PARIS, March 1 (Reuters) - Alex Ferguson's philosophy is behind the longevity of Manchester United's homegrown players, says Paris St Germain midfielder David Beckham. The former England captain and United player is still active at 37, having joined PSG on a five-month loan at the end of January. Former team mate Phil Neville, 36, plays at Everton and the 39-year-old Ryan Giggs, who started his youth career at Manchester City but ended it at United, is still at Old Trafford after signing his first professional contract there in 1990. ...
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IHT Rendezvous: Q and A: Keeping ‘A Chorus Line’ in Step
Label: WorldLONDON — For a musical that’s all about dancers, there’s not a huge amount of dancing in “A Chorus Line,” which opened last week at the London Palladium — the first West End revival of the musical since it opened here in 1976, a year after its smash-hit debut on Broadway.
But the most dance-intensive moments are fundamental to our very idea of “A Chorus Line”: the “Aaaah-5-6-7-8!” that unleashes the explosion of movement with which the musical opens, and the slow sideways-moving line of gold-clad top-hatted dancers with which it closes. In between those moments is the meat of the show; the passage from anonymity as the dancers begin the audition, to individuality as they tell their stories — and then back again, to an impersonal line of identically dressed, identically moving performers.
On opening night at the Palladium, the audience greeted those first moments with a roaring cheer, a salute to the love-story that “A Chorus Line” tells — not between its characters, but between them and showbiz. The choreography may look stylized, but it doesn’t really matter. Watching, we are both in 1975 (as the opening projection tells us) and in 2013; leotard and dance styles might have changed, but the desire to be on Broadway has not.
Michael Bennett, who conceived of the show, choreographed and directed it, died in 1987, and it is his co-choreographer, Bob Avian, who has been responsible for directing the major “Chorus Line” revivals since.
So how much does the dance (and the dancing) matter in “A Chorus Line”? Two days after the London opening — greeted by a positive storm of approval by the critics — Mr. Avian flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a well-earned rest after several months of putting the musical together in London. Speaking by telephone, he discussed the choreography, his approach to staging the work, and why “A Chorus Line” still speaks to a contemporary audience.
Q.
How did you and Michael Bennett approach the choreography? Is the opening number really the kind of routine you would have asked an audition group to do?
A.
Michael and I were a good team, because he was a jazz dancer, and my training was classical. Between us we came up with a lot of choreography that was more integrated. A lot of it was based on dance crazes of the time — disco, the toe-heel-heel, the body shifts that go along with that. We pulled on elements of popular dancing as we were doing it; we were children of our times, dance-wise. There’s actually not much contemporary dance in there; there is ballet, typical broadway and tap. The only jazz combos are in the opening sequence and the montage sections.
Q.
Did you initially think it would be more of a dance show?
A.
Well, it was a very slow process and I’m not sure we had an idea of how it would be. We had the original tapes of the stories from our dancers and once we decided to put those stories in the framework of an audition, we were able to construct the piece. But it took us a very long time. We did four workshops, which no one did in those days — we were the first ones ever to do it. The montage, which is 22 minutes, took us six weeks. You wouldn’t be able to do that today, it would be too expensive.
Q.
Is the routine we see at the beginning a realistic idea of what you might see at a Broadway audition today?
A.
A dance call is still pretty much the same. When we have an open call, you might get 700 people. We divide them into groups of 10 and make them all do double pirouettes — you can immediately see people’s training. We keep 2 or 3 people from each group, then we teach them the opening combination, a shortened version, then the full one, then the ballet combination. You get a feel for their jazz style, and the ballet combination is very revealing in terms of technique.
Q.
Are you strict about remaining faithful to the original choreography? Do you adapt to different dancers or, perhaps, a more contemporary style of dancing today?
A.
