“‘I’m going to walk through; it’s going to be so awkward,’ says BalletX artistic and executive director Christine Cox, addressing 119 auditionees and acknowledging the ever-intimidating clipboard she holds. The room bursts into laughter, and smiles linger as pliés begin.” Hannah Fox sits in on the audition. – Dance Magazine
Author: Matthew Westphal
Why Are There So Many Movies About Horny Dancers Going Insane And Killing Each Other?
Just in the past year, there’s been Red Sparrow, Suspiria, and Climax. “What is it about dancers that inspires filmmakers to depict them in various forms of total destruction? And, most importantly, how closely do these films hew to real life? In other words, are all dancers really just horny, deranged murderers?” Rachel Handler asks a couple of real-life dancers for the truth. – Vulture
The 25 Top-Earning Authors Of The Past Ten Years
The top name on the list pulled in $290 million more than the runner-up, who in turn grossed just over twice as much as number three. The takeaway? “Franchises make money, and so do adaptations, but if you want to be a literary millionaire, you really have to write a) for children or b) a mystery (or romance) that strikes fear (or lust) in the hearts of the world.” (But isn’t there anyone writing in Chinese, Spanish, or Hindi who’s sold enough books to qualify?) – Literary Hub
Sexing Up Female-Female Relationships For Biopics Isn’t Enough? Now They’re Adding Fake Lesbian Lovers To Movies About Real People
“The latest sapphic storyline to get tongues a-wagging” is Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet as paleontologist Mary Anning and Saoirse Ronan as her entirely fictional lover. Laments Guardian writer (and lesbian) Hannah Jane Parkinson, “It is immensely damaging that LGBTQ relationships are being fetishised for entertainment – and depressing to think that the mass audiences may not be interested in women unless they’re in bed together.” – The Guardian
What Brings Wounded Cities Back To Life? Culture, Says World Bank Report
“Investing in cultural institutions, spaces, and heritage can help build bridges between sparring communities in post-conflict urban areas and make disaster recovery quick, sustainable, and more effective. The authors argue that major cultural investments early in the reconstruction process will eventually pay off by making the city more attractive to investment and tourism, fueling economic growth.” Exhibit A: Medellín, once the most violent city in the world. – CityLab
MoviePass Has Been Losing Even More Money Than We Thought
The service’s parent company revealed in its third-quarter financial report “that the money-losing subscription service has fewer subscribers than previously disclosed, causing the firm to restate its revenue downward by 8.2 percent [$6.6 million] and its losses upward by 7.7 percent [$6.7 million].” – The Hollywood Reporter
Harper Lee Hated Monroeville, Ala. For Turning Her ‘Into A Tourist Attraction Like Graceland Or Elvis’: Letter
“The hypocrites in charge, not a one of whom I know, say they are doing this to ‘honor’ me. What they are doing is trying to drown me in their own bad taste, and are embarrassing me beyond endurance.” – The Guardian
Adding Up What The Government Shutdown Cost Museums
“In that time, the Smithsonian — 19 museums including the Cooper Hewitt design museum in New York and the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) and National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, along with the National Zoo — lost an estimated 1 million visitors. … Although national museums (except the Cooper Hewitt) offer free entry, the Smithsonian lost an estimated $3.4m in gross revenue from its gift shops, concessions and IMAX film screenings.” – The Art Newspaper
Thieves Stole €3M Brueghel From Italian Church — But It Was A Copy Put There By The Cops
“The bona fide version of The Crucifixion, donated to Santa Maria Maddalena church in the small Ligurian town of Castelnuovo Magra more than a century ago, was safely stored away last month as part of a carefully concocted bluff.” – The Guardian
Graham Vick’s Opera Company, Always A Community Affair, Has Brought Refugees Into Its Chorus
“Birmingham Opera Company has traditionally cast its chorus from local volunteers. Now it’s extending a welcome to people fleeing countries such as Sudan. In the past decade, the company has seen 90,000 people take part in its productions.” (video) – BBC