Andrew Gallix, editor of 3 AM, recounts what happened when he awoke last week to discover that the magazine’s web site had disappeared without warning.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Seeing Greek Choruses Everywhere
Ben Brantley: “Have you heard from the members of the chorus lately? Sure you have. They’re the ones who huddle in the office cafeteria, speculating on how long that arrogant new boss will last. Who sit before giant screens in sports bars lamenting the fall of a once mighty pitcher. … They have also been hanging out on amphitheater and proscenium stages for 2000 years or so … [and they] are still very much with us in the theater, though they don’t always identify themselves as such.”
Donors Can’t Persuade Museums To Accept Their Donated Antiquities
“Across the country measures taken to curb the trade in looted artifacts are making it more difficult for collectors of antiquities to donate, or sell, the cultural treasures that fill their homes, display cases and storage units. Museums typically no longer want artifacts that do not have a documented history stretching back past 1970.”
Turning Classic Movie Scenes Into Ottoman Paintings
“For his senior graduation project, Turkish student Murat Palta crafted a portfolio of paintings in the style of 16th-century Ottoman miniatures. … The trippy part: These illustrations take iconic scenes from Inception, A Clockwork Orange, Alien, Star Wars, The Godfather, Scarface, The Shining, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day as their subjects. Gangsters wear taqiyahs; Arnold Schwarzenegger rides a graceful steed.”
Directors Of West Bank’s Freedom Theatre On Hunger Strike
“Both the artistic director and the co-founder of the West Bank’s Freedom Theatre have started hunger strikes in prison. Artistic director Nabil al-Raee commenced his hunger strike last Friday, having spent the last month in administrative detention in an Israeli prison. The company’s co-founder Zakaria Zubeidi began striking on 2 July, vowing to continue until his death if necessary.”
Indianapolis Symphony Lays Off Staffers
“Seeking to bring increasing expenses in line with revenue, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra laid off six full-time administrative employees last week. None of the 82 orchestra musicians, who work under a union contract, are affected by the cuts.”
Kristin Chenoweth Hospitalized Following On-Set Head Injury
“Kristin Chenoweth, the Tony Award-winning actress and Broadway singer, was injured on Wednesday by falling scaffolding on the Brooklyn set of the television series The Good Wife.“
Superheroes On The Couch: Analyzing The Costumed Fans At Comic-Con
A few times a year, Bay Area psychologist Robin Rosenberg visits major comics conventions and interviews some of the folks who show up dressed as Batman or the Green Lantern or Catwoman. They usually open up to her very quickly and demonstrate much more insight than those who’d dismiss them as post-adolescent geeks might expect.
Copyright And Choreography: The Good, The Bad, And The Fair
“Until the mid-1970s, there was no copyright protection for choreography … When Congress added ‘choreographic works’ to the Copyright Act in 1976, it seemed to give our art some credibility and respect. But copyright protection has been both a boon and curse.”
Could Amazon Do To The Rest Of Brick-And-Mortar Retail What It Did To Book And Music Stores?
“Same-day delivery has long been the holy grail of Internet retailers, something that dozens of startups have tried and failed to accomplish. (Remember Kozmo.com?) But Amazon is investing billions to make next-day delivery standard, and same-day delivery an option for lots of customers. If it can pull that off, the company will permanently alter how we shop. To put it more bluntly: Physical retailers will be hosed.”