The ensemble stuff is set in stone, but with the solo work, we are very open. For Cassie’s dance, for instance, we try to pull on the strengths of the dancer performing the role. If she has a great extension, or very supple back, we make tons of adjustments along the way. In structure it’s still the same, because it’s about the music and the storytelling — it’s about narcissism, about the need to have her gifts recognized.
In the individual stuff, the staging of the songs, I make adjustments all the time. At the beginning of the rehearsal process, I just let them do the number and see what they will bring to it. In that way, I suppose it becomes more contemporary because they are performers of today.
Q.
Have the technical capacities of dancers changed since you first staged the musical in 1975?
A.
Undoubtedly. The quality of the dancing is much higher than it was when we made it. Also, then you still had a singing chorus, or a dancing chorus; it was hard to get people who could do everything really well, and now that is the norm.
It’s still hard to get a woman who can do Cassie’s big song-and-dance solo; we’ve had performers who are great dancers, but can’t really sing it. It’s a very difficult song and you need a lot of stamina. But every time I return to the show, the caliber is higher in general.
Q.
Is there a difference between the U.S. and the U.K in the quality of musical theater performers, given that there is more of a conventional theater tradition here?
A.
Not essentially. They were perhaps a little behind America in the past, but that’s mostly to do with the fact that we pull from a population that is so much bigger — it’s a numbers thing. But now they have the same all-around training, and they are fully the equals of U.S. performers. In fact, I think this London cast is the finest company we’ve had in 35 years. Every time I do “Chorus Line,” I think, not again! But this was all pleasure.
Q.
The audience was beyond rapturous at the performance I attended. Why do you think people identify so strongly with “A Chorus Line”?
A.
I think it speaks to everyone because it’s really about people on an assembly line. They are not stars, and they aren’t trying to be stars — they are trying to succeed in essentially a humble way. And the musical talks about things that weren’t discussed on Broadway before: homosexuality, plastic surgery, angry or troubled or loving relationships with parents. Even though much has changed socially since we made it, those issues don’t go away.
Rachel McAdams Finds Unlikely Suitor at Toronto Raptors Game
Label: LifestyleBy Tim Nudd
02/28/2013 at 11:15 AM EST
Rachel McAdams and the Toronto Raptors's velociraptor mascot
IPHOTO
Rachel McAdams's last boyfriend was a little older than her. Now it looks like she's keeping company with someone from the Cretaceous Period.
The actress, 34, who recently split with her beau of two years, actor Michael Sheen, was courted by the Toronto Raptors's velociraptor mascot on Monday night.
He presented the Midnight in Paris actress with flowers and a stuffed dinosaur as the Toronto public-address announcer introduced the London, Ontario, native to the crowd, who cheered wildly.
McAdams, sporting newly red locks, seemed charmingly embarrassed by the whole episode, but took it in stride, grinning her famous smile as she accepted the presents.
As NBA mascots go, the Raptor would be a prize catch for any Hollywood actress. Described as "165 lbs. of pure solid fur," he's been voted the most popular NBA mascot in each of the past three seasons.
He also "enjoys making people laugh, whether with him or at him, usually at him," according to his bio.
Medicare paid $5.1B for poor nursing home care
Label: HealthSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Medicare paid billions in taxpayer dollars to nursing homes nationwide that were not meeting basic requirements to look after their residents, government investigators have found.
The report, released Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general, said Medicare paid about $5.1 billion for patients to stay in skilled nursing facilities that failed to meet federal quality of care rules in 2009, in some cases resulting in dangerous and neglectful conditions.
One out of every three times patients wound up in nursing homes that year, they landed in facilities that failed to follow basic care requirements laid out by the federal agency that administers Medicare, investigators estimated.
By law, nursing homes need to write up care plans specially tailored for each resident, so doctors, nurses, therapists and all other caregivers are on the same page about how to help residents reach the highest possible levels of physical, mental and psychological well-being.
