Bill Eddins: “And here we are. Can we finally have a revolutionary discussion? Or are we going to pretend, in the face of all contrary evidence, that the system still works?”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Why Pulitzer Winner Ayad Akhtar Wrote Disgraced
“I was at a dinner party in 2006 with some friends and talk turned to Islam and a couple of European friends were there … who I don’t think had identified me as Muslim, at least not in any operative sense. And I noticed in a very subtle way how that evening shifted their idea of me and it always – after that night, it always struck me that this would be a great idea for a play.”
Norwegian Government Tries To End Battle Over Munch Museum
“The Norwegian national government has indicated that it will help fund Oslo’s Munch Museum, as long as the city’s politicians can resolve their differences and the collection moves to a new building.”
Original Oklahoma! Cast Member, 70 Years On, Is Now Choreographing The Piece
“Gemze de Lappe first danced in Oklahoma! in 1943 as a member of the Broadway hit’s first national touring company. Seventy years later, at age 91, she’s still with it – choreographing a production of the musical at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.”
Watching Gemze De Lappe Choreograph Oklahoma! At Age 91
Hedy Weiss finds that de Lappe is “still fleet, disciplined, razor-sharp and funny.”
Why Doesn’t The Art Establishment Respect The Most Successful American Artist Since Warhol?
“Much has always been made of the fact that [Jeff] Koons is in league with the plutocrats and once worked on Wall Street, selling commodities. But he’s always been quick to refuse the art world’s carefully patrolled shibboleths – that work has personal meaning, that it must contain some social criticism, that it express ambivalence about the art market. Koons does not make ambivalent work.”
When Nobody Liked Kierkegaard
“His contemporaries saw him as a troublesome, quarrelsome figure. … The satirical weekly Corsair published nasty caricatures of him and mocked his writing and pseudonymous disguises. He was gossiped about when he broke his engagement to the 18-year-old Regine Olsen, and was feared by his targets, among them, Hans Christian Andersen.”
The Secret Of Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me‘s Success
Peter Sagal: “There was a temptation, when we first started doing the show … it was very competitive, and somewhat serious. … And it was unpleasant! We made a really conscious decision not to give a flying fig if the quiz was serious or if you won anything. I really do trace the success of our show to that decision: Nobody cares who wins or loses.”
Evolutionary Science Takes On Self-Deception
“Why do we lie to ourselves? That’s what evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers has spent 30 years trying to figure out.” He’s finally settled on an explanation – one that’s perhaps a bit depressing.
Venice Is Losing A Great Artwork, For A Really Dumb Reason
Jerry Saltz: “Here we go again. A handful of politicians and citizens get their low-information artistic panties in a twist, get insulted by whatever work of public art they decide offends them … Especially if there’s a penis or vagina involved and if the location of the public sculpture happens to be one of the most extraordinary spaces in all of Christendom.”