Emeli Sandé Wins Big at Brit Music Awards

Emeli Sandé, a soulful Scottish-born newcomer on the English pop scene, emerged as the big winner at the 2013 Brit Awards in London on Wednesday, winning best British female artist and taking the album of the year prize for her debut “Our Version of Events,” according to wire reports.

“This is a dream, really,” said Ms. Sandé, who bested Alt-J, Mumford & Sons, Plan B and Paloma Faith for the album prize. She thanked everyone “who made me feel like I’m part of something much bigger.”

Another newcomer, Ben Howard, a somber folksinger, also won two awards â€" for best British male artist and British breakthrough act. Fresh off their success at the Grammys, where they won album of the year for “Babel,” the folk-rock band Mumford & Sons were best British group.

Most of the awards, England’s version of the Grammys, are chosen by more than 1,000 musicians, critics and record industry figures, though sme are decided by a public vote. Though it has been criticized as dull in the past, the awards ceremony has become a lively affair with a dinner for hundreds of artists and industry figures followed by a televised concert at the O2 Arena. The rock band Muse opened the show with their song “Supremacy.” Among the performers were Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake.

The Black Keys were named best international group, while Lana Del Rey took the trophy for international female solo artist. (She won the international breakthrough award last year.) The international male solo trophy went to the R&B singer Frank Ocean, who remarked it was “definitely a long way from working fast food in New Orleans.”

MetroCards Become More Flexible

The bad news: subway and bus fares are still going up next month. The good news: paying them just got a little easier.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Wednesday that riders could now fill their MetroCards with both unlimited-ride time and pay-per-ride dollars. The change will allow New Yorkers to avoid a $1 charge on new card purchases, which will begin March 3.

“This card is the most flexible MetroCard ever offered,” Thomas F. Prendergast, the authority’s interim executive director, said in a statement.

For a MetroCard loaded with both a dollar value and either 7 days or 30 days of unlimited rides, a swipe will be drawn from the unlimited pool first, the authority said. Once the time expies, fares will be collected from any pay-per-ride value on the card.

The change should be especially welcome for riders who carry unlimited MetroCards but also take express buses or PATH trains â€" where the old unlimited cards were not accepted. Now, a rider can fill an unlimited card with enough money to cover the PATH or express bus fares.

The authority produces nearly 160 million MetroCards per year, at a cost of nearly $10 million. The empty cards often become litter at subway stations, “so by refilling your MetroCard,” Mr. Prendergast said, “you’ll reduce expenses and help the environment.”

The authority noted that the new $1 card fee would not apply to people who bought MetroCards from vendors outside of the subway system, those who got them directly from employers or benefit providers, or riders who purchased a combination of railroad and MetroCard tickets.

In December, the authority voted to raise the base fare on subways and buses by a quarter, to $2.50, and to increase the cost of a 30-day unlimited-ride card by $8, to $112 from $104. Fares on the authority’s railroads will increase by an average of about 9 percent. Tolls on several major crossings will also rise.

Gene Russianoff, the staff lawyer for the Straphangers Campaign, welcomed the revamped cards. “Nothing tempers the pain of the fare increase,” he said, but at least riders will not be “trapped into having to buy a new MetroCard.”

Another Prize for Robert Caro

Robert Caro will add yet another item to his groaning literary trophy cabinet in April when he collects the New-York Historical Society’s American History Book Prize for “Lyndon Johnson: The Passage of Power,” the fourth volume in his continuing biography of the 36th president. The award, previously won by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ron Chernow and Drew Gilpin Faust, among others, comes with a $50,000 prize, an engraved medal and the title “American Historian Laureate.”

Mr. Caro is already the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Critics Circle Awards, one National Book Award, and the National Humanities Medal, bestowed by President Obama in 2010. The laest honor will be bestowed at a black-tie gala in New York City during the historical society’s annual “Weekend With History” Event.

Jane Lynch Will Be Miss Hannigan in \'Annie\'

Dan Steinberg/Invision, via Associated Press Jane Lynch.

Jane Lynch, who knows a thing or two about keeping young women in line as the fearsome cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on “Glee,” will soon have a new brood to boss around: Beginning May 16, she will portray the blustery orphan-keeper Miss Hannigan in the Broadway revival of “Annie.”

