“The literary appeal of the pseudonym and of the reclusive genius tend to go hand in hand.”
Month: October 2015
The Steinway From Queens That Had A Great Night In Havana
“On the left side of the makeshift wobbly stage, Lang Lang, China’s fresh-faced piano prodigy, stroked the keys meticulously as Chucho Valdés, one of Cuba’s music superstars, struck heavier tones on a second piano positioned to the right. At center stage, standing before the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra with her baton raised high, Marin Alsop, the American conductor, unified the ensemble.”
Who Has The Rights To This Picasso – The Actual Private Owner, Or Spain?
“At the heart of the matter are questions that many countries are now grappling with: What constitutes a national treasure? And what are the limits of private property rights when it comes to precious art?”
Paramount Starts A Special YouTube Channel Where You Can Stream Its ‘Classics’ For Free
“We live in a strange new world. A decade ago, the mere thought of streaming a movie online seemed foolhardy and weird. Now, a major movie studio has created a YouTube channel that offers viewers the chance to watch a selection of their films for free. The Paramount Vault is here and it feels like a big deal.”
The Grim Toll Of Workplace Injuries On A Principal Dancer
“Dancing wasn’t the primary problem; Ms. Somogyi, 38, wasn’t sure if she would be able to walk normally again.”
Here’s The Shortlist For The Samuel Johnson Award
“After a judging session described as ‘truly contentious,’ [a biography of Ted Hughes] was joined on the shortlist by five other titles, with subjects including autism, the digital age and Guantánamo Bay.”
The TV Series That’s A Full-On Broadway-esque Musical, Pretty Much Every Episode
“It’s A Musical, the kind in which characters burst into song and dance without warning, in which extras spontaneously transform into backup dancers, in which characters treat sets not as locations for action, but as props.”
Making ‘Diversity’ The Norm Instead Of The Niche In Theatre
“A single play may tick the diversity box, but it’s definitely not inclusion – that only comes when theatres commit to the development and support of playwrights over a much longer period, and consistently programme a range of plays that give the space for a critical mass of writers to emerge and dig in for the long term.”
The Newest Trash Dump: Turkey’s 2,400-Year-Old Tombs
“Today the tombs are Fethiye’s main tourist attraction. Which begs the question: how did they get to be filled with so much trash before authorities ever even noticed or took action?”
In Weird Music News, A Former Kmart Employee Has Digitized His Collection Of Kmart Corporate Tapes Of The Early 1990s
“Every month, corporate office issued a cassette to be played over the store speaker system — canned elevator-type music with advertisements seeded every few tracks. Around 1991, the muzak was replaced with mainstream hits, and the following year, new tapes began arriving weekly.”