It’s here: The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time. Stuart Heritage offers a valedictory, if that’s the word: “[The first Sharknado] had an irresistibly silly premise (a tornado made of sharks threatens America), a knowing line of stunt-casting (Ian Ziering and Tara Reid) and a big fat wink instead of any emotional stakes … As tends to be the case with successes like these, sequels were greenlit that only helped to diminish the punchdrunk silliness of the first film. Slowly, the films began to eat themselves.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
How Should Arts Orgs Present Work Whose Creators Are Now Seen As Morally Reprehensible? Here’s A Case Study
Journalist Cynthia Durcanin at how the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston have handled this year’s Casanova exhibition, whose curators weren’t exactly expecting the #MeToo movement when they started planning the show in 2014.
David Hallberg Explains Why He And ABT Launched Their New Choreography ‘Incubator’
“A new commission [from ABT] is a risk best handled by the choreographers who can produce works that offer seasoned polish and dependability. … And although, in the history of large commissions, there inevitably exists a freedom of creative impulse, that freedom must not reach too deep, for the fall off the cliff is steep and far. There is simply too much at stake: time, money, reputation. I have always wondered, Where then do choreographers get the freedom to potentially fail?”
Cleveland Museum Of Art Unveils First ‘Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Plan’
“Two years in the making, the plan outlines broad changes in how the museum will hire and train employees, buy goods and services from vendors, collect and exhibit art, and educate students. The goal is to eliminate barriers for historically underrepresented groups in every aspect of the museum’s operations.”
Star Actor Asks His Twitter Followers If It’s Okay To Play An Irredeemable Racist
Vincent D’Onofrio posed the question over the weekend and a 3,800+-tweet thread arose, including a number of responses from fellow actors and further contributions from D’Onofrio himself. As Patricia Hernandez reports, “opinions were all over the place.”
Architects Are Protesting Museum Of Contemporary Art San Diego’s Expansion Plans
“At issue is the removal of elements of MCASD’s 1996 expansion, since it’s the only project in San Diego County designed by Venturi Scott Brown (VSB), a Philadelphia firm worshipped in the architecture world.” The objections are to both the changes to VSB design elements in the building and the disruption of the museum’s carefully constructed spatial relationship with the street and downtown La Jolla.
What New York City Ballet Is, And Isn’t, Looking For In An Artistic Director
The company has released a five-page job description (described by a board member as a “wish list”) for a replacement for Peter Martins. Michael Cooper offers a few excerpts from the document and analysis of what these “wishes” include (a “humane leader“) and leave out (being a choreographer).
Peter Martins, Former New York City Ballet Chief, Convicted Of Drunk Driving
The 71-year-old, who retired from City Ballet late last year amid controversial charges of violent bullying and sexual harassment, was found guilty for an incident that happened in late December. This is his second conviction on a charge of driving while impaired.
Jazz Singer Morgana King, Who Played Brando’s Wife In ‘The Godfather’, Dead At 87
The general public was aware of her mostly as Carmela Corleone, who sang in the wedding scene, but she used a multi-octave voice and powerful stage presence to make a long career as a jazz singer; she numbered Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Dinah Washington among her admirers.
Iraq’s National Symphony Orchestra Hasn’t Been Paid For Eight Months, But It Plays On
“The ensemble has lost more than half its members since the start of the year, when the government issued a directive barring state employees with two jobs from receiving two salaries. The anti-corruption measure was suggested by the World Bank and should affect only about a third of the orchestra’s musicians, but because of delays in carrying out the reform wages have been withheld from the entire group.”