“In fact, the more we anticipate wagging fingers, public pillory and guilt, the worse we’re likely to do when it comes to self-control. If we focus on the pride that comes from good behavior, we make better choices. By far.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
L.A. Arts Orgs Hunker Down For ‘Carmageddon’
“Cultural institutions around Los Angeles are bracing themselves for ‘Carmageddon,’ the 405 freeway closure on Saturday and Sunday, with a number of museums, theaters and performance spaces either closing or altering their schedules to accommodate the anticipated impact on traffic.”
How To Survive As A Modern Dance Company In The Arab World
“How does an artist reconcile his dream with reality? For Beirut’s Caracalla Dance Theatre, survival in the Arab world depends on a careful balance of imagination and financial pragmatism. Love and money perform a delicate duet.”
Fantasy Hit A Dance With Dragons Gives Jolt To Brick-And-Mortar Bookstores
“Independent booksellers around the country said it quickly emerged as their biggest book of the summer, selling rapidly despite its doorstopper appearance (1,016 pages) and hefty price ($35 undiscounted).”
Postcards From The Edge – Of Nuclear Sites
“As a medium that ruthlessly commodifies places, rendering exotic sites (or peoples) safe for consumption (the postcard rack itself being a twirling memorial to a place’s loss of authenticity), it’s not surprising that even the deadly blasts coming out of, say, Yucca Flats, Nev., could be aesthetically framed on a postcard.”
Opera Fanatics: Really, They’re Just Like Trekkies
“Take the ‘opera’ out of the Opera Fanatic, and there are still recognizable templates at play. … [You] find that the addicts share much in common – probably to their protestations and their horror – with people who get obsessed about other things, whether that be comic books or Lord of the Rings or certain pop musicians or television shows.”
Today In Unusual Artistic Media: Human Hair Sculpture And Jewelry
“Although hair is certainly an unconventional artistic medium, it hasn’t exactly been neglected — nor have its uses been limited to the field of jewelry – since the Victorian era. Contemporary artists employ the material for a wide variety of (often startling) projects.”
Japan’s Praemium Imperiale 2011 To Dench, Kapoor, Ozawa, Viola, Legoretta
US video artist Bill Viola, Mexican architect Ricardo Legoretta, British actress Judi Dench, British sculptor Anish Kapoor and Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa are the winners of the annual 15 million yen prize (currently about $186,000).
Rebecca To Sing, Manderley To Burn On Broadway
“A $16 million musical production of Rebecca, based on the classic 1938 novel by Daphne du Maurier, has been scaled down to a budget of about $12 million – largely thanks to the loss of a collapsing staircase special effect – and is now on track for Broadway.”
Dinner In Ibsen’s Doll’s House
“The Dinner Exchange is an ethical supper club that aims to raise awareness about food waste in the UK. Their latest project saw them taking over the studio space at the Arcola theatre, and on Sunday night a group of diners were invited to a banquet on the set of Alex Crampton’s production of A Doll’s House, the venue’s current production.”