November, 2011 Digital 9 Local Filmmaker Amy Lamb Dies Local filmmaker Amy Lamb has people and giving them a start --- Lamb worked in various posi- lost her battle with cancer, passing people who have moved on to tions, including as a location co- away on October 26 at the age prominent positions. We lost a ordinator for visiting productions of 56. really great person, and the entire such as “The Next Three Days” in film industry owes her a huge 2009. “New York looks like New “Amy was an integral part of the debt of gratitude.” York and Los Angeles looks like film scene in Pittsburgh,” Dawn She was also a noted photogra- Los Angeles,” she explained to Keezer, director of Pittsburgh pher, having her images displayed the Valley Herald in an article the Film Office told the Pittsburgh at the Silver Eye Center for Pho- suburban paper published that Post-Gazette’s John Allison. Amy tography. year. “But Pittsburgh has so many served on the PFO board. “Her looks. There's old, there's new. loss is going to be felt. She was In 1994, she co-founded Lumiere Each neighborhood has its own like a fairy godmother, adopting Films (www.lumierefilms.net) character.” with John Rice. The company produces commercials, short Amy is survived by her life part- films, industrial videos and re- ner, Ana Kelly, and five siblings. Inside This Issue lated projects. Lamb won various The local chapter of Women In awards during her 23-year career, Film & Media (WIFM) has an- Dance Alloy Page including a Clio and an Emmy nounced that a memorial service merges with the (according to her LinkedIn is being planned for November 19 Kelly-Strayhorn 2 profile). See editorial page 12. Benedum to close Page for three weeks of renovations 4 Clear Channel Cans DJs Talks breakdown Page In a story published on October to implementing more automated between unions 27, MediaPost.com’s Erik Sass or national syndicated program- and record labels 5 reported that Clear Channel “has ming,” writes Sass. dismissed a large (but undis- ToonSeum names Page closed) number of DJs from radio Among those let go is Jim Reith, new gallery after stations . across the country.” the long-time talk show host at local animator 9 WSYR-AM in Syracuse. He had been with the station for nearly three decades. His show has been replaced with conservative com- Pittsburgh Clear Channel owns the nation’s mentator Sean Hannity’s syndi- largest broadcast radio group. The cated program. A&E Group company has six radio stations in 643 Liberty Avenue Suite 401 the Pittsburgh market. It was un- The company has insisted that Pittsburgh, PA 15222 known at press time if any of layoffs are not cost-cutting meas- Ph (412) 325-7070 them have been affected. “The ures --- even though Clear Chan- Fx (412) 325-7069 move is widely seen as a prelude nel has about $18 billion in debt. www.james-richards.com | www.pittsburghaebook.com Pittsburgh Applause 2 November, 2011 Alloy, Kelly Merger Finalized On October 19, the boards of the of two legendary Pittsburghers: The Kelly-Strayhorn will now Kelly-Strayhorn Theater and actor/choreographer Gene Kelly manage the Dance Alloy’s daily Dance Alloy Theater formally (1912-1996) and composer Billy operations including the school. announced that they have merged Strayhorn (1915-1967). Pitts- The dance company remains on their organizations. burgh Applause reported earlier hiatus but eventually it will use this year that a merger was being the Kelly-Strayhorn stage for per- negotiated. [See http:// formances. www.james-richards.com/ PittsburghApplauseJune2011.pdf page 3 - Ed.] The merger will especially benefit the Dance Alloy, which has no endowment. “We have been re- Formed in 1976, the Dance Alloy The considering our strategic plan is a theater company and school over the past few years as we specializing in modern dance. Pittsburgh coped with the effects of the re- Their facility is one of the largest cession,” Cabot Earle, the Alloy’s A&E Book and best equipped dance centers former vice president, told the in the state. The Kelly-Strayhorn www.pittsburghaebook.com Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s is a multi-purpose performance Mark Kanny. The merger seemed space originally built in 1919 as a to the best way to secure the Al- silent movie theater and renovated loy’s future. in the 1990s. It is named in honor Mustard Seed Productions When you can’t afford an ON-SET costumer, why not hire an ON-LINE costumer! Experienced costume designer, supervisor and dresser Lisa Bruno provides independent filmmakers, community/school theatre departments, students, advertising agencies, music video producers and other clients with quality costuming within their budget. She’s available for both on-set and on-line services! Web Site: www.mustardseedproductions.biz Email: [email protected] Online CV: lisamariebruno.webstarts.com Facebook: