Eisenberg’s character Nog was supposed to be a joke, like all of the Ferengi. But Eisenberg helped change all of that. (And here’s a Twitter thread that explains it more beautifully than a news report ever could.) – CNN
Month: September 2019
Illustrator Marjorie Blamey, Who Just Died At 101, Had 10,000 Wildflower Paintings To Her Name
Blamey was an utterly prolific illustrator of wildflowers. She “contributed all the colour illustrations, amounting to many thousands of paintings, for a succession of distinguished field guides” – all without formal botanical training. “Her watercolour illustrations opened people’s eyes to the beauty of wild flowers at home and throughout Europe. … Her pictures captured the essence of a plant in a way that photography rarely can, and made identification much easier than was previously the case.” – The Guardian (UK)
Male Dancers Say Homophobia And Misogyny (Yes, Misogyny) Still Cloud Their Careers
The recent #BoysDanceToo discussion – and the need for that discussion – highlighted the issue that boys and men who become dancers, especially ballet dancers, face bullying and homophobia offstage, and, if they’re gay or bi, problems of heteronormativity onstage. – NBC
A New, Young Generation Of Fashion Photographers Is Changing The Genre
These photographers have the covers of (American) Vogue or (British) Vogue, gain access to their subjects for portraits on social media, and change the way the people they photograph are thought about – and maybe treated. “It is easy to point to magazine covers as markers of changing times, but many of these photographers didn’t wait for the old-guard titles to bestow approval, forging partnerships with brands such as Nike, Apple and Tiffany & Co.” And, of course, “platforms such as Instagram have helped democratise the creative industries.” – The Guardian (UK)
Call It The End Of A (Millennials-Long) Era: Convents And Monasteries Are Dying
In Europe, an entire way of life is ending. “Around 1960, there were still about 110,000 nuns and monks in Germany. Twenty years ago, there were 38,348. Now, there are about 17,900.” But what to do with all of the art, architecture, land, and so much more? Er, how about student housing? “The students bring life into the convent. When they party on the field behind their building in the summer, it’s the superior general who has to deal with the calls from unhappy neighbors.” – Der Spiegel
Dance Class Helps A Child-Turned-Adult Movie Star Feel Normal
Keke Palmer came to fame playing Queen Latifah’s niece, and 17 years later, she’s about to become the host for the third hour of Good Morning America (oh, and she plays a part in the new movie Hustlers as well). How does she relax and stay focused? Dance, of course. “Fame is extremely traumatic,” she says, but dancing helps her find friends and just feel like a normal person in the struggle of a challenging class. – The New York Times
Protecting The Playwright’s Art Through Residencies
When playwrights get company residencies, they learn a lot – how seasons are put together, what kinds of casts theatres are looking for, and how not to take it personally when their plays don’t get selected. But they have to choose carefully. Luis Alfaro: “You know how to see a play, how to read a play, how to understand a play. And that’s more beautiful than trying to help figure out the architecture of a new building.” – HowlRound
The Science Of Attraction Actually Does Make Two Hearts Beat As One
How can that be real? Chemistry, biology, physics … “The real measure of whether two people hit it off is how much they synchronise internal bodily functions, like heart rate and sweating.” – New Scientist
The Biggest Surprises, And Snubs, Of The Emmys
Well, let’s start with the snubbing of Veep and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but there were others. (Here’s the complete list of winners, too.) – Variety
Michelle Williams Wins An Emmy And Uses It To Stump For Equal Access And Pay For Women Of Color
Williams, who won for playing Gwen Verdon in Fosse/Verdon, said, “The next time a woman — and especially a woman of color, because she stands to make 52 cents on the dollar compared to her white, male counterpart — tells you what she needs in order to do her job, listen to her. Believe her. Because one day she might stand in front of you and say thank you for allowing her to succeed because of her workplace environment and not in spite of it.” – The New York Times