Ms. Lynch will play the role, her Broadway debut, through July 14. She succeeds Katie Finneran, who will depart the production at a yet-unannounced date to film a television comedy series with Michael J. Fox./p>

The “Annie” revival opened in November, to mixed reviews for both the production and Ms. Finneran. In an interview, the actress, a two-time Tony winner, said she intended to bring new facets to a role that had been played by Dorothy Loudon and Carol Burnett, among others.

“I think there’s a chance here for me to show a subtler side of her, and a subtler side of myself to audiences â€" at least for those who think all I do is play silly dames,” she said.

Shia LaBeouf Withdraws From Broadway\'s \'Orphans\'

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Mr. LaBeouf.

Shia LaBeouf has shared the screen with Optimus Prime, Indiana Jones and Gordon Gekko, but he won’t be facing off against Alec Baldwin on a Broadway stage this season. Mr. LaBeouf, a star of films like “Transformers,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” had been slated to make his Broadway debut this spring in “Orphans,” the Lyle Kessler play about two orphaned brothers, now adults, who kidnap a rich businessan and turn him into their father figure. But on Wednesday, the producers of the Broadway production said that Mr. LaBeouf was withdrawing from the role of Treat, the older brother. “Due to creative differences, the producers of ‘Orphans’ and Shia LaBeouf will be parting ways and he will not be continuing with the production,” press representatives for the play said in a brief statement. “An announcement on the replacement for the role of ‘Treat’ will be made shortly.”

Tom Sturridge (of “Being Julia” and “On the Road”) will remain with the play in the role of Philip, the younger brother, and Mr. Baldwin will continue as Harold, the rich businessman. “Orphans,” directed by by Daniel Sullivan, is still scheduled to begin previews at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater on March 19 and open on April 7.

Cat Trapped Call in the Spelunkers

Venusaur the cat, circled in red, was stuck at the bottom of a deep shaft between two buildings.

For most New Yorkers, the Feb. 8 snowstorm was at worst a mild inconvenience. But one Brooklynite - a Norwegian forest cat named Venusaur - braved the snow while trapped in a deep crevice only two feet wide between two buildings.

He wasn’t found until Valentine’s Day, nearly a week later. And he survived.

It took the help of a Long Island cave-exploring crew to rescue Venusaur, named by his 9-year-old owner, Ryan Fanchiotti, after a Pokémon character.

<>Venusaur, a longhaired black-on-white about 18 months old who lives in Park Slope, on Warren Street near Fourth Avenue, spends much of his time outside exploring the neighborhood. On Feb. 7, he left the house and failed to return. The next day, close to a foot of snow fell on Brooklyn, and Venusaur was missing.

“We had kind of given up,” said Ryan’s mother, Taryn FitzGerald.

Venusaur with his cave-exploring rescuers, Kay Shriver and Rob Fabiano.

It wasn’t until Feb. 13 that a woman around the corner on Fourth Avenue noticed a cat crying out from a deep, narrow shaft between her building and the adjacent one. The next day, she! alerted members of a cave-exploration group she used to belong to - Met Grotto, the New York City chapter of the National Speleological Society.

Within hours, two cavers, Kay Shriver and Rob Fabiano, were making the 90-minute drive from Centerport, equipped with rope, a cable ladder, and belaying devices. They set up the cable ladder from the fire escape, and Ms. Shriver lowered herself into the gap, grabbed the cat, put him in a canvas bag and pulled him up.

“It was very simple once we got there,” Ms. Shriver said. “We just needed to rig the ladder, and it was just a matter of having the right gear. The only thing that was difficult about the whole ordeal was giving the cat back because it was really sweet. He was so thankful to be out of there.”

Ms. Shriver said she believed that the cat had fallen 16 to 20 feet from the first-story roof of an addition at the back of a building into a sunken area at basement level.

he used the phone number scrawled on his collar to contact his owners. Upon Venausaur’s return, Ms. FitzGerald took Venusaur to the vet, who gave him a clean bill of health.

Taryn FitzGerald Venusaur’s owner, Ryan Fanchiotti, made a thank-you card for his rescuers.

“His weight had not dropped too much, so he must have been eating something down there,” Ms. FitzGerald said. She thinks neighbors who heard Venusaur crying must have thrown food to him, and the cat probably drank snowmelt and was kept warm by the heating pipes between the buildings.

