“You can read Volume 1 online and Volume 2 should be dropping any day now.” The publication’s mission? “Taco Bell Quarterly is the literary magazine for the Taco Bell Arts and Letters. We’re a reaction against everything. The gatekeepers. The taste-makers. The hipsters. Health food. Artists Who Wear Cute Scarves. Bitch-ass Wendy’s. We seek to demystify what it means to literary, artistic, important, and elite.” – Literary Hub
Author: Matthew Westphal
Polonium, The Opera: Work About Poisoning Of Alexander Litvinenko Is Coming
The Life & Death of Alexander Litvinenko, with music by Anthony Bolton and a libretto by Kit Hesketh-Harvey based on the book Death of a Dissident by Litvinenko’s widow, premieres this July at Grange Park Opera in England. Reporter Mark Brown talks to Marina Litvinenko, Anthony Bolton, and Grange Park director Wasfi Kani. – The Guardian
More And More Men Are Dancing On Pointe
And it’s not just the Trockaderos and Cinderella’s mean stepsisters, either. Gilbert Bolden of New York City Ballet, James Whiteside of ABT, Bennet Gartside of The Royal Ballet, and Raffaele Morra of (yes) the Trocks talk about how and why guys dance on their toes. – Dance Spirit
Arts Venues Is Britain May Be Required By Law To Protect Against Terrorism
“Home Office officials are to launch a consultation on legally forcing organisations to increase physical security at venues and train staff to respond to terrorist attacks, as well as putting in place incident response plans – and how failure to comply would be enforced.” – The Guardian
After 23 Years, The Team That Created ‘How I Learned To Drive’ Brings It To Broadway
Laura Collins-Hughes talks to playwright Paula Vogel, director Mark Brokaw, and actors Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse talk about the original 1997 Off-Broadway production and why they’ve always wanted to reunite and return to the play. – The New York Times
Lisel Mueller, Who Turned The Pain Of Fleeing The Nazis Into Award-Winning Verse, Dead At 96
“[She] fled Hitler’s Germany as a teenager and became a [multiple-]prize-winning poet in the United States, drawing on her family history for lyrical works about love, art, nature and loss, acknowledging pain even as she looked outward with joy.” – The Washington Post
Has Anything Really Changed In Hollywood Since The Harvey Weinstein Case Broke? Actually, Yes
“Structural problems, such as Hollywood’s persistent lack of women in positions of power and key creative roles, will take years to adequately address. Still, on top of the specific changes to industry practices, advocates say there’s a strong sense that the underlying standards of behavior toward women in the industry have changed in significant ways.” Here are five ways in which progress has been real. – Los Angeles Times
‘Simpsons’ Actor Hank Azaria Explains Why He Won’t Do The Voice Of Apu Anymore
“Once I realized that that was the way this character was thought of, I just didn’t want to participate in it anymore. … The character of Apu was done with love and pride and the best of intentions. My message is, things can be done with really good intentions and have negative consequences.” – The New York Times
We Will Buy No More Art For LACMA, Says Foundation That Funded Acquisitions For 60 Years
“The Ahmanson’s gift program, which has paid for 114 paintings and 15 sculptures, is the backbone of the museum’s widely admired European art collection.” And why is that program being ended? Because director Michael Govan’s plans (including the new building) mean that “Ahmanson gifts acquired over decades at LACMA curators’ specific request will end up in storage for unknown periods of time — even though they were bought for permanent display.” – Los Angeles Times
AGMA Was Going To Keep Its Report On Plácido Domingo Quiet, And Domingo Was Going To Pay AGMA $500K. Now The Deal’s Off
“The deal they were working on — which called for the union, the American Guild of Musical Artists, to limit its public statements about the inquiry and for Mr. Domingo to pay the union $500,000 — fell apart on Tuesday after details of the investigation were leaked overnight.” – The New York Times