Not only are residents often going without the crucial help they need, but the government could be spending taxpayer money on facilities that could endanger people's health, the report concluded. The findings come as concerns about health care quality and cost are garnering heightened attention as the Obama administration implements the nation's sweeping health care overhaul.
"These findings raise concerns about what Medicare is paying for," the report said.
Investigators estimate that in one out of five stays, patients' health problems weren't addressed in the care plans, falling far short of government directives. For example, one home made no plans to monitor a patient's use of two anti-psychotic drugs and one depression medication, even though the drugs could have serious side effects.
In other cases, residents got therapy they didn't need, which the report said was in the nursing homes' financial interest because they would be reimbursed at a higher rate by Medicare.
In one example, a patient kept getting physical and occupational therapy even though the care plan said all the health goals had been met, the report said.
The Office of Inspector General's report was based on medical records from 190 patient visits to nursing homes in 42 states that lasted at least three weeks, which investigators said gave them a statistically valid sample of Medicare beneficiaries' experiences in skilled nursing facilities.
That sample represents about 1.1 million patient visits to nursing homes nationwide in 2009, the most recent year for which data was available, according to the review.
Overall, the review raises questions about whether the system is allowing homes to get paid for poor quality services that may be harming residents, investigators said, and recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services tie payments to homes' abilities to meet basic care requirements. The report also recommended that the agency strengthen its regulations and ramp up its oversight. The review did not name individual homes, nor did it estimate the number of patients who had been mistreated, but instead looked at the overall number of stays in which problems arose.
In response, the agency agreed that it should consider tying Medicare reimbursements to homes' provision of good care. CMS also said in written comments that it is reviewing its own regulations to improve enforcement at the homes.
"Medicare has made significant changes to the way we pay providers thanks to the health care law, to reward better quality care," Medicare spokesman Brian Cook said in a statement to AP. "We are taking steps to make sure these facilities have the resources to improve the quality of their care, and make sure Medicare is paying for the quality of care that beneficiaries are entitled to."
CMS hires state-level agencies to survey the homes and make sure they are complying with federal law, and can require correction plans, deny payment or end a contract with a home if major deficiencies come to light. The agency also said it would follow up on potential enforcement at the homes featured in the report.
Greg Crist, a Washington-based spokeswoman for the American Health Care Association, which represents the largest share of skilled nursing facilities nationwide, said overall nursing home operators are well regulated and follow federal guidelines but added that he could not fully comment on the report's conclusions without having had the chance to read it.
"Our members begin every treatment with the individual's personal health needs at the forefront. This is a hands-on process, involving doctors and even family members in an effort to enhance the health outcome of the patient," Crist said.
Virginia Fichera, who has relatives in two nursing homes in New York, said she would welcome a greater push for accountability at skilled nursing facilities.
"Once you're in a nursing home, if things don't go right, you're really a prisoner," said Fichera, a retired professor in Sterling, NY. "As a concerned relative, you just want to know the care is good, and if there are problems, why they are happening and when they'll be fixed."
Once residents are ready to go back home or transfer to another facility, federal law also requires that the homes write special plans to make sure patients are safely discharged.
Investigators found the homes didn't always do what was needed to ensure a smooth transition.
In nearly one-third of cases, facilities also did not provide enough information when the patient moved to another setting, the report found.
___
On the Web:
The OIG report: http://1.usa.gov/VaztQm
The Medicare nursing home database: http://www.medicare.gov/NursingHomeCompare/search.aspx?bhcp=1&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
___
Follow Garance Burke on Twitter at —http://twitter.com/garanceburke.
Meet the Biggest Star in Music Right Now: A Goat!
Label: LifestyleBy Cara Lynn Shultz
02/27/2013 at 11:15 AM EST
The biggest duet partner for music's biggest stars right now? A goat.
We're not kidding.
