Community Briefs

Friday, December 4, 1998

Community Briefs

SAGE:

Auditions for Burnett’s show come to a close

Final auditions for the UCLA Music Theater Workshop’s production
of "Once Upon a Mattress" were held Wednesday and Thursday.

Actress and UCLA alumna Carol Burnett, who will guest-direct the
musical production, was present at the auditions to hand-select her
cast members.

The students, four for each major role, auditioned for Burnett
in both singing and dancing.

Of the 120 students who tried out during open auditions, only
one-fourth were called back.

"Only two people were called back (for the second audition) out
of my entire class of 20 freshmen," said Autumn Reeser, a
first-year student in the School of Theater, Film, and Television,
who was cut in open auditions.

"The enrollment is limited because we have to deal with them
like they’re soloists," said John Hall, the director of the Music
Theater Workshop.

The musical is a dramatization of the fairy tale "The Princess
and the Pea," and contains a role Burnett made famous when she
played it on Broadway.

Rehearsals for the show will begin in January, and performances
will be held Feb. 26 to 28, and March 5 to 7.

Body cremation lawsuit may be dismissed

In a case claiming UCLA stuffed cadavers with body parts before
cremating them, Bruce Mitchell, a Superior Court commissioner,
heard arguments Thursday.

The court has thus far dismissed nine allegations against the
university on two previous challenges, according to the
class-action plaintiffs’ attorney Michael Arias. As many as 16,000
bodies could be involved, according to the plaintiffs’
attorneys.

Robert Bennett, Jr., of Lancaster, is representing the class in
the complaint.

Family members first drew suit against the university about two
years ago when an investigation by the Department of Health
revealed UCLA’s gruesome body disposal procedure.

Investigators discovered that for over 30 years, donated remains
were mixed with hazardous waste and dumped in Santa Monica Bay or a
landfill after their use.

Donors were allegedly told by the university that the bodies
would be cremated and scattered in a rose garden at a Los
Angeles-area memorial park after being used.

Counsel for the university said he is confident the lawsuit is
groundless and will be dismissed.

"Our purpose to be here today and tomorrow is to have the court
make a determination that these matters have no legal
significance," said UCLA attorney Lou Marlin.

"We feel the matter should and will be dismissed."

UCLA medical, cancer centers get top honors

Announced yesterday, both the UCLA Medical Center and the UCLA
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center were voted the "Best" in a
survey of 72 hospitals throughout the Greater Los Angeles area.

The study was conducted by HCIA, Inc., a health care information
company and was commissioned by America’s Health Network (AHN), a
24-hour health news website and cable network.

The AHN announced these findings as part of the Mercury Awards,
which honored the top three hospitals in four areas: overall
performance, oncology, cardiology and orthopedics. UCLA came in
second, behind Cedar-Sinai, in cardiology. Cedar-Sinai Hospital,
located in Beverly Hills, was named the top hospital in orthopedics
in the Greater Los Angeles area.

Compiled from Daily Bruin staff reports

Comments, feedback, problems?

© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]