It seems that the Monument Men, the admired group of Allied soldiers and art scholars who worked to rescue works looted by the Axis powers, were only human.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Blockbuster Video To Close All U.S. Stores
“The video chain that a decade ago made moguls tremble with its stranglehold on video rentals will be gone in January: Dish Network, which paid $234M to take Blockbuster out of bankruptcy in early 2011, said today that it will close the 300 remaining U.S. retail stores as well as its distribution centers.”
History Channel Plans To Remake Roots
“History is taking on one of most celebrated TV programs of all time, blockbuster 1977 miniseries Roots. The cable network is planning a new eight-hour Roots miniseries after acquiring rights to the 12-hour original.”
Bolshoi Ballet Director Testifies In Acid Attack Trial
“Sergei Filin, the Bolshoi Theater ballet artistic director who suffered serious burns over his face and body from an acid attack earlier this year, made an emotional appearance in court Wednesday, speaking publicly for the first and likely last time.”
Opposition Grows To Tsiskaridze’s Appointment To Vaganova Ballet Academy
“Nearly 100 representatives of the St. Petersburg ballet community have spoken out against the unexpected appointment last week of former Bolshoi Theater star Nikolai Tsiskaridze as acting rector of the city’s venerable Vaganova Ballet Academy.”
Can “The Book To End All Books” Possibly Work As A Play?
“In a draughty industrial building in the heart of Birmingham, four actors and a director are trying to do the impossible: turn The Anatomy of Melancholy, one of the sacred monsters of English literature, into a stage show that clocks in at a little over two hours. Where on earth do you begin?”
More Evidence Bilingualism Delays Onset Of Dementia
The research from India “provides evidence that bilingualism slows the onset of three different types of dementia. It’s also the first study to show this dynamic also applies to the illiterate – a finding that suggests the protective effect of bilingualism ‘cannot be reduced to differences in education’.”
UK Performing Arts Producers Cheer Tax Change
“Producers have welcomed the government’s decision to reform taxes for entertainers, meaning employers will no longer pay National Insurance contributions, calling the move a ‘relief'” that could free up more money to be spent on presenting work.
New $20K Prize For Dramatic Sopranos
Elizabeth Connell, the dramatic soprano who died last year at age 65, left in her will an endowment for a competition for developing singers in her difficult-to-fill Fach, with a top prize of $20,000 (Aus) and an audition at Covent Garden. The inaugural event will take place in Sydney in 2014, with Richard Bonynge leading the jury.
How the Brain Gets Addicted To Gambling
“Ten years ago the idea that someone could become addicted to a habit like gambling the way a person gets hooked on a drug was controversial. … Now researchers agree that in some cases gambling is a true addiction” that rewires the brain the way some drugs do.