got me the role. So, you know, he was that guy, man." Matthew went on to carve himself a successful career in Hollywood following the release of 'Mrs. Doubtfire', appearing in the coming-of-age sitcom, 'Boy Meets World', and the comedy-romance film, 'The Hot Chick'. And Robin's advice to Matthew about never judging someone until they have walked in their shoes has stuck with him ever since. He admitted: "You know, don't judge someone until you've walked in their shoes. You know, it's really true. "He was one of the most compassionate people, humble people, talented people I've ever met. And you know, he also gave me some, it's really wild to think about it. I was 12 years old, and the way he took me under his wings, and the way he opened up to me, and the way he treated me as a peer, like he didn't talk down to me. "It's just miraculous." Throughout Robin's life, he suffered from relationship struggles, financial problems, drug addiction and depression, and the 'Jumanji' star was very open about his "troubles" with Matthew, so he could be "dead-set" on ensuring Matthew "steered clear of it" all. Matthew added: "He also opened up to me about what it was like for him when he wasn't entertaining people. And what his personal life, you know, the troubles that he was having. "It wasn't all laughs, and you know, he really guided me. He had a strong belief that there were things that he did in his life. It exacerbated his condition that he had, and he was dead-set on making sure that I steered cleared of it. And he was successful with that."
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kennedy Center ex-president decries ‘false allegations' about her tenure
The offstage drama at the embattled John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts just took another turn. Deborah Rutter, whose tenure as president of the premier Washington, D.C. arts organization was cut short this year by President Donald Trump, issued a withering statement on LinkedIn decrying 'false allegations' about her leadership. Those critics, she wrote on Tuesday, May 20, lack 'the context or expertise to understand the complexities involved in nonprofit and arts management.' The statement follows allegations made Monday, May, 19, by Richard Grenell, who Trump appointed as the institution's interim executive director, that the center's deferred maintenance and deficit were criminal matters for prosecutors to investigate. The remark, reported by the Associated Press, came during a meal with Trump and board members at the White House's State Dining Room. It was not immediately clear what law the center might be breaking; deficit spending by nonprofit arts organizations has practically been the norm, not the exception, since the COVID pandemic. Berkeley's Aurora Theatre Company, for instance, recently announced plans to forego producing a season next year after draining its savings. Moreover, Rutter pointed out that Trump's allies approved previous Kennedy Center budgets. 'The Finance, Audit, and Executive Committees of the Board — composed of appointees from President Trump's first term — had full transparency into all financial transactions and decisions,' she wrote. She also noted that when she left in February, as part of a wave of terminations and resignations that reconstituted the center, the organization had $10 million in reserve funds. 'Perhaps those now in charge are facing significant financial gaps and are seeking to attribute them to past management,' she hypothesized. 'This malicious attempt to distort the facts, which were consistently, transparently and readily available in professionally audited financial reports, recklessly disregards the truth.' The dispute exacerbates an already tumultuous 2025 at the Kennedy Center. In February, Trump appointed himself chair of the board. Soon after, a host of shows at the organization, including Tony Award-nominated 'Eureka Day' by Oakland playwright Jonathan Spector, was axed from the lineup. A Kennedy Center artist leaked 'unprofessional and rude' emails Grenell sent her in April, further exposing the internal chaos there since Trump's takeover. This month, 'Les Miserables' cast members announced plans to boycott Trump's attendance at a June 11 Kennedy Center performance, which recently scheduled a run of 'Mrs. Doubtfire' despite the presidents frequent castigations of drag. Also this month, center employees took steps with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MAGA Kennedy Center Boss Demands Probe Into Its ‘Criminal Debt'