Venusaur was known to hop up on the roof of the building addition to visit a dog that sits in a second-floor win! dow of th! e neighboring building. He seemed undaunted by his time in the hole.

“He’s gotten healthy so quickly, and he’s been dying to go outside,” Ms. FitzGerald said Monday. “So this morning, we let him out for a little while.”

Baltimore\'s Walters Art Museum Names New Director

Julia Marciari-Alexander, deputy director for curatorial affairs at the San Diego Museum of Art, has been appointed executive director of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Ms. Marciari-Alexander is replacing Gary Vikan, who is stepping down after more than 27 years at the Walters, 18 of them as its director.

The board approved Ms. Marciari-Alexander’s appointed on Wednesday morning. “We were looking for a dynamic leader to enhance our mission of bringing art and people together in Baltimore and beyond through education, exhibitions and innovative use of technology, and we’ve found that and more in Julia,’’ Ellen Bernard, a Walters trustee who was chair of the search committee, said in a statement.

Ms. Marciari-Alexander joined the San Diego Museum in 2008 as deputy director for curatorial affairs. Before that she had spent more than 10 years at the Yale Center for British Art, first as assistant/associate Curator of paintings and sculpture and ater as associate Director of programmatic affairs and associate director for exhibitions and publications.

When Ms. Marciari-Alexander begins her new job on April 1 she will become the second woman to lead a major art museum in Baltimore. The first, Doreen Bolger, has been the director of the Baltimore Museum of Art since 1998.

Baltimore\'s Walters Art Museum Names New Director

Julia Marciari-Alexander, deputy director for curatorial affairs at the San Diego Museum of Art, has been appointed executive director of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Ms. Marciari-Alexander is replacing Gary Vikan, who is stepping down after more than 27 years at the Walters, 18 of them as its director.

The board approved Ms. Marciari-Alexander’s appointed on Wednesday morning. “We were looking for a dynamic leader to enhance our mission of bringing art and people together in Baltimore and beyond through education, exhibitions and innovative use of technology, and we’ve found that and more in Julia,’’ Ellen Bernard, a Walters trustee who was chair of the search committee, said in a statement.

Ms. Marciari-Alexander joined the San Diego Museum in 2008 as deputy director for curatorial affairs. Before that she had spent more than 10 years at the Yale Center for British Art, first as assistant/associate Curator of paintings and sculpture and ater as associate Director of programmatic affairs and associate director for exhibitions and publications.

When Ms. Marciari-Alexander begins her new job on April 1 she will become the second woman to lead a major art museum in Baltimore. The first, Doreen Bolger, has been the director of the Baltimore Museum of Art since 1998.

Broadway Plans on Hold for \'Miss Firecracker\' and \'Velocity of Autumn\'

Two plays that had been announced for Broadway this spring - Beth Henley’s “Miss Firecracker Contest” and Eric Coble’s “Velocity of Autumn” - have been postponed, according to the lead producer of both shows.

The producer, Larry Kaye, a newcomer to Broadway, said on Tuesday that he was delaying “Miss Firecracker” after scheduling conflicts “that stood in the way of getting our particular dream cast.” Mr. Kaye declined to comment on the actors in question, but one he was eyeing, Parker Posey, became unavailable because of a comedy pilot she is developing for NBC. (An agent for Ms. Posey did not reply to messages this week seeking comment.) “Miss Firecracker” had been set to star the Emmy Award nominee Amber Tamblyn (“Joan of Arcadia”) in the lead role, whic was played by Holly Hunter in the original Off Broadway production in 1984.

As for “The Velocity of Autumn,” which was set to star Oscar winner Estelle Parsons and Tony winner Stephen Spinella, Mr. Kaye said that he was unable to secure “a suitable theater this season that would be a great fit for this two-person, very intimate play.” The best-sized playhouses ended up going to coming shows like “Orphans,” “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers,” “The Testament of Mary,” and “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” - all of which have veteran Broadway producers with strong track records and pools of investors.

Mr. Kaye said he had not finished raising the $2 million to $3 million for each show, but had been optimistic that he would have, with the right cast and theater. He said he was still hoping to do both plays on Broadway, perhaps during the 2013-14 season, but had no firm plans at this point.

Banksy Work, Taken From London Wall, Hits Miami Auction Block

Neil Hall/Reuters The original site of the Banksy work, with a warning added after its removal.

