BP is set to receive a record fine of between $3 billion and $5 billion to settle criminal charges related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. However, some of BP staff could be arrested, according to BBC.

Details of the settlement are expected to be confirmed by the Washington-based Department of Justice.

One of the enduring qualities about the stories of America’s favorite satirist, Mark Twain, is their unfailing sense of humor, sprinkled with just the right amount of cynicism.  His general message to his public has always been don’t take yourself too seriously.  Politicians were among his favorite targets over the years.  Unfortunately for us, not taking oneself seriously is something that most politicians have never learned to do.

The Palm Desert Stage Company kicks off its third season in the Joslyn Center’s Arthur Newman Theatre with Twain’s revived comedy/farce “Is He Dead”, adapted by Chicago-born and New York City-based author/playwright David Ives.  The comedy is  stylishly and briskly directed, by the valley’s reigning comedy/farce director Tres Dean. (Dean directed another Ives’ play, “All in the Timing” at College of the Desert, just last month).

The story or romp is set in Paris in 1846, and features a cast of stereotypical bohemian comedy/farce characters who mug and wink their way through the silly but witty and satirical Twain dialogue that’s been judiciously adapted by Ives.

    Jean Francois Millet (Steve Lyon),  a lantern-jawed, brilliant, but unrecognized painter, is talked into a wacky scheme of staging his own demise as a way of increasing the value of his large cache of unsold paintings, by a trio of his bohemian friends: Dutchy (Peter Nicholson), Chicago (Charles William Gaines), and O’Shaughnessy (the always energetic Lou Galvan).  Jean-Francois initially refuses to go along, but a series of bill collectors knocking at his door and at that of his friend Papa LaRoux (Peter Mins), the father of Marie (Jennifer Bennet) his intended, forces him to reconsider the plan.

All must deal with the odious Bastien Andre (a deliciously lascivious and persistent Garnett Smith) who, not only is the owner of the outstanding bills, he also holds the trump cards of money as well.  And he has his eye on Marie.  As the plot thickens (into a mishmash of farce clichés), Jean-Francois is ultimately convinced that the plan might work.  Thus he disappears from life and re-surfaces as his imaginary twin sister, a widow both mad and madcap.  Shades of Brendan Thomas’ turn of the 20th century hit “Charley’s Aunt”.  Once Millet/Lyon trades his painter’ smock for a pink dress and a wig all bets are off and the zany story spins this way and then that way.

  The production is blessed with a cast of eleven talented comedy veterans who understand what to do when they find themselves onstage in a hilarious farce/romp.  The splendid ensemble cast includes: Steve Lyon, Garnett Smith, Lou Galvan, Charles William Gaines, Louise Ross, Bonnie Grace, Jennifer Bennet, Peter Nicholson, Peter Mins, Stan Jenson, and theatre founder and producer Colleen Kelley.

There isn’t a weak link in this company of players, and they are the reason that makes this production so enjoyable.  “Farce appreciation”, however, isn’t one of the American theatre-going public’s favorite formats; and that’s a pity.  When farce is done properly; with energy, gusto, and flair, as in this production, the effect is just as satisfying as in any manic comedy production, only more so.  “Is He Dead” brings to mind the comedy farces of  master playwright Alan Ayckborn, (often referred to as the Neil Simon of the English theatre, or is it vice-versa?) and his plays “The Norman Conquests” and “Bedroom Farce”, to name just two of more than 50 of his plays.   In my humble opinion, English playwright Michael Frayn, penned one of the funniest plays ever, in his comedy/farce “Noises Off”, a story about the theatre and what goes on backstage during a production.

   With ensemble work it’s often difficult to single out individual performers, because the splendid company is what makes this production zing and entertain.  With that being said, it would be hard not to recognize the efforts of Steve Lyon in the duel roles of Jean Francois Millet and that of Daisy Tillou, his “twin sister”.  His constant transitions between the two characters, is a work of energy-charged comedic art.

Strong support also comes from Louise Ross, Bonnie Grace, Jennifer Bennet, and a host of roles portrayed by Stan Jenson, who is one quick-change artist indeed.  It must also be noted that the role of Cecile LeRoux and that of the sexiest looking, moustachioed, French gendarme I ever saw on a stage, belongs to theatre founder Colleen Kelley.  Her performance is an absolute hoot, and one not to be missed.

In the technical department extremely high marks go to set designers John Meyers and Colleen Kelley for a visual feast for the eyes, especially the set and decorations in the richly textured second act. Complimenting the overall set design are the costumes of designer Peter Mins.  His costumes simply sparkle and bring a special verisimilitude to the production, almost becoming an additional character in the play.

“Is He Dead” now onstage at the Arthur Newman Theatre in the Joslyn Center, Palm Desert, runs through November 18^th.   Reservations and ticket information may be obtained by going online towww.PDSTAGE.com.

Hamas and Israel have confirmed that Ahmed Jabari, head of its military wing, has been killed in an Israeli air strike.

RT's Paula Slier, who's in the region, reports that Hamas's military chief of staff was killed in IAF targeted strike. ­

Jabari was traveling in his vehicle in Gaza City when his car was struck, AP reports citing witnesses.

The IDF stated on its website that it has launched a “widespread campaign on terror sites and operatives in the Gaza Strip” and Jabari was its first target. He's the highest ranking Hamas official to be killed since 2009, when Israel conducted ground offensive against Gaza.

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More than two weeks after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the East Coast, thousands of homes and businesses near New York City remain without power as crews from across the country try to rebuild.

On Monday evening, the New York State-owned Long Island Power Authority confirmed that 56,000 customers were still powerless two weeks to the day after a historic tropical storm caused unimaginable destruction along the Atlantic Coast. That figure was updated early Tuesday to only 19,000 homes and businesses, and the LIPA now hopes to have the majority of those customers back on the grid by the evening.

Even with workers from around the US making the trip to help repair power lines and repair a section of the country that has experienced upwards of $50 billion in damages, according to some estimates, having electricity once again might be too little too late for some. The LIPA has so far restored service to more than 1.1 million clients, but others residing in areas ravaged by the storm are still wondering when their power will be restored. Because serious flooding and strong winds ripped up the area to a degree far worse than what a little rain would have done on its own, those in problem areas are likely to wait even longer. That’s not the only obstacle, though: now the LIPA confirms that an upgrade-in-progress of their computer systems is causing longer than usual delays.

“It is a huge computer system. After Irene we immediately accelerated that process, and even at that it is still an 18-month to two-year process,” LIPA Chief Operating Officer Michael Hervey tells the Associated Press this week. “We would have liked to have had it up and running for now, but it’s just such a large magnitude computer system that it takes that long.”

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