Page 14 - aruba-today-20210105

A14 PEOPLE/ARTS
Tuesday 5 January 2021
Ted Danson and Holly Hunter combine for comedy ‘Mr. Mayor’

By MARK KENNEDY sions Zooming together
AP Entertainment Writer and I think in a way that
NEW YORK (AP) — There's created a certain feeling of
a government office right tightness," Hunter said. "We
there in the very title of Ted would just read a new script
Danson's new series, but just to hear it between us.
the new NBC comedy "Mr. You know, it formed a dif-
Mayor" is anything but po- ferent kind of bond."
litical. When they all reunited, a
"If you consider politics the TV set designed for a fast-
headlines in the papers and paced, whacky comedy
the breaking news on CNN, now had real-world bound-
that ain't us," said Danson, aries — face masks and
who stars as Los Angeles' shields, social distancing,
mayor Neil Bremer. daily COVID-19 tests and
"We point out the foibles van rides that held only one
and silliness, and wonder- actor. "The first day or two,
fully lovable, pathetic, it's weird. And then all of a
lame side of humanity but sudden you get used to the
we don't stop and preach. new normal," he added.
We never are preaching." "After years of doing this,
The show is from Emmy when they say 'Action!' and
Award-winners Robert This image released by NBC shows Ted Danson as Mayor Neil Bremer, left, and Bobby Moynihan you've taken the masks all
Carlock and Tina Fey, the as Jayden Kwapis in a scene from the new comedy "Mr. Mayor," premiering on Thursday. off, it comes back."
brains behind "30 Rock" Associated Press But Danson is quick to put
and "Unbreakable Kimmy and saying things like "I'm er's character offers to help star of the TNT drama series it in perspective. "It's tricky
Schmidt." very open to a robot po- — but only if he will rename "Saving Grace." The two as actors to talk about sac-
The 30-minute comedy lice force." He's got a dubi- coyotes as "mini-wolves." instantly clicked, a pair of rifices," he said. "We came
takes over the 8 p.m. an- ous staff behind him — the There is satire, but nothing show biz pros. back after nine months of
chor slot in NBC's Thursday trio of comedians Bobby that might pit red states "There are some benefits to the pandemic where the
comedy block starting Moynihan, Vella Lovell and against blue ones. having been around for a whole world saw who the
Thursday. Danson considers Mike Cabellon — and a "Immediately, I think the while, which is there is a re- heroes were, who the ce-
the show more an office or chief rival in Holly Hunter, audience is alerted to the laxation and a recognition lebrities really were, who
family comedy. who plays an ultra-liberal fact that we're not going of, 'Oh, I'm in good hands. the people were that re-
Danson plays a business- councilmember. "Like un- to be dissecting the Trump This other person's got me,'" ally, truly put their lives on
man who made a fortune derwear bought in a drug administration," said Hunt- Danson said. the line."
on billboards and then re- store, you're not going to er. "This is not some new The cast and crew have The time off might actually
tired. He ran for mayor just last two months," she warns angle on a political con- endured a lot during the have helped the show, giv-
to impress his daughter, a the mayor. versation." pandemic. They shot three ing the cast time to digest
sophomore in high school In the first episode, the Danson — a veteran TV star episodes until production the rat-a-tat scripts, which
played by Kyla Kenedy mayor, hoping for a win- of such shows as "Cheers," had to shut down for nine are stocked with Carlock
from "The Walking Dead." ning issue, steals the idea "Becker" and "The Good months. The cast kept in and Fey's astute cultural
The new mayor is not a very of a plastic drinking straw Place" — hadn't worked contact during the hiatus, observations and some-
polished political figure, ban from his daughter and with Hunter, the Oscar- even going over scripts times absurdist flights of
prone to mangling Spanish it blows up in his face. Hunt- winner for "The Piano" and virtually. "We had jam ses- fancy.q

Italy’s Uffizi opens Dante anniversary with virtual exhibit

of Dante's "Divine Comedy" and was buried in the city about Dante in Abruzzo in
to mark the 700th anniver- of Ravenna, a three-time 1993.
sary in 2021 of the Italian ancient capital located The drawings were original-
poet's death. in the region of Emilia-Ro- ly bound in a volume, with
The virtual show of high-res- magna. each illustration opposite
olution images of works by The pencil-and-ink draw- the corresponding verse in
the 16th-Century Renais- ings are in contrasting Dante's epic poem.
sance artist Federico Zuc- shades of black and red. The texts and scholarly
cari will be accessible from They were completed dur- comment will also be in-
Friday "for free, any hour of ing Zuccari's stay in Spain cluded in the virtual show,
the day, for everyone,'' said from 1586 to 1588, and be- titled "A riveder le stelle," (to
Uffizi director Eike Schmidt. came part of the Uffizi col- see the stars again), a ref-
The drawings illustrate lection in 1738. erence to the celebrated
Dante's masterpiece, The drawings have only last line of Dante's "Inferno."
"The Divine Comedy," an been publicly displayed Schmidt said the drawings
epic poem in three parts twice previously, and then are a "great resource" for
recounting a pilgrim's trav- only a selection, owing to Dante scholars and stu-
This image made available on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, shows els through hell, purgatory their fragility: in Florence in dents, as well as "anyone
Lucifer, one of the original 88 drawings that went with Dante and heaven. 1865 to mark the 600th an- who likes to be inspired by
Alighieri’s Divine Comedy by artist Federico Zuccari. Dante Alighieri is revered as niversary of Dante's birth Dante's pursuit of knowl-
Associated Press the father of the Italian lan- and coinciding with Italy's edge and virtue."q
MILAN (AP) — Florence's able for viewing online 88 guage. unification as a nation, and
Uffizi Gallery is making avail- rarely displayed drawings A Tuscan by birth, he died for a specialized exhibit