“The biggest public charity in New England,” the Boston Foundation, “is changing the way it hands out millions of dollars to a wide range of community groups, giving more money to those it considers to be the most effective and cutting funding to others.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Dance Training Is What Let Patrick Swayze Smolder
“Look at Swayze in Dirty Dancing, and you can see that attentiveness, that focus: his ‘hungry eyes’ fixed on hers, his concentration on her performance. It’s both powerfully romantic and deeply sexy, and Swayze clinches it not because of his acting but because he learned dance partnering.”
Violin-Repair Shop Runs Afoul Of The Law
“[T]ucked into the nooks and crannies of the city are thousands of microbusinesses, bookbinders and jewelry makers, pet groomers and Pilates trainers. If they are prudent enough not to bother the neighbors, most of them escape official notice, even if they are in violation of zoning laws.” One violin-repair shop isn’t so lucky.
How To Make A Fortune Acting On B’way (Hint: Be A Star)
“Broadway money will never be Hollywood money, of course. But with a hit show, a big star can do quite nicely — especially when the lifting, in a production like ‘A Steady Rain,’ isn’t especially heavy.”
With Censorship, Glasgow Tarnishes Its Cultural Crown
Culture and Sport Glasgow has exercised “troubling scrutiny” over the Gallery of Modern Art’s “Sh(OUT) exhibition, a taboo-shattering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex collection. Despite the irony in censoring a show that promotes equality and human rights, CSG and GoMA have been practising just that from the outset.”
Author Weighs In On His Advance-Copy Lending Library
Stephen Elliott let anyone who wanted to read an advance copy of his memoir, “The Adderall Diaries,” “do so, provided they forwarded the book within a week to the next reader.” Hundreds responded, and publicity ensued — but was it worth the effort?
Pirated Lost Symbol Is Already Online
“The Lost Symbol was available for download via peer-to-peer sites including The Pirate Bay and Scribd.com on Wednesday morning. ‘Thank you so much! You just made my day. :)’ said one Scribd user, while another requested that the book file be sent to their email.”
For A Conductor, How Much Work Is Too Much?
Christoph Eschenbach’s dozen-orchestra, multi-tour season schedule looks punishing. “The slightly frightening thing is that this workload is about par for the course for a major international conductor. But it does raise questions about a human’s ability to sustain a high level of performance, week after week.”
Why The Cleveland Museum’s Court Bid Is A Bad Thing
Last fall, the Cleveland Museum of Art found itself in the midst of both a major expansion/renovation and a financial jam. “To be able to proceed, the museum … has gone to court for permission to draw up to $75 million over 10 years from the interest paid out on two endowment funds and two outside, restricted trusts for acquisitions.” It’s a troubling move.
Harry Potter, The Theme Park
A “so-called theme park within a theme park,” Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter “will be faithful to the visual landscapes of the Harry Potter films produced by Warner Brothers…. ‘We’ve tried to include something from every book,'” an art director for the movies said.