“(Literature) should not be reduced to politics, obviously, because human experience is more than politics. But also, human experience is never without politics.” – Toronto Star
Author: Douglas McLennan
How The New Irish National Opera Has Helped Irish Opera
More Irish singers are being heard in more varied roles than at any other stage in my professional lifetime. Irish works are being taken abroad. The company has been rewarded with international awards and award nominations. – Irish Times
Netflix Says 26 Million Watched “The Irishman” In Its First Week
“The Irishman,” released on Netflix on Nov. 27, is expected to be watched by about 40 million Netflix households in its first month, Sarandos said. That would be well below other Netflix hits, such as the science-fiction thriller “Bird Box,” that drew 80 million households during its first four weeks. – Los Angeles Times
The Wonder Of Merce Cunningham In 3D
We watch the dancers from close up and on all sides, our proximity enhanced by the magic of 3-D. The elegance of the cinematography (by Mko Malkhasyan) turns these passages into the stanzas of a visual poem. – The New Yorker
Hungarian Government Plans More Control Over Theatres
“This proposal would eliminate cultural diversity, which stems from freedom — which means artists are not kept on a political leash,” Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony said. The Hungarian Theatre Society also issued a statement saying the plan would curtail artistic freedoms in an unacceptable way. – Reuters
Theme Park Workers File Suit Against Disney Over Low Wages: “We’re Living In Cars!”
A new class action lawsuit, filed Friday in California Superior Court and announced in a press advisory Monday, argues that the Walt Disney Company, worth approximately $130 billion as of this year, failed to pay hundreds of those workers a living wage. The complaint was filed by five Disney employees on behalf of more than 400 hospitality workers. – The Daily Beast
Michelangelo And The “Architectural Project From Hell”
In the early years of the 16th century, Pope Julius II had initiated renovations when it became clear that the ancient basilica, completed around AD 360 on the site believed to be St Peter’s tomb, was at serious risk of collapse. At first, almost no one proposed remaking it entirely. The new St Peter’s took shape slowly, and for all its spiritual symbolism it was the architectural project from hell. Imagine a century of Grand Designs specials with one pope after another playing the despairing client and you get the picture. – Literary Review
Thanos Creator Protests Trump Tweet Depicting Trump As Thanos (Clearly He Hadn’t Seen The Movie)
The scene comes from Avengers: Endgame, when Thanos says “I am inevitable” and snaps his fingers in an attempt to destroy all existing life in the Universe, only to discover his gauntlet no longer has the power. The responses on Twitter included one from historian and author Kevin M Kruse, who noted: “You’ve made Trump a supervillain and depicted him in the scene where his plan to kill everyone in the universe falls apart due to his arrogance and incompetence.” – BBC
How Brexit Will Affect Independent UK Publishers
There is an ever-increasing fear that smaller publishing houses may be put out of business as a result of potential changes to requirements surrounding distribution of literary materials. – The Boar
How NPR Changed The Voice Of Authority
NPR has kept speaking with many voices that would sound out of place on the air anywhere else. Many, if not most, have been female. As hosts and anchors, correspondents and reporters, women have played a key role in giving NPR its distinctive sound. – The Conversation