NEW YORK, NY (New York Times PR) - The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT):
- Weekend is Five Days of Cultural Events; Among Those to Appear: Robert Redford, Larry David, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Harry Connick Jr., Death Cab for Cutie, Joan Didion, Patricia Cornwell, Scott Turow, Frank Gehry, Deborah Voigt, Bobby Flay, Viggo Mortensen, R. L. Stine, Audra McDonald and the Casts of "The Sopranos" and "Entourage"
- Christie's to Hold One-of-a-Kind Auction for the Arts
- Presenting Sponsors Include Air France, E*Trade Financial, HBO Films, Land Rover, Loews Cineplex and Sprint
The New York Times announced today the addition of R&B singer John Legend to the lineup for the Fifth Annual Arts & Leisure Weekend. The eight-time Grammy Award nominee will be interviewed by Lola Ogunnaike, culture reporter for The Times, on Jan. 8. Mr. Legend will perform as well. Net proceeds from the evening will benefit The Actors' Fund of America and MusiCares. The event will be at 8 p.m. and held at the CUNY Graduate Center. Tickets for this special event are $50.
Arts & Leisure Weekend is The Times's annual event of national and international celebrations of art and culture. This year more than 1,500 cultural institutions are participating throughout the United States and Europe. The weekend includes a wide range of arts and leisure activities from interviews with celebrities to free admission at museums around the country and the world.
Details on the 2006 event will be published in The New York Times on Jan. 1 and Jan. 4 and will also be available on the Arts & Leisure Weekend Web site, www.nytimes.com/alweekend.
In New York City, The Times will host a series of TimesTalks Special Edition discussions featuring an array of arts luminaries in conversation with Times critics, reporters and editors. This year, headliners include the Oscar winner Robert Redford; the women of HBO's "The Sopranos," Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Aida Turturro; Oscar and Tony nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman; Grammy and Emmy winner Harry Connick Jr.; Emmy winner Larry David; celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Kurt Gutenbrunner and Karen Waltuck; the stars of HBO's "Entourage," Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven and creator/writer Doug Ellin; from the indie-pop band Death Cab for Cutie, Benjamin Gibbard and Nick Harmer; "The Lord of the Rings" star Viggo Mortensen; best-selling writers Joan Didion, Patricia Cornwell, Scott Turow and Linda Fairstein; Will Shortz, The New York Times crossword puzzle editor; R. L. Stine, author of the best-selling children's book series "Goosebumps"; Broadway's Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kathleen Marshall, Donna McKechnie, Bebe Neuwirth, Michael Cerveris, Michael C. Hall and Hank Azaria; renowned soprano Deborah Voigt; three-time Grammy-winning vocalist Dawn Upshaw; architect Frank Gehry; independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch; and internationally acclaimed composer Osvaldo Golijov.
All TimesTalks Special Edition events take place at The Graduate Center, CUNY, Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. Tickets are $25-$35. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.nytimes.com/alweekend.
To launch the fifth annual New York Times Arts & Leisure Weekend, The Times will hold the first New York Times Auction for The Arts(TM) at Christie's auction house on Jan. 5. Many of the celebrity participants from the last five years of Arts & Leisure Weekend are donating one-of-a-kind personal items and experiences to the auction. Net proceeds from the auction will benefit The Actors' Fund of America. The honorary chairs for the event are Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth and Golden Globe winner Lynn Redgrave. Items to be auctioned include a leather jacket autographed by Lou Reed, a signed Christo lithograph, an "Odd Couple" V.I.P. package including a meet and greet with Matthew Broderick, a vocal coaching lesson with Barbara Cook, a golf outing and lunch for three with Bill Murray, a walk-on in the Broadway musical "Rent," an American Ballet Theatre V.I.P. package, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" V.I.P. package, a private voice lesson with Renee Fleming and an autographed script of "The Simpsons." Pre-bidding has begun online at www.nytimes.com/alweekend. Tickets to the live auction and a pre-auction reception are $75 each. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit the Web site or call 1-888-NYT-1870.
This year's presenting sponsors for Arts & Leisure Weekend are Air France, E*Trade Financial, HBO Films, Land Rover, Loews Cineplex and Sprint. Other participating sponsors include The Container Store, Cunard, Le Meridien, Level Vodka, Pace University, Rodney Strong and Tower Records.
Arts & Leisure Weekend was established in 2001 to mark The Times's 150th anniversary and as a way for the newspaper to give back to its readers. Throughout the weekend, The Times partners with hundreds of cultural institutions in the United States and Europe to offer free admission, reduced prices and special events at museums, theaters, performing arts centers, tourist attractions, movie theaters, restaurants, spas and health clubs.
