ABC ‘Desperate’ for Sweeney
Spokane native Julia Sweeney just landed a new, high-profile gig: writer for ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.”
The Gonzaga Prep graduate, known for her years on “Saturday Night Live,” signed a deal last week to join the stable of writers for the hottest new show on TV.
The timing is ideal for Sweeney, whose hit one-woman stage show, “Letting Go of God,” ends this weekend in L.A. She’ll be working not quite full-time – more like three-quarter time – so she can spend more time with her adopted daughter, Mulan.
In other Sweeney news, she and “Letting Go of God” will be featured on the Ira Glass radio show “This American Life” next weekend in an episode titled “In Defense of Godlessness.”
“This American Life” airs on KSFC-FM (91.9) at 9 p.m. Saturday, and repeats on KPBX-FM (91.1) on June 6 at 9 p.m. and June 10 at noon.
For more on Sweeney, check out www.juliasweeney.com.
Slipknot cancels
Slipknot has canceled its show at the Spokane Arena’s Star Theatre.
This concert originally was scheduled for April 17 but was postponed earlier that day “under orders from (singer) Corey Taylor’s doctors,” according to the band’s Web site. At the time, band members said they “hope to get back there very soon.”
Now, the postponement has officially become a cancellation. No reason was provided, although it might be because the band is embarking on a tour of Europe beginning this week.
Ticketholders can get refunds by bringing their tickets to the Spokane Arena box office, 720 W. Mallon Ave., Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or by mailing the tickets to TicketsWest, P.O. Box 6459, Spokane WA, 99217.
Here comes Donny
However, I’m certain that all Slipknot fans will be consoled by this new concert announcement: Donny Osmond, July 1 at the Spokane Opera House.
Tickets are $35 and $25, through TicketsWest outlets (325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
The part about Slipknot fans was a joke; the part about Osmond is not. His music has been showing up lately on the smooth jazz charts.
Passing the hat for the symphony
At the final Spokane Symphony classics concert of the season last weekend, music director Eckart Preu made an unusual pitch.
He said that he received a letter from a symphony supporter saying most concertgoers were reluctant to donate money because they felt as if they needed to donate $100 or more. She suggested just asking everyone to donate $5 or $10, and the response would be more enthusiastic.
Preu said that while she didn’t donate a million dollars, she donated “a million-dollar idea.”
So he announced that volunteers would be waiting at intermission, holding hats. Any donation would be welcome.
The result?
“We raised $7,200,” said Annie Matlow, the symphony’s marketing director. “One woman wrote on the envelope that she was donating her wine money.”
The moral of this story?
Preu is an excellent salesman as well as a conductor.
New interim symphony exec
The Spokane Symphony has hired an interim executive director: Ed Birdwell of Seattle.
Birdwell is retired from previous administrative jobs with the Seattle Symphony, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
He has been hired on a temporary basis to help out with symphony administration several days a week. He is bridging the gap while the symphony searches for a permanent replacement for John Hancock, who departed in September for a position with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
The Ignite! season
The Ignite! Community Theatre, a fledgling drama group in Spokane, has announced its first full season:
• “Arsenic and Old Lace,” Oct. 7-15.
• “Little Women,” Dec. 1-4.
• “Lily the Felon’s Daughter,” Feb. 24-March 4.
• “The Lion in Winter,” May 12-20.
All shows will be in the Cajun Room at Riverwalk, 1003 E. Trent Ave. Season tickets are $40 ($35 for seniors, students and military), by calling 993-6540 or by e-mail at info@ignitetheatre.org.
The theater will also have a five-play reader’s theater season, to be staged at Auntie’s Bookstore.
A fantabulous Moondance award
Local author, screenwriter and filmmaker Petrushka Pavlovich has just won a Spirit of Moondance Award for her feature-length documentary, “Gifts from my Foremothers,” at the Moondance International Film Festival, based in Boulder, Colo.
This annual event, focusing on women filmmakers, has become one of the country’s most influential film festivals and has been nicknamed by some “the American Cannes.”
Before moving to the Inland Northwest, Pavlovich worked as script developer in London.
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