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6A – Daily News – Thursday, March 24, 2011 Pastimes Taylor lived spectacle on-screen and off LOS ANGELES (AP) — Elizabeth Taylor went from dazzling beauty in her glory years to self- described ruin in old age. She spent almost her entire life in the public eye, from tiny dancer perform- ing at age 3 before the future queen of England, to child screen star to scan- dalous home-wrecker to three-time Academy Award winner for both act- ing and humanitarian work. A diva, she made a spectacle of her private life — eight marriages, raven- ous appetites for drugs, booze and food, ill health that sparked headlines con- stantly proclaiming her at death’s door. All of it often overshadowed the fire- works she created on screen. Yet for all her infamy and indulgences, Taylor died Wednesday a beloved idol, a woman who some- how held onto her status as one of old Hollywood’s last larger-than-life legends, adored even as she waned to a tabloid figure. Taylor, 79, died of con- gestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Cen- ter, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks. ‘‘We know, quite sim- ply, that the world is a bet- ter place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts,’’ her son, Michael Wilding, said in a prepared statement. A star from her teen years in such films as ‘‘National Velvet,’’ ‘‘Little Women’’ and ‘‘Father of the Bride,’’ Taylor won best-actress Oscars as a high-end hooker in 1960s ‘‘BUtterfield 8’’ and an alcoholic shrew in a savage marriage in 1966’s ‘‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’’ In the latter, she starred with husband Richard Bur- ton, their on-screen emo- tional tempest considered a glimpse of their stormy real lives (they divorced in 1974, remarried in 1975 and divorced again a year later). For all the ferocity of her screen roles and the tur- moil of her life, Taylor was remembered for her gen- tler, life-affirming side. ‘‘The shock of Elizabeth was not only her beauty,’’ said ‘‘Virginia Woolf’’ director Mike Nichols. ‘‘It Arts & entertainment Students to present Les Miserables Les Miserables is the story of released prisoner Jean Val- jean, a petty thief, and Inspector Javert who makes a decent life for Valjean impossible. A story of adversity, love and redemption in 19th century France, Les Miserables promis- es to be another thrilling and entertaining event by the stu- dents of Mercy High School in Red Bluff. Performances are scheduled at 7 p.m. April 7 and 8. A gala will be held at 6 p.m. April 9 followed by the perfor- mance at 7 p.m. A Sunday matinee will be at 2 p.m. April 10. Tickets are $4 for each performance and $20 for the gala. For more information, call Mercy High School at 527-8313. Opening plays for Shakespeare Festival By PATRICIA FELDHAUS Special to the DN The search for truth was a salient element in three of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s opening plays –“ Measure for Measure,” “To Kill A Mockingbird" and “The Imagi- nary Invalid.” Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure was one of his was her generosity, her giant laugh, her vitality, whether tackling a com- plex scene on film or where we would all have dinner until dawn.’’ ‘‘She is singular and indelible on film and in our hearts,’’ he said. Though Taylor contin- ued acting in film, televi- sion and theater in the 1980s and 1990s, she called it quits on the big screen with 1994’s ‘‘The Flintstones,’’ playing cave- man Fred’s nagging moth- er-in-law. Taylor bid farewell to the small screen with 2001’s ‘‘These Old Broads,’’ a geriatric diva romp co-starring Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins and one-time romantic rival Debbie Reynolds, whose husband, Eddie Fisher, left her for Taylor in the late 1950s. She was remembered for her friendship, standing by Michael Jackson, Rock Hudson and other troubled friends. ‘‘I don’t know what was more impressive, her mag- nitude as a star or her mag- nitude as a friend,’’ MacLaine said. ‘‘Her talent for friendship was unmatched. I will miss her for the rest of my life and beyond.’’ Collins called Taylor one of the last of the true Hollywood icons. ‘‘There will never be another star who will come close to her luminosity and generosity, particularly in her fight against AIDS,’’ she said. AIDS activism had become Taylor’s real work long before she gave up acting. Her passion in rais- ing money and AIDS awareness brought her an honorary Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 1993. ‘‘Acting is, to me now, artificial,’’ Taylor told The Associated Press at the 2005 dedication of a UCLA AIDS research cen- ter. ‘‘Seeing people suffer is real. It couldn’t be more real. Some people don’t like to look at it in the face because it’s painful. ‘‘But if nobody does, then nothing gets done,’’ she said. One of the groups that benefited, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, praised Taylor for being ‘‘among the first to speak out on behalf of people living with HIV when others reacted with fear and often outright hos- tility.’’ Taylor’s work ‘‘improved and extended millions of lives and will enrich countless more for generations to come,’’ the group said. Taylor received the Legion of Honor, France’s most prestigious award, in 1987 for AIDS efforts. In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II made Taylor a dame — the female equivalent of a knight — for her services to charity and the entertain- ment industry. Taylor herself, however, suffered through the decades. She fell from a horse while shooting 1944’s ‘‘National Velvet,’’ causing a back injury that plagued her for the rest of her life. Her third husband, produc- er Michael Todd, died in a plane crash after only a year of marriage. Taylor had life-threaten- ing bouts with pneumonia, a brain tumor and conges- tive heart failure in her 60s and 70s, and from drug and alcohol abuse, including a 35-year addiction to sleep- ing pills and painkillers, which prompted her to check in to the Betty Ford Center. She had at least 20 major operations, including replacements of both hip joints and surgery to remove the benign brain tumor. Taylor’s survivors include daughters Maria Burton-Carson and Liza Todd-Tivey, sons Christo- pher and Michael Wild- ing, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A private family funeral is planned later this week. final comedies which Artistic Director Bill Rauch enhanced with Las Colibri, a female mariachi band, with songs for “Justice,” “Death Row,” and “Lost Love.” When the Duke pretends to leave his office and appoints “virtuous” Angelo to improve the moral laxity in Vienna the plot thickens. Toward the end of the play, the Duke reports, ”I have seen troubles boil and bubble in this stew”; howev- er, Isabela, a young novice, maintains that “Truth is truth to the end of eternity.” Indeed, all difficulties are resolved when the truth is known. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel, is set in Maycomb, Alaba- ma in 1935 where a lawyer, Atticus Finch, lives with his daughter, Scout, his son, Jem. and his housekeeper, Calpur- nia. In director Marion McClinton’s program notes, “Mock- ingbird is about not just being brave enough to tell the truth but wise enough to know it.” An adult Scout narrates the play where Finch represents a young black man who’s accused of molesting a young white woman. Even though the man is innocent, Finch reminds his daughter that “conscience does not abide by majority rule.” Puppeteers using shadow projections effectively provid- ed visuals of houses in the neighborhood, the mad dog episode and the jail. Moliere’s “Imaginary Invalid” was adapted by Oded Gross and director Tracy Young with original 60s pop music by Paul James Prendergast and lyrics by Gross, Young and Prendergast. Christopher Acebo provided a magnificent setting and spectacular costumes for this slap- stick French farce with actors who break into song and dance routines continually. Toinette, the servant, is in charge of getting to the truth of hypochondriac Argan’s various complaints which are exac- erbated by an unscrupulous doctor. I liked Beralde’s (Argan’s brother) checklist of positive things to do each day and his philosophy that “the best thing to do is to love.” “The Language Archive” by Julia Cho tells the story of George, a linguist, who believes that he’s facing a Sisyphean task of keeping dying languages alive. (Fact: Out of more than 7,000 dialects, one dies every 2 weeks.), so I believe that the play pertains to the “language of love between two people.” I also think that George also has mar- ital problems because he’s tongue-tied when he needs to communicate with his wife. Director Laura Woolery says in her program notes that “theatre is the flame keeper for our humanity. We need to be aware that diversity of culture is our legacy.” “Measure..” and “Invalid” run through November 6 in the indoor Bowmer Theatre; “Mockingbird” is also in the Bowmer until July 1; “Language” plays in the New Theatre through June 17. For more information and tickets ($20 to $71.50) visit www.osfashland.org or call 1-800–219–8161. Jazz Big Band to perform The Shasta College Divi- sion of Arts, Communica- tions and Entertainment presents the Shasta College Community Jazz Big Band in Concert. You can hear the band on Wednesday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m., in the Shasta College Theater. The band is a true large size jazz big band con- The World Famous Palomino Room 1/2 off Lunch or Dinner entree with purchase of 1 entree must present coupon *equal or lesser value Lunch: Tues-Fri 11am-2pm Dinner: Thurs-Sat 4pm-9pm Happy Hour: Mon-Sat 4pm-7pm 723 Main St., Red Bluff 527-5470 • www.palominoroom.com sisting of 22 musicians who will perform big band jazz from the 1930s through 2011. Included will be music by Count Basie and other jazz notables. Styles will include Swing, Blues, Latin Jazz, and Ballads. Performance tickets are $3 general admission and 80 percent of the ticket sale profits are used to purchase music for the band. For additional information please call 242-7730 or 242-2362. BAXTER BLACK Cowboy Humorist April 11th - 7pm State Theatre 333 Oak St. $50 VIP • $ • $ 30 Premium 25 General Tickets available @ The Loft, Sparrow’s Antiques, Red Bluff Chamber & Farmer’s Insurance 527-3092 for info.