A court upheld the conviction of Palestinian poet, artist, and curator Ashraf Fayadh for apostasy – a charge that originally came out of an argument Fayadh had with another man in a cafe.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Ai Weiwei’s Latest Controversy: He Poses For Photo As Drowned Refugee Child
On the pro side: “powerful tribute”; “iconic image”.
On the con side: “egotistical victim porn”; “an opportunist move to hitchhike onto a current tragedy”.
Benjamin Millepied Tells Why He’s Leaving Paris Opera Ballet
“‘I want to regain my freedom and I want to create,’ he said. ‘I’ve been honored to be given the opportunity to work at the Opera and with the dancers, but this job, as it exists today, is not something I want.’ Mr. Millepied declined to speak about other factors that might have contributed to his decision, but his discontent with various aspects of his role has been well documented over the past few months.”
Harper’s Editor Fired After Three Months On The Job
“A person familiar with the dispute said that tensions flared during a recent meeting, when [editor Christopher] Cox presented his plans to redesign the magazine’s cover. [Publisher John R.] MacArthur opposed the change. … Harper’s, published monthly, is a nonprofit publication that is supported in large part by Mr. MacArthur’s personal wealth.”
Renée Fleming: Next Season Will See ‘My Last Mainstream Opera Appearances’
“I don’t want anyone saying that I sang such-and-such a thing better five years ago. So I’ve decided that Rosenkavalier at Covent Garden and the Met next season will be my last mainstream opera appearances. It’s not retirement – I might be tempted by something newly written, but I’m not going to cling on. There’s plenty else I want to do.”
L.A. Phil’s Young Wonder-Woman Conductor Named Music Director Of City Of Birmingham Symphony
She’s 29-year-old Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (just call her Mirga) from Lithuania, and she begins her term this September. Her predecessors at the CBSO are Andris Nelsons, Sakari Oramo, and Simon Rattle – and look what they’ve gone on to.
Bob Elliott, 92, Half Of Comedy Duo Bob And Ray
“He and the late Ray Goulding were among the drollest and most inventive pop-culture satirists of their generation as writers, producers and actors. … A hallmark of Bob and Ray comedy was bone-dry delivery of the absurd. With masterly comic timing – Mr. Elliott with a nasal deadpan, Goulding with booming authority – Bob and Ray mocked the cliches and banalities of newscasts, politics, sports and advertising.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 02.03.16
We Asked: What’s the Biggest Challenge Facing the Arts?
Last week we conducted our first ArtsJournal poll, asking: What’s the biggest challenge facing the arts? We had 3,191 votes, with the largest percentage – 37% – answering funding. Second at 24% was “relevance/changing tastes” … read more
AJBlog: Diacritical Published 2016-02-03
History boy
There are productions I’ve never seen that are burned onto my brain. As a teenage Shakespeare geek, I devoured books on stage history, describing landmark productions staged long before I was born. I read … read more
AJBlog: Performance Monkey Published 2016-02-03
Bob Elliott, R.I.P.
Bob Elliott, who died yesterday at the age of ninety-two, was the longer-lived member of Bob & Ray, a much-loved comedy team whose subtle, at times near-surrealistic routines were developed for radio and never sounded … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-02-03
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Sydney Theatres Sit Empty 71% Of The Time, While Companies Are Desperate For Affordable Venues
“The Sydney Theatre Report 2015 identified a severe shortage of affordable, suitable theatre venues in Sydney. There are currently no venues available for hire with less than 100 seats or under $2000 per week in rental.”
In Defense Of Instagramming Your Food
“It reflects a very human thing, a thing that has been part of culture, and for that matter of religion, for millennia: the desire to share our meals with other people. … To take a picture of a meal, and to share that picture with friends and family with the help of the World Wide Web – that may be an act of performance, but it’s also an act of invitation. It’s extending, basically, the number of people at one’s table.”