As all know, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, having gone fatally woke, is under new management and will be put to sleep shortly or we will – TBD. For now, newly-appointed Chairman of the Board President Donald Trump has nominated board members like Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo among many other notables. Somehow, though, new board member Paolo Zampolli has heretofore slipped under the radar – a situation he looks to be remedying through a new interview with The New York Times. If you are like me and couldn’t tell Zampolli from a Zamboni, Wiki writes that Paolo founded ID Models in New York in the 90s and is now the Director of International Development for the Trump Organization – presumably when he’s not making fabulous plans for the Kennedy Center. We only know of Zampolli’s vision for the Center because of the referenced interview. If you liked the Kennedy Center Awards show over the holidays as a testament to the pinnacle of modern American art, well – go back to sleep. Paolo has ideas.
We can have a fashion show with Valentino, the top designer in the world, in honor of Jacqueline Kennedy. That would be very glamorous. You can seat a couple thousand people for a gala, who pay $200 a ticket, and people will go, and the center will make money.
An incoming Board may feel compelled to do a lot of things but – “make the Kennedy Center glamorous” should not be one. When referencing Valentino and Jacqueline Kennedy in the same sentence, all one can really do is put all remaining glamour at risk. As for $200 a ticket? Is he talking about parking? Glad you asked because access to the Kennedy Center is a key issue with voters like Paolo.
“You can build a marina. I’m convinced it would be terrific. The Kennedy Center is very difficult to access. You put in a little marina, and on the weekend you go there — the yachts park there. You go to a beautiful restaurant. It will be a beautiful experience.”
I am still on the $200 per ticket. Is he referencing what it costs to park a yacht? If someone can point me toward the person complaining that going to the Kennedy Center had not been a beautiful experience lately, that might be of some help. It sounds like he wants to take the place international, evidently heeding no warning from Euro-Disney:
“We can franchise the Kennedy Center’s name in Europe and Asia and the Middle East, like the Louvre does in Abu Dhabi. That would be lucrative.
Right. Except KFC is also in Europe and very lucrative – but no one ever said that the Colonel’s chicken shared any interests with the Kennedy Center, or the Louvre, for that matter. It sure sounds like a terrible solution to a non-existent problem. If only Jacqueline Kennedy were around to ask what needed fixed about woke sh*t like this. Nothing but a timeless ode to Bruce Springsteen, the regular Kennedy Center fare:
Meanwhile, back to bed. Happy Holidays, y’all. One cannot wait for the Christmas special this year – yachts and all, it promises to be fabulous! Parking will be $300 with the tip and make sure they tie it down properly.
at @JasonMiciak, and follow now on Bluesky.
Friends, we are struggling to make ends meet. It’s not just us, it’s industry wide. There are star hosts being bumped on MSNBC as we speak. (Joy Reid and Alex Wagner) So if you can afford a small donation or a monthly subscription, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Ursula
the Kennedy Center is on a harbor??
Dear Someone. I love the Kennedy Center. I got to see several plays and ballet performances there when I was working in D.C. I wish Bruce Springsteen, who loathes Trump with a passion, would perform there nfor a month, and perhaps give Trump a fatal myocardial.infarction. He may be woke, but there would be standing room only. And thst moron would be hapoy because they,’d be making money.