Quick Takes: More anger at Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan had barely finished apologizing for his anti-gay jokes, and now the comedian is in hot water again.

In his standup act in New York last weekend, Morgan mocked the mentally disabled, according to the New York Times. This has led to a demand for an apology from the “30 Rock” star by a group promoting the rights of the mentally and physically disabled.

Morgan’s wisecracks reportedly included a warning not to “mess with women who have retarded kids.”

His remarks are “far too offensive to be excused as comedy,” Peter Berns, head of the Arc, said earlier this week. He called for an immediate apology.

Thus far, Morgan has offered no response.

In June, he apologized for a homophobic rant made during a stand-up routine in Nashville.

—Associated Press

Paley to display Reynolds items

Just a month after the recording-breaking exhibition and auction of nearly 600 items from Debbie Reynolds’ expansive Hollywood memorabilia collection at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, the Paley announced Thursday that a new multimedia exhibition, “Debbie Reynolds: The Exhibit,” will open July 23 and continue through 2011.

The new exhibition will feature more items from Reynolds’ treasure-trove of memorabilia including costumes, posters and props from such films as “Gone With the Wind,” “Show Boat,” “The Yearling” and John Huston’s “Moulin Rouge.” There will also be costumes worn by such legends as Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Carmen Miranda and Doris Day. New items will be added each month.

—Susan King

Colburn grad places fourth

Nigel Armstrong, a recent Colburn School graduate, finished fourth Friday in the violin category of the quadrennial Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia — a category that had no winner.

As has happened on occasion in the past, judges declined to award a gold medal for first prize, instead choosing two silver medalists, Sergey Dogadin of Russia and Itamar Zorman of Israel. South Korean’s Jehye Lee, the lone female violin finalist, came in third, and American Eric Silberger finished fifth. Armstrong’s prize is worth about $7,300.

The 21-year-old from Sonoma smiled and bowed after accepting a bouquet and a plaque during a webcast from Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. The violin field was winnowed over two weeks of competition in St. Petersburg from 24 contenders to the final five.

—Mike Boehm

Paltrow guests

on ‘Glee’ tour

As promised, Gwyneth Paltrow popped up at the “Glee Live!” show at the tour’s London stop on Wednesday. Lea Michele, who plays Rachel Berry on the show, tweeted earlier that the night’s event was “going to be a special one” before she revealed that Paltrow was the surprise.

Paltrow had a breakout role on the Fox series as substitute teacher Holly Holiday, and she joined the crew for a rendition of Cee Lo’s “Forget You,” as she previously did in New Jersey.

According to the Daily Mail, Santana, as played by Naya Rivera, was in the middle of telling the “Glee” crew that she’d been named the sexiest glee club member when Paltrow came out and challenged her to a sing-off.

—CNN

‘Art,’ ‘Burton’ draw crowds

Who said museums in L.A. couldn’t compete with the beauty of the beach? Although museums here face major challenges in terms of general attendance, MOCA’s street-art spectacle “Art in the Streets” and LACMA’s film-art fusion “Tim Burton” are drawing big crowds downtown and to mid-Wilshire respectively.

“Art in the Streets,” running April 17 to Aug. 8, had received 112,581 visitors as of Sunday, with a daily average of 2,046. The show is on track to beat the total attendance for its Murakami blockbuster of 2008 (which had roughly 150,000 visitors), and museum spokeswoman Lyn Winter says the attendance to date “is among the highest ever in MOCA’s history, closely tracking the record attendance for the Andy Warhol Retrospective at MOCA Grand Avenue in 2002.”

The exhibition of art by filmmaker Tim Burton, which runs May 29 to Oct. 31, has received 71,594 visitors, with a daily average of 2,386. A ticketed show not included with the museum’s general admission, it costs $20 per adult. LACMA spokeswoman Miranda Carroll notes that it’s too soon to say for sure, but “based on current figures ‘Tim Burton’ could become one of our most highly attended ticketed exhibitions. We’ve been sold out every weekend since it opened.”

—Jori Finkel