“Evildoers, beware! You cannot hide from the modern-day superhero! And neither can anyone else heading to the movies this summer. … The New York Times‘s chief movie critics, A. O. Scott and Manohla Dargis, ponder the meaning of an apparently invincible genre.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Salman Rushdie Fatwa Is Now A Video Game (Developed In Iran, Of Course)
“The Stressful Life of Salman Rushdie and Implementation of His Verdict is the title of the game being developed by the Islamic Association of Students, a government-sponsored organisation which announced this week it had completed initial phases of production.”
Picasso Vandal In Houston Identified (He’s Some 22-Year-Old Art Punk)
“Crime Stoppers of Houston is officially on the lookout for suspected art vandal Uriel Landeros, 22, after a tipster identified him as responsible for the defacing a 1929 Picasso painting in the surrealist galleries of the Menil Collection on June 13.” Landeros is an art student at the University of Houston.
Nora Ephron, Writer And Filmmaker, Dead At 71
“[She] gained a devoted following for her perceptive, deeply personal essays and parlayed that renown into a screenwriting career of wistful romantic comedies such as When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail, the marital exposé Heartburn and the whistleblower drama Silkwood.” Her final film, as screenwriter and director, was 2010’s Julie and Julia, starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child.
International Uproar Develops Over Policy Changes At Romanian Cultural Institute
“Over the past five years or so, the Romanian Cultural Institute has become an important force in global cultural exchanges, promoting writers, artists and especially the critically acclaimed cinema movement known as the Romanian New Wave.” But a new government has moved to tighten political control of the RCI, changing its focus to servicing the Romanian diaspora.
How We Visualize What We Read
“Strangely, when we remember the experience of reading a book, we imagine a continuous unfolding of images. We imagine, in essence, that the experience of reading was like that of watching a film. For instance I remember reading Anna Karenina: ‘I saw Oblonsky, and then I saw Oblonsky’s house, and then I saw this, and then that …’ But this is not what actually happens.”
Benjamin Millepied’s New LA Dance Company Announces Its First Gig
“Choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s LA Dance Project will make a sneak-peak debut in July with a performance in the galleries of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Millepied is creating a 30-minute, site-specific duet, Framework, to a narrated soundtrack by Los Angeles artist Mark Bradford.”
UK Regulators Outline New Measures Against Illegal Downloading
“In a draft code published today by [OFCOM], internet service providers would be required to send letters to customers informing them when their account has been connected with reports of suspected online copyright infringement.” Any customer who receives three such letters risks having his/her information turned over to copyright holders for possible legal action.
Seattle Opera Posts $1M Deficit, Announces Cutbacks
“The [company] announced Tuesday night that it expects a shortfall of $1 million for the 2011-12 season, and cuts are on the way for staff, salaries and future programming.” The 2012-13 season and the summer 2013 Ring cycle won’t be affected, but one mainstage production will be cut from each of the following two seasons.
Comedian Louis C.K. Decides To Ticket His Own Shows
“On Monday, he announced that he would not use a ticketing service for his new tour and instead charge $45 for every ticket, with no added fees, through his own Web site, louisck.net.”