“The museum has defaulted on its construction bonds, moved into its old, smaller space near Lincoln Center and is talking of dissolving and transferring its collections to another institution. … [The] museum’s descent into financial trouble is a parable about how poor decisions and unfortunate timing can undermine even the most noble of ambitious undertakings.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
New York’s Cherry Lane Theater Pulls Back From The Brink
“The artistic director of the Cherry Lane Theater said on Thursday that she no longer planned to sell its building in Greenwich Village to pay down debts, and added that the theater’s recently precarious financial situation had been eased due to new rental income and changes to business practices.”
How Do We Define ‘The Universe’? (It’s Not Easy)
“A first answer could be ‘the set of things within the volume of space we can measure.’ What things? Galaxies, stars, planets, galaxy clusters, black holes, that is, objects that we can probe with our instruments … The difficulty is that the universe is not a ‘thing’ in the sense that a star or a galaxy is a thing.”
Buddhism: The Most Accurate World Religion?
“Subtract the ‘hocus-pocus’ about reincarnation, karma, and ‘bodhisattvas flying on lotus leaves,’ and you’ll find a rigorous, clear-eyed account of the universe and our place in it – an account, in fact, designed to satisfy even the most ardent modern-day materialist. Buddhism matters, in other words, because it’s actually right.”
Theater Critic Explores The Purpose Of Bad Reviews
Jason Zinoman: “As the child of a theater director, I learned from an early age how much negative criticism can hurt. It can have a terrible impact on box office, careers and states of mind. … Bad reviews are also an essential part of the job. If you don’t write them, no one would believe the good ones. But more importantly, the popular idea that tough criticism emerges from malice or cruelty is almost always wrong.”
Why Did Jorma Elo Go Into Dance? Fear Of Hockey Pucks
“I played in a team until I was 14. Up until then I was pretty fearless. But then it suddenly moves up to another level, the guys playing it get bigger and the game gets much rougher. I was a late developer and when that puck comes towards you, it does some damage.”
Finally, Summer Movies We Can Really Argue About!
A.O. Scott: “For those of us who believe that any movie worth seeing is worth arguing about – and vice versa – summer can be a season of malaise. … So it is cause for rejoicing when something” – i.e., The Help, The Future, and The Tree of Life – “comes along that raises hackles and polarizes opinions, stirring up passionate quarrels, both private and public, in which more seems to be at stake than who liked what.”
What It Feels Like To Have The Movie You Wrote Flop
Sean Hood: “When you work ‘above the line’ on a movie (writer, director, actor, producer, etc.) watching it flop at the box office is devastating. I had such an experience during the opening weekend of Conan the Barbarian 3D.”
Cooking – The Original Time-Saving Technical Advance (Less Chewing!)
“Harvard researchers … found that processing food through cooking freed up [for early humans] literally hours each day not spent ‘feeding,’ which includes ingesting, chewing, and swallowing food. That newfound time could be spent on other pursuits, such as hunting to procure higher-quality foods, creating tools, and socializing.”
Inside Job: Art Institute Of Chicago Makes Acting Director Permanent
“Douglas Druick, a 26-year veteran of the Art Institute of Chicago, was named its director this morning following an early morning meeting of its board of directors. Druick had been the museum’s interim director since July 1 following the unexpected resignation of James Cuno, who left the Art Institute to head the J. Paul Getty Trust.”