“Slave Labor (Bunting Boy),” a 2012 work by the mysterious British graffiti artist Banksy, has vanished from a wall outside a discount store in London, and turned up at an auction house in Miami. And the town council in Haringey, the north London borough where the Banksy work appeared last May and disappeared last week, say that they want the piece returned.

The stenciled piece, which shows a young boy at an old fashioned sewing machine creating a string of Union Jacks - the flags are in bright red, white and blue; te rest of the picture is in black, white, grey and sepia - appeared last year during the jubilee celebrations commemorating Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years on the throne. It was taken as an acerbic social comment, as most of Banksy’s works are, and has been regarded as a cultural attraction in the Turnpike Lane neighborhood where it stood.

Haringey Council/Associated Press The work in its original location.

Banksy himself, though steadfastly maintaining his anonymity, has become an art world cel! ebrity. He is the subject of a new biography, “Banksy: The Man Behind the Wall,” by Will Ellsworth-Jones (St. Martin’s Press), and a short film he directed, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” (2010) was nominated for an Academy Award.

“The Banksy created a huge amount of excitement when it first appeared, and residents are understandably shocked and angry that it has been removed for private sale,” Alan Strickland, a member of the Haringey Council told The Associated Press. “The community feels that this artwork was given to it for free, and that it shuld be kept in Haringey where it belongs, not sold for a fast buck.”

Actually, the piece may go for quite a few fast bucks: Fine Art Auctions Miami, where the work has turned up, has included it in a Modern, Contemporary and Street Art sale, scheduled for Saturday, and is expecting $500,000 to $700,000 for it.

How “Slave Labor” made its way to Miami is a mystery. Poundland, the shop where it originally appeared, has said that it was not involved with the work’s removal. And the auction house is not saying who is selling it, or how it was obtained.

“Fine Art Auctions Miami has done all the necessarily due diligence about the ownership of the work,” a spokeswoman for the house said on Wednesday morning. “Unfortunately we are not able to provide you with any information, by law and contract, about any details of this consignment. We are more than happy to do so if you can prove that the wo! rks were ! removed and acquired illegally.”

Banksy Work, Taken From London Wall, Hits Miami Auction Block

Neil Hall/Reuters The original site of the Banksy work, with a warning added after its removal.

“Slave Labor (Bunting Boy),” a 2012 work by the mysterious British graffiti artist Banksy, has vanished from a wall outside a discount store in London, and turned up at an auction house in Miami. And the town council in Haringey, the north London borough where the Banksy work appeared last May and disappeared last week, say that they want the piece returned.

The stenciled piece, which shows a young boy at an old fashioned sewing machine creating a string of Union Jacks - the flags are in bright red, white and blue; te rest of the picture is in black, white, grey and sepia - appeared last year during the jubilee celebrations commemorating Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years on the throne. It was taken as an acerbic social comment, as most of Banksy’s works are, and has been regarded as a cultural attraction in the Turnpike Lane neighborhood where it stood.

Haringey Council/Associated Press The work in its original location.

Banksy himself, though steadfastly maintaining his anonymity, has become an art world cel! ebrity. He is the subject of a new biography, “Banksy: The Man Behind the Wall,” by Will Ellsworth-Jones (St. Martin’s Press), and a short film he directed, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” (2010) was nominated for an Academy Award.

“The Banksy created a huge amount of excitement when it first appeared, and residents are understandably shocked and angry that it has been removed for private sale,” Alan Strickland, a member of the Haringey Council told The Associated Press. “The community feels that this artwork was given to it for free, and that it shuld be kept in Haringey where it belongs, not sold for a fast buck.”

Actually, the piece may go for quite a few fast bucks: Fine Art Auctions Miami, where the work has turned up, has included it in a Modern, Contemporary and Street Art sale, scheduled for Saturday, and is expecting $500,000 to $700,000 for it.

How “Slave Labor” made its way to Miami is a mystery. Poundland, the shop where it originally appeared, has said that it was not involved with the work’s removal. And the auction house is not saying who is selling it, or how it was obtained.

“Fine Art Auctions Miami has done all the necessarily due diligence about the ownership of the work,” a spokeswoman for the house said on Wednesday morning. “Unfortunately we are not able to provide you with any information, by law and contract, about any details of this consignment. We are more than happy to do so if you can prove that the wo! rks were ! removed and acquired illegally.”

