Introduced by Ed Sullivan as “the greatest I’ve ever seen in his field,” Nelson, with his puppet sidekicks Danny O’Day and Farfel the hound dog, performed on television variety shows and in nightclubs, but he — they — became most famous for humorous commercials for Texaco and Nestlé’s Quik. – The New York Times
Author: Matthew Westphal
Notre-Dame: A Progress Report, Five Months After The Fire
What’s being done with the rubble, the windows, and the stabilization of the walls; who is, and who will be, running the restoration effort; what the next steps will be; and the general philosophy behind the work. – The Art Newspaper
‘Star Wars’ Franchise Gets Its First (Admittedly) Gay Characters
Speaking on the podcast Coffee With Kenobi, the executive producers of the chidren’s animated series Star Wars Resistance said of the characters Orka and Flix, “I think it’s safe to say they’re an item. They’re absolutely a gay couple and we’re proud of that.” – The Guardian
Anne-Sophie Mutter Stops Performance Mid-Concerto To Confront Audience Member Shooting Video
The violinist was playing the slow movement of the Beethoven concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony when she saw a woman recording with an iPhone in the front row. “With the phone such a few feet from her face, Mutter stopped the performance and asked the woman to stop. Instead of stopping, the woman attempted to engage Mutter in a conversation. The audience was stunned.” (For Janelle Gelfand’s eyewitness report and review of the concert, click here.) – Cincinnati Enquirer
Percentage Of Americans Who Listen To Audiobooks Has Doubled In Eight Years
“A new [survey] by the Pew Research Center … found that 20% of adults listened to an audiobook in the 12 months prior to the period in which the survey was conducted. In 2011, only 11% of adults said they listened to an audiobook.” – Publishers Weekly
In Paris, A New Musée De La Libération Commemorates The Nazi Occupation Of The City And Its Emancipation
The museum’s collection of archival film and photos, maps, letters, posters, and pamphlets focuses on two heroes of de Gaulle’s Free French movement: the former préfet Jean Moulin and General Philippe Leclerc. – Apollo
Soprano Jessye Norman, 74
“Ms. Norman, who found acclaim as well as a recitalist and on the concert stage, was one of the most decorated of American singers. She won five Grammy Awards, four for her recordings and one for lifetime achievement. She received the prestigious Kennedy Center Award in 1997 and the National Medal of Arts in 2009.” Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb called her “one of the greatest artists to ever sing on our stage.” – The New York Times
Mommie Dearest
The most notable thing about Barrie Kosky’s production of Handel’s Agrippina at the Royal Opera is that every member of this ensemble can act — especially Joyce DiDonato, giving what I expect will be remembered as an historic performance of the title role. – Paul Levy
Message received
Heidi Hall, an old friend of mine from Smalltown, U.S.A., died last week. She was 49, far too young for so extravagantly vital a woman to lose her life to cancer. I, on the other hand, am 63, which isn’t nearly as old as it was a few generations ago. Why did people back then seem to age so much more quickly than they do now? – Terry Teachout
Pop-Up Replica Of Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre Collapses; Brexit Gets Blamed
The actual theatre didn’t physically collapse, though: the company that operated the venue in York for the past two summers, with a second replica at Blenheim Palace near Oxford this past summer, has run out of money and is liquidating. Audience numbers this year were barely more than half what was projected; for this, the company’s owners blame Brexit. – BBC