“Many of the stark structures that once represented the architectural vanguard are showing signs of wear, setting off debates around the country between preservationists, who see them as historic landmarks, and the many people who just see them as eyesores.”
Month: April 2012
How To Celebrate Easter? Sing Some Bach, Of Course
“Such masterpieces provide a firm challenge to the contemporary conceit that the modern world is always improving. The growing popularity of hearing the Bach Passions leading up to the Easter season in our ‘post-religious’ culture is an intriguing and exciting one.”
Streaming Magazines – The New Way To Read?
“This is a pretty big deal. It’s a little like if Hulu Plus just included every new show from the four networks, HBO, Showtime, Disney, AMC and ESPN. Or to use a different metaphor: this is a cable subscription for the most popular magazines in the world.”
When Theatre Adaptations Bomb At The Box Office
Carnage is the latest in a recently long line of popular play adaptations that earn little to nothing onscreen. What’s that about?
Booker Prize-winner Weighs In On The Israeli Theatre Debate
Howard Jacobson hits back at those who asked London’s Globe to withdraw an invitation to an Israeli theatre company. “If there is one justification for art… it is that it proceeds from, and addresses, our unaligned humanity. Whoever would go to art with a mind made up on any subject misses the point of what art is for. So to censor it in the name of political or religious conviction… is to tear out its very heart.”
That New TV Channel, Netflix
Netflix has greenlighted four new series and is planning even more. Why? “To some degree, Netflix was essentially forced into doing original programming. The kind of series Sarandos coveted most — critically acclaimed serialized dramas from HBO and Showtime — were never going to make their way to the streaming side of Netflix.”
Harry Potter E-Books: Minting Money For The Author Who Kept Control
Even though the e-book sites had some glitches on day one, J.K. Rowling’s newest venture sold more than $1 million worth of e-books and audiobooks in its first three days. “The blockbuster sales are a victory for Harry Potter’s creator, author J.K. Rowling, who battled e-book giant Amazon.com for the right to sell the books through her own website, Pottermore.”
Mauricio Lasansky, Master Printmaker Who Depicted Horrors Of Nazism, 97
An Argentinian who founded the printmaking program at the University of Iowa in 1945, Lasansky created massive prints with complex, multiple colors and techniques. “Although Lasansky was considered a wizard of printmaking technology, ‘The Nazi Drawings,’ as his series is known, used plain paper and ordinary pencil — the most humble, universal materials possible, he explained.”
Ballerina Dreams Of Dancing In A Soccer Stadium
South Africa Ballet Theatre principal dancer Burnise Silvius: “In 2010, South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup. The FNB Stadium, now renamed Soccer City, hosted several big matches there. … Presenting classical ballet in such a venue would do a lot to expose our art form to those who have not had the opportunity to enjoy it.”
If Target Wants Canadian Custom, It Has To Carry Canadian Culture
The giant chain store can’t just waltz into Canada with all-U.S. books and CDs. Nope. “The federal government is conducting a review of retailer Target Corp.’s proposal to enter the Canadian market to determine whether books and other cultural products have enough home grown content.”