Adam Gopnik: “It is such an entertaining book. And I never expected to find that… It’s not just that it’s beautifully written in some abstract sense, but it’s such a passionate piece of pleading. I remember sitting on the beach at the end of the day when I finally finished it. And genuinely I felt the world will never look the same again.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Al Pacino To Star In King Lear Film
Michael Radford, who directed Pacino in the 2004 film of The Merchant of Venice, will helm this project, which begins shooting later this year. (Pacino, who has taken many Shakespeare roles on stage and screen, has never played Lear.)
Rolando Villazón Pulls Out Of Met’s HD Broadcast Of Lucia
The star tenor, who has battled throat problems throughout the current Metropolitan Opera run of Lucia di Lammermoor, has withdrawn from this Saturday’s matinee, which will be transmitted live to movie theaters around the world. Filling in, opposite superstar soprano Anna Netrebko, will be 42-year-old Piotr Beczala.
In L.A., Even Renaissance Paintings Go Into Rehab
After a stint in the Getty Museum’s conservation labs, Francisco de Zurbarán’s 1633 Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose “is even more astounding than before: Surface textures emerged from beneath varnish, slight compositional alterations made the display of fruits and vessels more weighty, newly revealed details directed the eye in surprising ways, spatial relations were brought into a new light.”
Edward Albee Says He’s Not, In Fact, Bad-Tempered
“I’m very nice until I’m crossed. I only get really annoyed when the situation demands it. But then my response is less anger than couth. Anger diminishes your ability to be objective.”
Christian Bale’s On-Set Tantrum: The Dance Remix
Audio of the actor’s rant on the set of Terminator: Salvation last summer has been flying all over the blogosphere this week. Within 24 hours, “Urban Dictionary had coined the term ‘bale-out,’ Jimmy Kimmel had taped a parody version for his show, and there appeared a club remix of the rant by L.A. knob-twiddler RevoLucian.” (How long until we get the ringtone?)
Toronto Symphony To Feature Sibelius Cycle, New Glass Score In ’09-10
Next season, Roy Thomson Hall will see premieres of a new violin concerto by Philip Glass, a contemporary music festival featuring Osvaldo Golijov, and the complete Sibelius symphonies played over three concerts in April, with Thomas Dausgaard on the podium.
The OC’s Rude Guerilla Theatre Co. Shuts Down Eight Months Early
“After previously saying it would complete its 2009 season before splintering into two new stage companies, the Orange County group, which launched in 1997, will call it a day after its next round of two concurrently running plays.”
Madison Ballet Cancels Last Remaining Program Of Season
Just a few weeks after calling off its April production and reducing next season’s schedule by half, the company has decided it can’t afford to present the two planned performances of its Valentine’s Day program. At this point, Madison Ballet won’t take the stage again until The Nutcracker next Christmas.
William Friedkin Pulls Out Of La Scala’s Inconvenient Truth
The filmmaker-turned-opera-director has withdrawn from the Al-Gore-slideshow-turned-hit-movie-turned-opera over “irreconcilable creative differences” with librettist J.D. McClatchy. But composer Giorgio Battistelli claims that Friedkin’s reasons are “personal, not artistic” and complains that the director cared more about special effects than the piece’s message.