“To calm down, to catch my breath, I had to step out of the Royal Opera House and walk around part of Covent Garden. … [Frederick Ashton’s A Month in the Country], new earlier that year and entirely new to me, featured Lynn Seymour and Anthony Dowell. And it was hitting me, a young man from a farming family, like a body blow.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Why Judith Jamison Became A Dancer
“When I was studying dance, I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, I want to be a dancer.’ That was not in my mind. It was like, ‘Oh, people are applauding! I’m having a ball!'”
Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin And The Good Wife
“The circumstances are different … but the parallels are uncanny – a charismatic, promising Democratic politician undone by his libido, and his smart, accomplished wife keeping it together. What can Weiner and Abedin learn from the Florricks about how to handle the aftermath of a public disgrace?”
Pandora Adds New Classical Channels
“Classical music did not figure large in [the online service’s] original plans. However, finding that its classical stations were performing slightly better than market share indicated they should, the company has made a significant push … The result: three new classical stations, available as of today, with a Goldilocks array of choices.”
Joni Mitchell Has Had It With Her Hometown
Fed up with the city’s four or more failed attempts to set up a museum or memorial in her honour, the singer said, “Saskatoon has always been an extremely bigoted community. It’s like the deep south … I feel that it’s very isolated, very unworldly, and doesn’t grasp the idea of honour … People don’t get me there. They don’t get my ideas. They just look at me like I’m famous.”
What Does Martin Amis Really Think Of Younger Writers?
“I think you’re irritated by your youngers and tend to be respectful of your elders. When I hear about some sensational new writer I sort of think, Shut up … you’ve got to be around for a long time before you can really say you’re a writer. You’ve got to stand the test of time, which is the only real test there is.”
It’s True: Jeffrey Deitch Is Stepping Down As Director Of LA-MOCA
“Deitch, who made history as the first commercial art dealer to head a major U.S. museum, has told the museum’s board members that he plans to leave with two years left on his five-year contract, according to two board members.”
In Pictures: The Ups And Downs Of Deitch’s Tenure At MOCA
A graphic overview of the highs (“Art in the Streets”, a new YouTube channel) and lows (staff exodus, Mercedes-Benz show, commissioning and then whitewashing a mural) of Jeffrey Deitch’s tumultuous three years heading the Museum of Contemporary Art.
U.S. House Republicans Propose Massive Cuts To NEA, NEH
Legislation now moving through the Appropriations Committee would reduce the budgets of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities by $71 million each. Funding for the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art would be cut by almost one-fifth.
Could The HBO Model Work For The Rest Of The Arts?
“Is the new wave of quality TV transferable to other forms of art and entertainment? Can a movie distributor, jazz club, theater company, book publisher or any other cultural institution produce its own Deadwood – and sustain it? Is the cable model – small audiences, subscription fees, big buzz – something that can be replicated?”