Quick Takes: Mel Gibson sells Maxfield Parrish’s ‘Daybreak’ at a loss
Maxfield Parrish’s famous 1922 “Daybreak” sold for $5.2 million Thursday at Christie’s International in New York. The sellers were actor Mel Gibson and his wife, Robyn, who filed for divorce last year. The buyer was not identified.
The price was well below the $7.6 million that Robyn Gibson paid at Christie’s in 2006. At the time, the price established an auction record for Parrish. “The Parrish market is very small,” said dealer Betty Krulik, standing near the front of the Christie’s Rockefeller Center salesroom. “The owners were the big recent buyers,” she said. “Another big buyer — Michael Jackson — is dead. That limits competition.”
—Bloomberg News
‘Lost’ finale gets Emmys’ OK
An Emmy rules exemption will give the talent behind Sunday’s extended-length “Lost” finale the chance to compete for awards.
The TV academy’s board of governors voted Wednesday night to make the upcoming “Lost” finale eligible for acting, directing and other individual honors despite the episode’s 105-minute length.
Its airtime with commercials is 21/2 hours, 9 to 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
The exemption echoes those granted previously for “The Wire” and other veteran series with many plot lines to wrap up, said John Leverence, the television academy’s senior vice president for awards.
—Associated Press
Group blasts CBS’ ’$#*!’
The Parents Television Council is not laughing at the title of one of CBS’ new comedies.
The advocacy group said Thursday that it denounced the network for inserting an expletive in the title of the new show, “$#*! My Dad Says.” The series, which stars William Shatner, is scheduled to debut this fall.
“CBS intentionally chose to insert an expletive into the actual name of a show, and, despite its claim that the word will be bleeped, it is just CBS’ latest demonstration of its contempt for families and the public,” said PTC President Tim Winter. “There are an infinite number of alternatives that CBS could have chosen, but its desire to shock and offend is crystal clear in this decision.”
CBS responded in a statement that the program “is inspired by the wildly popular Twitter phenomena, which now has more than 1.5 million followers, and also has spawned a bestselling book of the same name. It will in no way be indecent and will adhere to all CBS standards. Parents who chose to do so will find the show can be easily blocked using their V Chip.”
—Greg Braxton
Costello nixes Israel concerts
British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello is canceling two summer concerts in Israel because of its treatment of Palestinians, disappointing fans in a country enjoying an upswing in visits by renowned artists.
In an announcement on his website explaining his decision, Costello spoke of “intimidation, humiliation or much worse” inflicted by Israel on Palestinians and said sometimes “merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act.”
Costello’s cancellation drew an angry response from his Israeli fans, and Israeli Culture Minister Limor Livnat said a singer who boycotts Israeli fans “is not worthy of performing in front of them.”
Many artists choosing to perform in Israel generate protest from Palestinians and their supporters, who say their shows amount to support of Israel’s policies in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. But few actually cancel.
After years of concerns over political tensions and violence, more world artists are performing in Israel, including Madonna, Leonard Cohen and Paul McCartney since 2008. Elton John is set to take the stage in June.
—Associated Press
Pee-wee heads to Broadway
Following his big comeback earlier this year at Club Nokia in downtown L.A., Pee-wee Herman (a.k.a. Paul Reubens) will be riding his red bicycle all the way to Broadway, where he will open his new show at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre for a six-week run starting Oct. 26.
The comic man-child will star in “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” a revised version of his hit ‘80s stage show. The production, which opened in L.A. in January to much fan adulation, featured familiar characters from the original play plus other characters from Pee-wee’s popular CBS television show.
—David Ng
Finally
Casting: Rhea Perlman, Lucy DeVito and Conchata Ferrell will move into the performers’ chairs in “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood June 8.
