Author: Matthew Westphal

The Movie Star, Her Gangster Boyfriend, Her Daughter With A Knife, And The Massive Hit Movies Based On Them

“This is one matter when it comes to art imitating an adult woman’s life, even when that woman’s life encompassed a number of scandalous relationships; it would be another matter when the movies started to imitate Lana Turner’s daughter’s life. By the time Cheryl Crane was 14, and watching her unstable home life reflected back to her in one of her mother’s biggest hit movies, reality and fantasy must have seemed pretty confused.” (podcast plus text)

On The ‘Baby Hitler’ Question: Are Historical ‘What-Ifs’ Really A Waste Of Time?

“In order to truly answer this apparently silly hypothetical, you have to define your own beliefs about the nature of progress, the inherent contingency of events, and the influence of individuals – even very charismatic ones – on the flow of historical change. These are big, important questions. If well-done counterfactuals can help us think them through, shouldn’t we allow what-ifs some space at the history table?”

Make Others Trust You By Spilling Coffee All Over Yourself

“Highly competent people can make themselves appear more approachable by committing a pratfall. A small blunder makes them seem a little vulnerable, and this vulnerability makes them seem approachable and warm. The effectiveness of this strategy debunks the common assumption that trust is something that can only be built slowly over time. By making yourself vulnerable, it’s possible to build trust in less time than it takes to mop up a spilled latte.”

Are Films Of Shakespeare Too Faithful?

“Whereas filmmakers feel comfortable taking artistic license when adapting novels or the works of most other playwrights, there’s an unwritten rule that Shakespearean dialogue is so precious as to be locked in, that the stories cannot be tampered with in any significant way. Directors update the setting … but more often than not the core storyline and dialogue remain virtually untouched. … One has to wonder if film’s apparent reverence towards Shakespeare is too restrictive, when cinema allows for so much possibility.”

Royal Ballet Principal Bryony Brind, 55

“[She] made world headlines in 1982 when, aged just 22, she was picked out of the Royal Ballet’s junior ranks by Rudolf Nureyev to become his partner at Covent Garden. … But in the pressure of public glare her career faded in less than a decade. She then acquired a new celebrity when she stepped out (platonically) with Prince Michael of Kent and became the romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland’s daughter-in-law.”

Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.08.15

The Ideation Summit: Transforming Stakeholders into Collaborators
Conversations about critical issues happen all the time. Conferences, blogs and community meetings offer any number of opportunities to raise and share experiences with these issues. And yet, we experience seemingly endless discussion with little discernible progress towards shared solutions. … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-12-08

Driving While …
An October article in the New York Times presented research into the nature of the African-American experience of police traffic stops. … This blog is about the arts and community engagement so one might think the issue is not relevant. But any effort to connect with new communities demands understanding those communities. … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2015-12-08

Cautionary words
You might think – given my views on the future of classical music – that I’d welcome what I heard at the Kennedy Center Friday night, when the National Symphony played Ben Folds’ Piano Concerto …  … read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2015-12-08

The Ailey Dancers Welcome In the Holidays
During the curtain call at City Center that followed the world premiere of Robert Battle’s Awakening, the twelve members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater joined the audience in clapping enthusiastically for him. … This was the first new dance made for the AAADT by its artistic director. … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2015-12-08

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Is Using Classical Music To Fall Asleep Disrespectful To The Art Form?

J. Bryan Lowder: “The same music that you’d be chastised for dozing off to during a concert is available for precisely that purpose when you get home. Why does the taboo apply in one place and not the other? … I’m happily using a Cy Twombly piece as my iPhone background right now; should using a Beethoven sonata as nightcap really feel any different?”

NPR’s Diane Rehm Announces Retirement

“My thinking is that I’ll stay on the air until the election because I really want to see how this will go. My feeling is, I have a number of ideas and I’m perfectly happy doing something different … where I’m not forced to get up at 5 a.m. every morning to prepare for a show. I’ve been doing that for 37 years. Maybe I’ll get to sleep until 7 or 7:30 a.m., like other people do.”

Man Sues Met Museum For Having ‘Racist’ Paintings Of An ‘Aryan’ Jesus

The plaintiff described such paintings as The Resurrection by Perugino and The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes by Tintoretto as “offensive aesthetic whitewashing” because the real Jesus of Nazareth had “black hair like wool and skin of bronze color” like he does. The suit claims the museum and the city of New York are violating his rights under the First Amendment and the Civil Rights Act.