facebook.com/lisamariebruno.msp Twitter: www.twitter.com/wardrobebabe LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/lisa-marie-bruno/12/9a7/77s Lisa Marie Bruno Mustard Seed Productions PO Box 99483 Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Lisa Treats Every Production Like An Award Winner! Pittsburgh Applause 4 November, 2011 Benedum To Refurbish Seating This January, the largest theater in parking system --- a project of the ITS’ Scott Belcher is quoted by the Pittsburgh Cultural District PCT --- has won an award and is the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Joe will go dark as part of an impor- being expanded. Smydo: “Think of the fuel sav- tant project: fixing its nearly ings. Think of the emissions sav- 2,900 seats. Introduced in December 2010, ings. Think of the improved qual- ParkPGH provides real-time in- ity of life.” The garages in the formation via the internet and district account for about a quarter portable devices on the nine ga- of all downtown parking spaces. The Benedum rages located inside the Pittsburgh To learn more about ParkPGH, Center, operated Cultural District. It is updated visit www.parkpgh.org by the Pittsburgh Cultural every minute. Trust (PCT), will undergo a three -week, $450,000 effort to remove, The program has won the Smart Pledge disassemble and refurbish each Solutions Spotlight Award by the and every seat. “We’ll go row by Intelligent Transportation Soci- row,” PCT’s Jacob Bacharach ety of America (ITS), the na- Drive Goes told Marylynne Pitz of the Pitts- tion’s largest association focused burgh Post-Gazette. Some seats on encouraging transportation will be replaced and as will some innovation. The Trust is expand- Well ing it to predict the availability of center stanchions and brackets. Despite the feelings of the re- parking at each garage throughout the day. This enhancement was gion’s jazz fans, Essential Public In other news, ParkPGH, Pitts- Media (EPM), the new owners of made possible by a professor at burgh’s first comprehensive smart WDUQ-FM (now WESA-FM) Carnegie Mellon University. have had a successful first pledge CBS Grows Local News drive. In a move that will likely expand Eventually all CBS stations, in- to the company’s other stations, cluding KDKA-TV, will have CBS Corporation’s WCBS-TV such a local subchannel. This is launching a 24-hour digital would put KDKA in competition According to an article by Adrian news channel in New York City. with Cox Communications’ McCoy of the Pittsburgh Post- WPXI-TV, which operates the Gazette, the effort raised some Pittsburgh Cable News Channel. $243,800 in pledges from nearly 2300 members. This brought In other news, KDKA-TV has EPM just short of its $250,000 announced the traffic reporter Jim goal. CBS Corporation owns two tele- Lokay is leaving to take a job vision and four radio stations in with an ABC affiliate in Boston. The drive had a slow start, reports Pittsburgh. WCBS’ new channel His last airdate was October 14. the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s will compete directly with rival Jason Cato, and had raised only WNBC’s Nonstop channel. about $100,000 by October 19. WNBC is part of NBC- Lee Ferraro, general manager of Universal, which is primarily WYEP-FM and co-owner of owned by Comcast. Comcast Join our group on EPM explained to Cato that operates Pittsburgh’s cable televi- “membership campaigns end sion franchise. CBS’ Peter Dunn strong. They don’t always start told the New York Daily News strong.” That proved to be true, that the channel will be pro- when the campaign concluded a grammed with a “wheel” format week later. with hourly updates. www.james-richards.com | www.pittsburghaebook.com Pittsburgh Applause 5 November, 2011 Unions: Talks Breakdown With Labels In early October, negotiations agreement with the major record record labels, forcing artists to file broke down between the Ameri- labels.” a claim with the labels to get paid. can Federation of Television & Currently, Sirius XM pays 50% to Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the The core issues are health care, the labels, 45% to the organiza- major record labels over a new pensions and the transparency of tion SoundExchange (which then recording contract. accounting. The current deal ex- distributes to artists) and 5% to pires December 31. No new meet- the unions’ joint intellectual prop- ings have been scheduled. erty fund. AFM president Ray AFTRA has Hair claims that Sirius XM’s pro- several hundred Meanwhile, AFTRA has joined posal will make it harder for art- members in the the American Federation of Mu- ists to “earn a fair living creating Pittsburgh area sicians (AFM) --- which also has and investing in the music every- and maintains a a chapter in Pittsburgh --- to con- one wants to hear.” full-time office in downtown demn Sirius Radio XM Inc.