Said the maestro and Putin confidante, “Why go to the Cathedral of Christ to make a political statement? Why with screaming and dancing? … I am told by too many people that those girls are potentially a very good business proposition. Suppose that someone created all this in order to produce another touring group earning millions and millions? Anna Netrebko didn’t need to do something like this.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Russia Trembles Before Mayan Apocalypse
“The apocalypse is surely near when Ramzan Kadyrov emerges as the voice of reason. The ruthless leader of Chechnya is among dozens of Russians officials, priests, doctors and psychiatrists aiming to calm an anxious populace frantically preparing for the end of the world later this week.”
New Literary Food Fight: Salman Rushdie Vs. Pankaj Mishra Over Mo Yan’s Patsyhood
Part 1: Rushdie joins chorus of criticism over Mo’s Nobel Prize, calling him “a patsy of the [Chinese] regime.” Part 2: Mishra, mentioning Rushdie among other writers, argues that writers criticizing Mo should look at their own governments’ faults before condemning Mo’s accommodation with China’s government. Part 3: Rushdie retorts, “It is not for Mishra to tell me not to criticise Mo Yan.”
East German Proletarian Art, Saved By The Web
“East German works of art that have largely been kept in store since German reunification are emerging from obscurity. Thanks to the online database Bildatlas: Kunst in der DDR (Picture atlas: art in the German Democratic Republic), 20,000 works have been catalogued and made publicly accessible. The project sheds light on a period that many had relegated to the dustbin of art history.”
Puffin Post, Beloved UK Children’s Mag, Dies For Second Time
“Puffin Post, the much-loved children’s books magazine which has been running for more than 40 years, has breathed its last. … [The title] was discontinued in 1982, but relaunched in 2009 through The Book People as a bi-monthly magazine including contributions from Charlie Higson, Cathy Cassidy and Michael Morpurgo.”
Ohio Drama Teacher Fired Over Legally Blonde Musical
“A high school production of the musical Legally Blonde in [suburban Cincinnati] has been deemed by administrators to be inappropriate for its audiences, resulting in the apparent dismissal of a drama teacher.”
Hal Schaefer, 87, Jazzman And Antihero Of Marilyn Monroe ‘Wrong-Door Raid’
Michael Feinstein says that he ” had a brilliant way of incorporating … very modern musical language into his playing that was masterful, yet he also could instantly switch to creating a dance arrangement for Judy Garland or Marilyn Monroe.” Yet he’s best remembered for an affair with Monroe that led to a rather embarrassing moment for Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra.
Sydney Opera House To Stream Live On YouTube
“The Sydney Opera House will live stream 20 performances over a two-year period straight to YouTube, thanks to a new partnership. … Shows will be streamed on their own dedicated channel, though the list of performances has yet to be announced; expect the first live-streamed show to be announced in early 2013.”
Baltimore Theater Goes A-Courting Pennsylvania Ballet
“Hippodrome Theatre President Jeff Daniel wants to bring ballet to Baltimore in a big way. Although the city has small ballet companies, Daniel is working to woo the Pennsylvania Ballet – which has about 40 dancers – to become a resident company at the west side theater. The ballet would come to the theater for around 10 nights a year.”
Did Peter Jackson Betray The Message Of The Hobbit?
“Bilbo’s decision not to use violence is at the heart of the quasi-Christian moral order of Tolkien’s world … [yet] the rest of [Jackson’s] film undercuts it – and, indeed, almost parodies it. The scene where Bilbo spares Gollum in the movie comes immediately after an extended, jovially bloody battle between dwarves and goblins, larded with visual jokes involving decapitation, disembowelment, and baddies crushed by rolling rocks.”