Talbott Elected To ‘Nutcracker’ Role

John Talbott, Spokane’s Pasha-elect, will play the part of the Arabian Pasha on opening night of “The Nutcracker” at the Spokane Opera House on Thursday.

The role will then be taken over by KXLY-4 anchor Mark Wright on Friday, councilwoman Roberta Greene at the Saturday matinee and Spokane sports mogul Bobby Brett on Dec. 7.

Talbott in tights? Brett in toe-shoes? No, the role of Pasha does not exactly require any Baryshnikov-like leaps, although you’ve got to imagine that Brett could get some serious air if he tried. No, the Pasha (the Arabian king) mostly just stands there in an Arabian costume for a few minutes and watches the dancers benevolently.

The Alberta Ballet has done these celebrity cameos in other cities, although never in Spokane.

“The Nutcracker” is presented by the Alberta Ballet, with music by the Spokane Symphony. It runs Thursday through next Sunday at the Opera House, and tickets are still available through G&B Select-a-Seat.

The symphony is still trying to find one other celebrity for the Saturday night show. Is there a Cougar-related Pasha out there somewhere?

Mad about EWTN

Some viewers aren’t happy about TCI’s decision to drop the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) from the Spokane cable lineup. This Catholic religious station will be deleted on Dec. 18.

Cliff Buck of Spokane said he knows of people who watch that station 10 to 12 hours a day, and it is especially valuable for shut-ins. It includes several televised Masses a day as well as other Catholic programs.

“People draw a lot of inspiration from EWTN,” he said.

Buck plans to help organize a letter-writing campaign to get TCI to change its mind. At least one area priest devoted part of his homily to the subject last week, said Buck. He said that some people, rightly or wrongly, see the cancellation as an attack on the church.

TCI’s Alison Ruckhaber said the cancellation was strictly because a survey showed that it was the least-watched channel in the lineup. In addition, she said the Odyssey channel, another religious channel, airs two Catholic Masses a day.

His chief complaint

Spokane Police Chief Terry Mangan fired off a press release on Nov. 19 expressing “extreme disappointment” at a KREM-2 news series, “Sex Offender Secrecy: The Rejection of Megan’s Law,” that aired earlier this month.

He called the series “inaccurate and misleading” and a “disservice to the community.”

“To say I am disappointed in and resentful of this irresponsible reporting is an understatement,” he said in the press release.

Mangan has issued these kinds of media rebuttals before, but this one went a step further than usual. He said he will “file a complaint about this reporting with the FCC.”

However, he has not yet done so. A police spokesman said Wednesday that Mangan will meet with the station’s management before deciding whether to take any action.

‘Grousing’ on schedule

It is now safe to say that the big Pat McManus weekend at The Met, Dec. 11-13, will take place on schedule.

Actor Tim Behrens, who stars in these one-man shows, came down with Legionnaire’s disease last month. He is now recovering in Spokane, regaining his strength for The Met shows.

He will perform “McManus In Love” on Dec. 11 at 8 p.m., and then the world premiere performances of “Pat McManus, Endlessly Grousing” on Dec. 12 and 13 at 8 p.m.

These dates were not originally intended as the world premieres. This new show was supposed to have been introduced in Kennewick on Oct. 23. But Behrens’ illness changed everything. At least 27 performances were canceled.

So now Spokane audiences get to see the new show first. McManus will be on hand at all performances to sign books. Tickets are available through G&B Select-a-Seat.

Patty Duke’s ‘Christmas’

Patty Duke, Coeur d’Alene’s favorite Oscar-and-Emmy winner, will star in “A Christmas Memory” on Dec. 21 at 9 p.m. on CBS.

If the title sounds familiar, that’s because this is the acclaimed Truman Capote holiday story about a young boy and his elderly spinster cousins in Alabama. It was a multiple Emmy-winning TV special in 1967 starring Geraldine Page.

Duke tackles the Geraldine Page role in this remake, which also stars Piper Laurie and Eric Lloyd.

Kitty’s big day

Kitty Kelley’s reading at Auntie’s Bookstore is scheduled for Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.

She’ll be reading excerpts from “The Royals.” This will no doubt be one of Auntie’s biggest nights of the year, since she outsells the average author by, oh, about a million copies.

, DataTimes MEMO: Spotlight is weekly column of news and commentary on the arts and media. To leave a message on Jim Kershner’s voice-mail, call 459-5493.