If your coworker bleating with joy, he or she has probably stumbled upon a new meme, which mashes up pop hits with an old clip of a goat screaming as if it were a human. (Some might argue that the goat improves the songs, but we'll leave that discussion to the comments section.) So far, Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble," Justin Bieber's "Baby" and Katy Perry's "Firework" have all gotten the wooly treatment.
Put on your headphones (our goat pal is loud), throw your hooves in the air, and wave them like you just don't care to some of our favorites – before this goat gets a record deal!
Vt. lye victim gets new face at Boston hospital
Label: HealthBOSTON (AP) — A Vermont woman whose face was disfigured in a lye attack has received a face transplant.
Doctors at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital say 44-year-old Carmen Blandin Tarleton underwent the surgery earlier this month.
A team worked 15 hours to transplant the facial skin, including the neck, nose, lips, facial muscles, arteries and nerves.
The 44-year-old Tarleton, of Thetford, Vt., was attacked by her former husband in 2007. He doused her with industrial strength lye. She suffered chemical burns over 80 percent of her body. The mother of two wrote a book about her experience that describes her recovery.
It was the fifth face transplant at the Boston hospital.
Physicians are planning to discuss the case Wednesday at the hospital.
Wall Street rises on Bernanke, Italian bond auction
Label: BusinessNEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street rose on Wednesday as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reaffirmed his support of the Fed's stimulus policy, the latest U.S. earnings showed strength and an Italian bond auction drew ample demand, reassuring investors.
In his second day before a congressional committee, Bernanke repeated testimony in which he defended the Fed's policy of buying bonds to keep interest rates low in order to promote growth and bring down the unemployment rate.
Bernanke's similar remarks on Tuesday helped the market rebound from its worst decline since November. The S&P 500 <.spx> is now back above 1,500, a closely watched level that has been technical support until recently.
"Bernanke comments will keep liquidity in place in the market and every dip now is being viewed as an opportunity to get in," said Dan Veru, chief investment officer at Palisade Capital Management.
Financial markets had been worried about the possibility the Fed would end its bond buying earlier than expected after Fed meeting minutes showed some policymakers favored changes.
Also supporting the market, European stocks and the euro rose on relief that Italy was able to sell bonds despite jitters about the country's political instability.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> rose 96.77 points, or 0.70 percent, at 13,996.90. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> gained 11.93 points, or 0.80 percent, at 1,508.87. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> advanced 30.75 points, or 0.98 percent, at 3,160.39.
The benchmark S&P 500, up 6 percent for the year, was within reach of record highs a week ago, before the minutes from the Fed's January meeting were released. Since then, the index has shed 1 percent as the minutes raised questions about whether the Fed may slow or halt its economy-stimulating measures soon.
In earnings news, discount retailer Target Corp
Dollar Tree Inc
Shares of Boyd Gaming
A closely watched proxy for business spending plans jumped 6.3 percent in January, the biggest gain since December 2011, data on durable goods orders showed on Wednesday.
Another report showed an index of pending home sales increased 4.5 percent to its highest level since April 2010 - just before the expiration of the home-buyer tax credit.
(Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Seth MacFarlane's TV Guide Critic Reacts to Oscar Mention
Label: Lifestyle
02/26/2013 at 11:30 AM EST
Seth MacFarlane (far left) and William Shatner, with Stephen Battaglio (inset)
Zuma; Inset: Getty
So, how does it feel to have your name dropped before a billion people?
Surprising, says TV Guide columnist Stephen Battaglio, who was part of the lively opening exchange between Oscar host Seth MacFarlane and intruder from the future William Shatner.
In a spoof (and a screen grab), the Star Trek captain showed the Family Guy guy what would be his upcoming review from Battglio.
"I didn't know it was coming," Battaglio writes on TV Guide's website. "I was watching the show at home with my wife. Staring at the byline, it took a few seconds to absorb."
And once it did, he says, "every electronic device in our apartment was ringing, buzzing, pinging or vibrating."
For the writer's full reaction, click here.
– Stephen M. Silverman
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