Note: This is not an Onion story.
Author: Matthew Westphal
How (And How Not) To Argue Against Selling Off Detroit’s Art
Terry Teachout: “It’s only a matter of time before a less pusillanimous liberal commentator [than Peter Schjeldahl] reminds us of the pithy words of Bertolt Brecht: ‘Grub first, then ethics.’ Anybody who doesn’t want Detroit to sell its art must be prepared to go up against arguments like these. What’s more, the counterarguments will have to persuade locals who know how it feels to call the cops and get a busy signal.”
Bolshoi Ballet’s Wounded Director Hopes To Return To Work This Fall
“The Bolshoi ballet’s artistic director Sergei Filin said Thursday he hopes to return to work in Moscow in September even though his eyesight is still extremely limited after an attacker splashed acid in his face.”
Mexico Sees First-Ever Telenovela In Mayan
“It might be the cleanest Mexican soap opera around. The passionate love scenes that are a staple of the genre were reduced, bowing to conservative local sensibilities, to a few pecks on the cheek and hand-holding as innocent as junior high schoolers on a first date.”
Narco-Novellas: Mexico’s Novelists Take On The Drug Wars
“All wars have their bards, and Mexico’s narco wars are no exception. Since 2006, myriad fictions have been added to the torrent of news articles, academic studies, poetry, artworks, movies, telenovelas and music (the famous narcocorridos – corridos are narrative folk songs) about narco culture.”
Toronto Symphony CEO Resigns, Apparently From Exhaustion
As the board chairman’s announcement put it, “With the greatest reluctance I have accepted Andrew’s decision to retire later this year.” Andrew Shaw “is the guy who is largely credited with saving the TSO from disaster after its near-death crisis in 2001, when bankruptcy and scandal loomed, and the entire board of directors had to resign.”
After 10-Year Battle, London’s Hackney Empire Gets Insurers To Pay Up
The high court awarded the theatre “a payout of more than £1.1m from its insurers a decade after its building contractor went bust during refurbishments. The victory … means the arts venue will be able to clear its debts, not least to Hackney-born entrepreneur Alan Sugar, … who provided an interest-free loan that allowed the Empire to complete renovations.”
Simon Russell Beale Says Director-Led Seasons Are The Future Of West End Drama
The actor “has roundly endorsed the director-curated seasons currently being staged in the West End by Michael Grandage and Jamie Lloyd. … ‘It seems that a group of plays performed together under one umbrella might be the best way to put demanding drama on in the West End.'”
Nigerian Movie Industry Slowly Begins Acknowledging That Gay People Exist
The portrayals aren’t exactly flattering, though; Nollywood’s a long way from its own Brokeback Mountain.
In Ramadan Ratings Battle, Pakistani Talk-Show Host Gives Away Babies On Live TV
“Aamir Liaquat Hussain, a bespectacled 41-year-old with a neatly trimmed beard, gave away two abandoned infant girls to childless families last month and plans to give away a baby boy this week. ‘If we didn’t find this baby, a cat or a dog would have eaten it,’ Hussain proclaimed during one broadcast.”