“Subtly subversive in his fiction – less so in his left-wing political writing – he consistently upended expectations with a cocktail of fiction and fact, remixed in book after book; with clever and substantive manipulations of popular genres like the Western and the detective story; and with his myriad storytelling strategies.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Three Black Female Dance Legends Sitting Around Talking
“Why is [Misty Copeland’s] breakthrough possible now, and what does this civil rights triumph mean for the future of ballet’s performers and its audience? Copeland and … Raven Wilkinson and Carmen de Lavallade joined us live on stage for a conversation on July 17, moderated by writer and producer Susan Fales-Hill.” (video)
Theodore Bikel, Actor, Singer, And Social Activist, Dead At 91
“In a protean acting career, he played King Lear and other Shakespearean roles and appeared in countless television shows, from The Twilight Zone to Gunsmoke to Dynasty” – to say nothing of giving more than 2,000 performances as Tevye and creating the role of Captain von Trapp. “[He] could speak nine languages and sing in 21 … [and] helped found the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 07.21.15
A Museum Innovation With Legs – And Twists
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2015-07-21
Lookback: the discovery of death
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2015-07-21
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Charlie Hebdo Will Be Publishing No More Cartoons Of Muhammad
Editor Laurent Sourisseau: “We have drawn Muhammad to defend the principle that one can draw whatever one wants, … [but] the mistakes you could blame Islam for can be found in other religions. … We’ve done our job. We have defended the right to caricature.”
The Confused Thinking Behind the Kimono Protests at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts
“There is a great deal to unpack here, so let’s begin with the claims. These are principally that at worst the museum produced a racist event, or at the least one that was culturally insensitive and exploitive.” (Don’t miss the reader comments, more thoughtful than usual.)
Gawker’s Scandal Turns Into An Existential Crisis
“Since the scandal [over a near-universally-reviled article] broke on Thursday, Gawker has been having what can best be described as a nervous breakdown. What started as internal conflict over a journalism judgment call (or lack of one) has metastasized into an existential crisis about just, what, exactly, is Gawker? “
Turnaround Begins: Atlanta Symphony Posts Surplus After 11 Years Of Deficits
A spokesman for the Woodruff Arts Center, the ASO’s parent organization, “said early numbers show revenues exceeding expenses by a ‘solid six figures.’ ASO musicians, who went nine weeks without pay during the lockout [that began the season], will share 22 percent of the surplus.”
Tennessee Preachers Try – And Fail – To Stop Youth Theater Production Of ‘Rent’
“In a scenario out of Footloose, a Tullahoma clergyman tried to unite local church leaders in opposition to a production of the musical Rent, performed by a mostly teen-aged cast. … [But] the only outward protest was a prayer circle of three to four people outside the theatre on opening night.” (includes Q&A with the show’s director)
How ‘Go Set A Watchman’ Solves The Riddle Of Harper Lee
“Watchman may leave Mockingbird fans equally horrified, and critics disappointed, but it’s a crucial biographical document. For every question it raises about its profoundly famous and private 89-year-old author, it also answers a mystery or two about Lee’s life and motivations.”