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Gail Zimmerman

Arts Editor

Jim Does Disney

Cleveland, Ohio, native Jim Brickman's dis-
tinctive piano playing is the quintessential
expression of the romantic spirit for his
many fans. He melds the timeless beauty of
classical influences with the lively energy of
contemporary pop.
The Grammy-nominated Jewish per-
former has starred in his own PBS specials,
released best-selling
concert DVDs,
enjoyed his own
weekly syndicated
radio show and
compiled a book of
essays, titled Simple
Things.
With the Oct. 4
release of Jim
Jim Brickman
Brickman: The
Disney Songbook, he
marks his first foray into the Disney musical
repertoire. The album features vocal per-
formances by TV star Wayne Brady,
pop/R&B artist Kimberly Locke, One Life to
Live star Kassie DePaiva and country music
artists Josh Gracin and Lila McCann.

At 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, Brickman will
perform an intimate concert and sign copies
of his new CD at Borders Books and Music,
43075 Crescent Blvd., in Novi. Borders will
carry a limited edition of The Disney
Songbook that has two bonus tracks. There
is no charge for the concert.
For more information, call (248) 347-
0780.

Desperate Divas

The desperate women of Wisteria Lane have
nothing on the "Desperate Divas" who will
populate the stage of Michigan Opera
Theatre's 2005/2006 operatic offerings.
The fall season opens with Bellini's bel
canto masterpiece, Norma, a tale of forbid-
den love, betrayal and spiritual strength set
in Roman-occupied Gaul around 50 B.C.E.
Performances are 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8; 2
p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday,
Oct. 12; 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14; and 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 15. The production will
include return appearances by Armenian
soprano Hasmik Papian and American
soprano Brenda Harris, rotating as Norma;

and Russian-born mezzo-soprano Irina
Mishura, who sings the role of Adalgisa Oct.
8, 12, and 15.
Puccini's La Boheme, a tale of young love
set in bohemian Paris, will be performed 8
p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6;
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9; 8 p.m. Friday,
Nov. 11; 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12; and 2 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 13.
(The film version of
the Broadway hit
Rent, which is based
on La Boheme,
opens in theaters
Nov. 23).
The spring season
includes Verdi's
Aida, in which
Irina Mishura
Mishura will per-
form the role of
Amneris; Rossini's Cinderella (La
Cenerentola), making its Detroit Opera
House debut; and Richard Strauss' Salome.
Single tickets for Norma are $28-$1 13. For
tickets, including season subscriptions, call
(313) 237-SING or go to
www.MichiganOpera.org .

.

ews

NateBloom
I ES
an Special to the Jewish News

1112

Leigh Weds

EMIN Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, 43, mar-
ried film director Noah Baumbach 36,
over the Labor Day weekend. It was the first
, marriage for both. Baumbach told a
reporter, "I expect
to be with her the
rest of my life'
Baumbach, a
successful indie
film
director/screen-
writer, is the son of
Jewish novelist
Jonathan
Baumbach and
film critic Georgia
Brown. His upcom- Jennifer Jason Leigh

Col

52

ing new film, The Squid and the Whale,
which he directed and wrote, is about the
breakup of the marriage of a Jewish profes-
sor (Jeff Daniels) and his writer wife (Laura
Linney).
The movie, which has played Jewish film
festivals, was produced by Andrew
Lauren (Ralph Lauren's son). It co stars
Owen Klein and Jesse Eisenberg as the
couple's sons. Kline, 14, is the son of
Phoebe Kates and Kevin Klein, both
great friends of Jennifer Jason Leigh.

-

The Big Easy-

New Orleans may not seem like a Jewish
hotbed, but a few famous Jews were born
there: Playwright Lillian Heilman (1905-
1984); actress Kitty Carlisle who is still
active at 95; and composer/singer Randy
Newman.
Newman's Southern Jewish mother mar-

ried a California Jewish doctor, but when he
went into the service during World War II,
she decided to go home to New Orleans for
her pregnancy with Randy.
Newman's song "Louisiana 1927"
("They're Trying to Wash Us Away") has
become the most
played song at ben-
efits for Katrina vic-
tims. So it's not a
surprise that actor
Kevin Klein sang it
during a recent New
Yorker magazine
event.
Other Jewish
celebs in attendance
included Woody
Randy Newman
Allen, who played
his clarinet with a
New Orleans jazz band; New Yorker chief
editor David Remnick; writer Calvin

Director
Extraordinaire

Sidney Lumet, who earlier this year received
a special lifetime achievement Academy
Award for his extensive body of work, will
join network host Robert Osborne for the
newest installment
of Turner Classic
Movies' Private
Screenings interview
series 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 11, on
cable station TCM.
The one-hour
Private Screening
Sidney Lumet will
Sidney Lumet
encore at 11 p.m.
and be accompanied
by a full day of seven films from the leg-
endary director: Long Day's Journey Into
Night, The Hill, Network, The Pawnbroker, 12
Angry Men, The Appointment and Stage
Struck.
Lumet was born in 1924, the son of two
veteran players from the Yiddish stage. He
made his radio debut at the age of 4 and
stage debut at the Yiddish Art Theater the

Tight and rocker Lou Reed, who also

sang a song.

Can't Complain

Forbes magazine is
out with its annual
list of the 400 rich-
est Americans, and
Michael Dell of
Dell Computer has
held on to the No. 4
spot, which makes
him the richest
M.O.T. on the plan-
et. (Making her
own money is
Michael Dell
Susan Dell,
Michael's wife, who
designs the "Phi" clothing line, sold by
Neiman-Marcus.)
Coming in at No. 5, a billion dollars

October 6 • 2005