Strong Sales for Broadway \'Cinderella,\' Still in Previews

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana in “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.”

The Broadway musical “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” achieved a relatively rare feat last week, grossing more than $1 million even though the show is still in preview performances and has no star actors, according to box office data released on Tuesday.

Previews are traditionally a monthlong period when ticket prices are sharply discounted as the cast and creative team continue honing the production; usually musicals only join the millon-dollar club after opening to good reviews that producers splash in advertising campaigns. Hit musicals like “The Book of Mormon,” “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” “Once,” “Newsies,” and “Mary Poppins” never hit $1 million during previews; “Evita” did last year, thanks to its star Ricky Martin, and so did “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” in 2010 (after an unprecedented wave of bad publicity) and the highly anticipated “Billy Elliot” in 2008.

According to several Broadway ticket agents who sell large blocks of seats to schools, churches a! nd synagogues, and civic organizations, “Cinderella” - an updated retelling of the classic story - has emerged as the hot musical of the winter for group sales, with the Wednesday matinee in particularly huge demand for students. “Cinderella” also appears to be benefiting from the March 3 closing of “Mary Poppins,” because several groups that had been eyeing “Poppins” for the spring have moved on to “Cinderella.” It is also doing well with adult groups, who may have affection for the fairy tale or interest in Rodgers and Hammerstein, given that their version of “Cinderella” has never been on Broadway. (It was originally made for television.)

To be sure, the show partly prospered last week because many students were out on winter vacation; “Cinderella” also has plenty of high-priced orchestra seats on offer, given that it is ina large house, the 1,500-seat Broadway Theater.

But “Cinderella” will soon face stiffer competition as Broadway’s battle of the girls intensifies with the March 4 start of previews for “Matilda the Musical,” a massive hit in London. Another Broadway musical, “Annie,” is also performing well at the box office, though the group sales agents said that “Cinderella” has had the edge lately. (“Annie” has grossed more than $1 million a week on several occasions, though only after previews ended.)

Few producers expect “Cinderella” to beat “Matilda” at the box office, given the considerable buzz for “Matilda” in New York. Reviews from theater critics will li! kely be a! factor in ticket sales; “Annie” received mixed notices in November, and the critics will weigh in on “Cinderella” in early March and “Matilda” during the second week in April.

“Cinderella,” which stars Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes (“Bonnie and Clyde”) in the title role and Santino Fontana as the prince, grossed $1,056,544 last week, about 75 percent of the maximum possible amount, with nearly all seats sold. It was the fifth highest-grossing show on Broadway last week, following “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” “The Book of Mormon,” and “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” Over all, Broadway musicals and plays grossed $19.1 million last week, compared to $20.1 million during the same week in 2012.

Flood Risk Will Not Alter Placement of 9/11 Remains

David W. Dunlap/The New York Times Norman Siegel, a lawyer for relatives of 9/11 victims who oppose placing unidentified remains at bedrock level at the World Trade Center, spoke at a news conference last month before a court appearance.

Despite what is now a known flood risk, the Bloomberg administration and the 9/11 memorial foundation still intend to place the unidentified remains of World Trade Center victims at the bedrock level of the National September 11 Memorial Museum, as they have long planned to do.David W. Dunlap/The New York Times James Riches, whose son, Jimmy Riches, was killed on 9/11.

A Swinging Bag and a Retort in the Subway

Dear Diary:

L’esprit d’escalier is a term I learned from a friend. It is French and describes the experience of coming up with a perfect comeback only after having left the situation where it might have been used.

My story is a rare if unlofty instance of finding and using a satisfying retort in real time.

I was recently on the A train going downtown with my 3-year-old son in my lap and my shoulder bag beside me. The train was crowded, as it was the morning rush, and a woman squeezed in beside me, sitting on my bag.

I didn’t mind, and had my son not been on my lap, my bag would have been. A little before our stop, I began trying to dislodge my bag, but she took no notice and we remained trapped.

As the doors opened at 59th Street, I saw that we would have to get up instantly to make it out before the doors closed, so I stood up, yanking my bag out from under her. As a result my bag swung backward toward her (but it didn’t touch her).

Suddenly alert and furious a this commotion, the woman asked angrily, “Why don’t you just hit me in the face with your bag” to which I replied, “I don’t have time,” and whisked my son and bag off the train in the nick of time. I enjoyed the memory all the way up the stairs.

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