When Barbara Walters launched the show in 1997, it was seen as mildly scandalous that someone with her journalistic prestige would go to daytime TV; when President Barack Obama appeared on it in 2010, there were sniffs about the “dignity [of] the presidency.” Now ambitious politicians see The View as a must-do. Why? Because “it offers the tantalizing promise of reaching the unconverted.” – The New York Times Magazine
Author: Matthew Westphal
Lutz Bacher, Secretive And Contrarian Conceptual Artist, Dead At 75
She began her career in the Bay Area in the 1970s; adopting the masculine pseudonym was one of her first Conceptual works. She never revealed any personal info and almost never explained her art. “She worked primarily with everyday found materials — objects (snapshots, baseballs), words (interviews, men’s room graffiti), sounds (film clips, rock songs) — from which she drew resonance by editing them, combining them or uncovering half-hidden details.” – The New York Times
Circulation Rates At College Libraries Are Plummeting – Why Aren’t Students Checking Out Books?
Figures indicate that the number of books checked out at college libraries accross the U.S. has fallen by as much as two-thirds over the last decade, even as use of the library buildings has increased. Northeastern University Dean of Libraries Dan Cohen explains what’s going on. – The Atlantic
Edmund Morris, 79, Biographer Known For Unorthodox Approach To Ronald Reagan
He had been highly regarded for his multi-volume life of Theodore Roosevelt, the first book of which won a National Book Award and a Pulitzer, when he shook up the literary and political worlds with a biography of Ronald Reagan that incorporated fictional elements, including a fictional “Edmund Morris.” – The Washington Post
A Skeptic Gets Convinced By The Modern ‘Translations’ Of The Play On! Shakespeare Project
Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, an editor on the Norton Shakespeare edition, wasn’t worried about profaning the Bard’s texts; he thought the playwrights were being told to stick too close to the original. When he heard the new versions read aloud, and when he considered the choices the playwrights involved made, he was hugely impressed. – American Theatre
A Dance Critic Kvells Over The Grace Of Roger Federer
Sarah Kaufman: “The subtlety, intelligence and beauty of Federer’s play can pull us into a direct and instant involvement with grace. We experience a dimension of humanness that feels perfected and free, even close to divine. Great artists can do this to us.” – The Washington Post
Meet The Woman Who Spent 16 Years Stage Managing ‘Avenue Q’
Christine M. Daly: “There’s a spray that we use [on the puppets], but there’s not a lot you can do about it. You cannot wash their insides. That’s the hard part. We are probably the biggest users of Purell in the Northern Hemisphere.” – The New York Times
Oh, Forget It, It’s Probably Fake Anyway: Louvre Gives Up On Borrowing ‘Salvator Mundi’ For Its Leonardo 500 Show, Says Author
Ben Lewis, who wrote a recent book on the history of Salvator Mundi, says curators at the Louvre don’t believe the $450 million painting is entirely Leonardo’s work and wouldn’t exhibit it as such. – The Guardian
Musicians’ Union Says Pension Fund Has Reached ‘Critical And Declining’ Status And Benefits Must Be Cut
“Some 20,000 unionized musicians across the country will soon see ‘painful’ reductions in their pension benefits in order to keep the American Federation of Musicians’ $1.8 billion multi-employer pension fund from running out of money within the next 20 years. The reductions are required by federal law because the Fund has now entered ‘critical and declining’ status.” – Deadline
Now Even Established Opera And Ballet Companies In Europe Are Turning To Crowdfunding
The Dutch National Ballet tried it two years ago with a new piece for its junior company, and it worked. English National Opera and Music Theatre Wales have projects they hope to try the tactic with. The Teatro Real in Madrid started its own crowdfunding platform for special projects. Not only can this method of fundraising help to replace shrinking state support, say those involved, it can also reach a whole new public. – Financial Times