“[She] immortalised a fictional spy often referred to as the ‘Soviet James Bond’; in fact, Maxim Isayev had more in common with the screen depictions of John le Carré’s quick-witted George Smiley than Ian Fleming’s explosive hero.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Isadora Duncan Of Arabic Dance?
“Suraya Hilal is a giant in the world of Arabic dance, revered for reviving traditional dances of the region, particularly her homeland of Egypt, and transforming them into a contemporary form known as Hilal Dance.”
Theatre Needs Theatre Critics (And Vice Versa)
Lyn Gardner: “Without Osborne and Pinter, Kenneth Tynan would have been just another mid-20th-century critic admiring the French window sets. But does it also work the other way? I think it must: I’m not convinced that it’s possible for a strong theatre culture to thrive in a place or an area of work where there is little or no critical attention.”
Maurice Sendak’s Authorly Credo
“I refuse to lie to children. I refuse to cater to the bullshit of innocence.”
Spray Paint Wars: Banksy Graffiti Classic Vandalized By Rival Graffitist
“One of Banksy’s most famous works has been defaced in what may be the latest episode of a long-running spat with a rival street artist. The image above a shop in Bristol … has now been defaced with black paint.”
Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Seem To Have Genuine Psychotherapeutic Value
“A single high dose of the hallucinogen psilocybin, the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms,’ was enough to bring about a measureable and lasting personality change – “openness’ – lasting at least a year in nearly 60 percent of the 51 participants in a new study, say Johns Hopkins researchers.”
Hot, Sexy Librarians: A Beefcake Calendar
“[The] twelve men of the amazing 2012 Men of the Stacks calendar … are all professional librarians, and they are all, from the looks of it, extremely well-read.” (Ahem.)
Irish Step Dancing May Lead To Pattern Baldness
“The hair pins used to secure extravagant Irish dancing wigs may have led to a teenager’s hair loss, two Irish doctors have warned.”
Multi-Million-Euro Cache Of Paintings Found In Polish Workman’s Shed
“Police in Poland have been left puzzled by the discovery of a collection of 300 paintings worth ‘millions of euros’ in an outhouse belonging to a 92-year-old former bricklayer.”
Julie Taymor-Spider-Man Dispute Headed Into Arbitration
“Julie Taymor will square off next week against the theater producers who fired her in March as director of the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark as the two sides begin arbitration proceedings over more than $500,000 in royalties that Ms. Taymor says she is owed.”