“A number of cinemas in France are cancelling screenings of The Conjuring 2 following troublesome occurrences of ‘loud laughter’, ‘hysterical yelling’ and violent altercations.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Artist Detained By Iran For ‘Disturbing The Public Peace’ With His Work
“Parviz Tanavoli, whose passport border officials confiscated last week at Tehran’s international airport, said … ‘I learnt this morning in court that the police had accused me of publishing false information and disturbing the public peace. They told me my sculptures are examples of disturbing the public peace.'”
The Time James Baldwin Trolled The FBI (It Totally Worked)
“In July of 1964, the FBI got ahold of a document which contained incontrovertible evidence of a plot against them – the latest issue of Playbill.”
Creative Industries Contribute Almost £10 Million *An Hour* To UK Economy
“New government figures have revealed just how important our filmmakers, musicians, artists and other creatives are to our economy, contributing £84 billion a year. The number of jobs in creative industries has risen nearly 20 per cent since 2011 to 1.9 million.”
Harlequin Romances Is Starting A Literary Fiction Imprint
“The publisher … is launching an imprint called Park Row Books, dedicated to ‘thought-provoking and voice-driven novels’ that have ‘mainstream appeal.’ The first books are scheduled for the summer of 2017.”
World’s Largest Orchestra, With More Than 7,500 Players, Performs In Germany
“On Saturday, 7,548 musicians assembled in a Frankfurt sports stadium to smash the world record for largest musical ensemble. … The orchestra performed the 9th symphonies of Dvorak and Beethoven, as well as lighter numbers by Andrew Lloyd Webber and pop music composer John Miles.” (includes video)
What It’s Like To Get Naked And Turn Blue For Spencer Tunick
“I was silently bombarding myself with questions: ‘Did I remember to shave my armpits?’, ‘Will people notice the freckle on my bum?’ and the big one: ‘What if I’m dyed Avatar blue forever?’ As it happens, my fears were totally unfounded; it was the best and most surreal morning of my life.”
Disappeared Hong Kong Bookseller, Now Back Home, Says He’s Being Followed And May Flee To Taiwan
Lam Wing-Kee, one of five booksellers who vanished from Hong Kong last year and turned up in the People’s Republic confessing to “mistakes” on TV, says mainland agents are tailing him “without restraint” and has requested protection from Hong Kong police.
This Company Doesn’t Make Forgeries Of Great Art, It Makes ‘Clones’
Artevera “promises to produce ‘clones’ of any work of art ‘with stunning accuracy’ according to their full-color brochure. … Such an audacious business plan could only originate in the state of the Home Shopping Network and the birthplace of schemes for fleecing retirees: Florida.”
Six UK Museums Have Installed Fake Paintings To See If Visitors Can Spot Them
“The secret ‘heist’ has been orchestrated by Sky Arts as part of a month-long national art competition for the new television series Fake! The Great Masterpiece Challenge, where the public are invited to have a go at spotting the counterfeit paintings displayed at six different galleries in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London and Manchester.”