The head of the Kennedy Center, who was installed by President Donald Trump, has demanded an investigation into its 'criminal debt.' Richard Grenell has referred the Kennedy Center to federal prosecutors over its deferred maintenance and debt after a review 'found $26 million in phantom revenue, fake revenue,' The New York Times reported. The figures are from an audit by Donna Arduin, the center's new chief financial officer, though it was not immediately clear what dealings she thought warranted a criminal investigation. It is common for arts venues such as the Kennedy Center to operate at a deficit when they fall short of projected earnings. Grenell was installed as president of the Kennedy Center in February after Trump fired incumbent Deborah F. Rutter. Trump also removed the Center's Chairman, David M. Rubenstein, and awarded himself the position, vowing to make the venue 'non-woke.' A spokesperson for Rubenstein defended the financier's management of the Kennedy Center. 'With full transparency, the financial reports were reviewed and approved by the Kennedy Center's audit committee and full board as well as a major accounting firm,' he said, The New York Times reported. The Republican president's first act as chairman was to ban drag shows at the venue—though the center's 2025-26 season program announced Monday boasts performances of Chicago, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Monty Python's Spamalot, all of which typically feature actors in drag. Several high profile actors have refused to perform at the venue in response to Trump's ideological changes, among them a production of Hamilton which cancelled their planned run. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which is usually a mainstay of the center's program, said it would not appear during the ballet season. Instead, the company said it will 'pursue an opportunity with a partner that has a global reach,' without providing details. Actors have also spoken out over Trump's changes to the Kennedy Center. Last week Robert De Niro used his acceptance speech at the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or lifetime achievement award to rip into the president. 'America's philistine president has had himself appointed head of one of our premier cultural institutions,' De Niro said. 'He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education.' He added: 'The arts are democratic. Art is inclusive. It brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth. Art embraces diversity. And that's why art is a threat. That's why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Greg Cannom, Oscar-winning Makeup Innovator Who Turned Brad Pitt Into Benjamin Button, Dies at 73
Greg Cannom, a five-time Oscar-winning makeup and prosthetics artist celebrated for the incredible transformations of Robin Williams in 'Mrs. Doubtfire' (1993) and Brad Pitt in 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), died on May 3 at the age of 73. Cannom's death was announced by his former mentor and longtime collaborator Rick Baker. The two famously worked together on several projects, including Michael Jackson's 1982 'Thriller' music video and the 1977 science-fiction film 'The Incredible Melting Man.' More from WWD Teen Beauty Spend Grew 23% Versus Last Year - Here's What They're Buying U.S. Beauty Showed Signs of Wear in Q1, per Circana How a Classic South Korean Dessert Inspired Glow Recipe's New Launch The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 706 Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild also announced Cannom's passing in a poignant message on Facebook on Thursday. A GoFundMe page launched for expenses said he experienced health challenges for two years, including 'severe shingles, a staph infection, sepsis and heart failure.' Born in Los Angeles, Cannom was mystified by the world of motion pictures from a young age, finding a particular interest in horror films. He even called himself a 'monster geek.' It wasn't until he attended Cypress College in Orange County when he began his training in stage makeup, learning the ins and outs while working on around 200 plays. By age 25, Cannom had landed a job as Baker's assistant, the artist best known for his work in 'Star Wars.' Their first project together was the 1978 'It's Alive sequel, It Lives Again,' creating baby monster prosthetics. Cannom and Baker later brought to life many legendary characters, including Jim Carrey's green alter-ego in 'The Mask' (1994) and Gloria Stuart's 101-year-old persona in 'Titanic' (1997). Indeed, turning Stuart into a 101-year-old lady in 'Titanic' was nothing like the aghast characters he'd constructed before. Yet, it was projects like this that helped solidify his reputation as an irrevocable makeup architect that could not only produce the inconceivable, but master realistic visions, too. Cannom also transformed brother duo Marlon and Shawn Wayans into white female twins with blond hair in 2004's 'White Chicks' and reconstructed Danny DeVito's hands to look like penguin feet in 1992's 'Batman Returns.' For more complicated jobs, Cannom would enlist up to 20 assistants to help him handle intricate facial molds. He advised on every detail and every facial expression, pointing out tiny changes that build an entirely new visage. Cannom later landed a job on the film 'Vice,' as a character makeup designer — the project that secured him his final Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling in 2019. WWD has contacted the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild and Baker for comments. Best of WWD The Best Makeup Looks in Golden Globes History A Look Back at Golden Globes Best Makeup on the Red Carpet, From Megan Fox to Sophia Loren [PHOTOS] The Best Hairstyles in Golden Globes History
