“The awful thing is, I’m very aware when I’m being difficult, but I’m usually so scared. And that’s shaming, at the age one is. Because every time I start anything, I think, ‘This time I’m going to be like Jude, and it will all be lovely, it will be merry and bright, the Quaker will come out in me.’ But it never works.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Pantone System Of Color Standards We Now Use? It Was Based On Birds
Yes, indeed – it was first developed by an ornithologist in 1886; he expanded it for the rest of us in 1912. Allison Meier explains.
Where Saturday Night Live’s Trump Administration Satire Goes Flat
While the bits with Alec Baldwin (as Trump) and Melissa McCarthy (as press secretary Sean Spicer) tend to be solid, argues David Sims, “the rest of SNL‘s political satire, such as Saturday’s cold open that framed Attorney General Jeff Sessions as Forrest Gump, often leans on presenting the Trump administration as cheerfully unaware or low on brainpower. It’s a more toothless approach that’s far easier for viewers of all political viewpoints to dismiss.”
If Pundits Are Going To Review Trump’s Performance As A Speechmaker, They Should Take Some Notes From Real Critics
As Slate‘s Jamelle Bouie noted in disgust the morning after Trump’s speech to Congress, “This morning is a good reminder that so much of what passes for political analysis is just theater criticism.” Alyssa Rosenberg responds: “On behalf of critics everywhere, I take a minor amount of umbrage: After all, we generally set higher standards for performances than ‘basic competence,’ and we tend to address style as well as substance. But … maybe political commentators could stand to take a few tips from those of us who practice criticism for a living.” Rosenberg offers three good ones.
Arts Coverage In The Black Press In The Jim Crow Era
“The black press flourished in the United States during these years, providing rich, varied reporting on political and cultural happenings that mainstream press outlets distorted or ignored. Critics and reporters on the arts beat not only brought to light the creative output of black artists, but also investigated the role the arts played in the long struggle against oppression, as well as the economic and cultural impact of the arts on black communities and the United States as a whole.”
An Obituary For The NEA, Dead At 52 ‘Of Unnatural Causes’
“After brushes with extinction in the 1980s and 1990s, along with a three-decade wait to be launched after the McCarthy-era’s relentless attacks on artists, police are describing the NEA’s demise as ‘totally preventable, but oddly, both a homicide and a suicide.'”
‘The 50 Greatest Conductors Of All Time’, Per Gramophone Magazine
Let the arguments begin!
Can Lyric Opera Of Chicago Survive The 21st Century?, Asks Leading Chicago Business Magazine
Lyric general director Anthony Freud, along with the company’s CFO and board chairman, remember the days (the ’90s and before) when their season sold out on subscription, describe the extra attention they’re offering subscribers today, and list half a dozen strategies they’re using to strengthen operations and increase income (which has been suffering).
‘Breaking The Glass-Slipper Ceiling’ – Celia Fushille Marks 10 Years Running Smuin Ballet
“She’s one of nine women around the globe, from Toronto to Paris and Memphis to Miami, who head dance companies with annual budgets of $2.5 million or more.”
Pennsylvania Ballet Cuts Back On Balanchine, Adds More Corella
“Though the Pennsylvania Ballet has long been considered a Balanchine company, it will perform fewer of his works than usual. [Artistic director Ángel] Corella has maintained that he is not a choreographer, but he is creating three new [story] ballets.”