“The lesbian drama starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara made a strong showing, taking Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography” – although, in an upset, not Blanchett for Best Actress.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Theatre Gets Its Own Bechdel Test
The British theatre company Sphinx’s test “asks how prominently female characters feature in the action, whether they are proactive or reactive, whether the character avoids stereotype and how the character interacts with other women.”
World’s Most Rarefied Pin-Up Calendar Now Features Not Gisele Bündchen And Kate Moss, But Fran Lebowitz And Yoko Ono
For 50 years, the Pirelli Calendar has been an “arty soft-core ode to pinups produced by the Italian tire manufacturer, shot by renowned photographers, starring supermodels, and never sold but given to an exclusive group of 20,000 VIPs, musicians, politicians and royalty.’ … But that was then.
The Peculiar Ascent Of Bill Murray To Secular Saint
“One aspires to the suaveness of George Clooney or the intensity of Daniel Day-Lewis, and perhaps enjoys their movies, but no one buys the T-shirt. There are murals of Bill Murray that decorate the interiors of bars from Toronto to Sydney, and tattoos of the actor’s face inked onto the arms and calves of 20- and 30-somethings. Tumblr blogs celebrate his awesomeness. It’s clear that he has come to symbolize something. But what, exactly?”
For Tap-Dance Genius Michelle Dorrance, The MacArthur Award May Change Everything – But Not Yet
“I don’t have [the award] yet, so I’m still poor. The first year, I’ll pay off as much debt as possible, and put the rest aside for taxes – it’s not a fun answer. Then, of course, I should probably have a savings account or IRA. I’m 36.”
How Did Consciousness Become a Scientific Issue?
“Medieval theologians did not sit around debating the ontological status of zombies. They knew for a fact that humans are conscious and built a system of control and punishment around this principle. … Among scientists today, consciousness is being hailed as one of the prime intellectual challenges. … Given that it was off the table of science for so long, why is it now becoming such a hot research subject?”
Japan Is Covering Its Military With Cute Anime Characters
“But this kawaii imagery is neither conceived of nor perceived as disrespectful. Rather, it’s a testament to the deep ambivalence the Japanese retain about both the history and the changing role of their armed forces.”
Is Comparing The President To Gollum A Criminal Insult? Asks Turkish Court
The trial of a Turkish man accused of insulting the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, by comparing him to Gollum has been adjourned so that a group of experts can study JRR Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings character, Turkish media has reported.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.02.15
Nicole Johänntgen
The Rifftides staff does not plan to observe the season by loading the blog with jazz versions of Christmas songs. There may be exceptions. The first exception is a video brought to our attention … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-12-02
Say Hello to A Better Goodbye
An interviewer recently asked me about influences. I told her about a number of journalists in Chicago back in the day. Among them was John Schulian, a sportswriter whose 1,000-word columns four times a week … read more
AJBlog: Straight|Up Published 2015-12-02
Snapshot: a 1961 TV interview with Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer is interviewed by John Freeman on Face to Face, originally telecast on the BBC in 1961. … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2015-12-02
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Joffrey Foundation Says Joffrey Ballet Owes It $373K In Licensing Fees
“In a startling move Tuesday, four days before the Joffrey Ballet opens its final run of Robert Joffrey’s Nutcracker on Friday, the Gerald Arpino and Robert Joffrey Foundation announced that it had filed a demand for arbitration to compel the Joffrey Ballet to pay seven years’ worth of allegedly unpaid compensation, an amount it claims is about $373,000.”