There was a time (like, five years ago) when an actress over the age of 40 had a better chance of being asked to host the Oscars than of landing a starring role in a TV series. But all of a sudden, TV has been embracing middle-aged and older characters, and that has led to a new rush of opportunity for actresses.
Author: sbergman
Hockney On Turner (Among Other Things)
David Hockney is one of Britain’s greatest living artists, and also one of its most outspoken. But in between sounding off on cigarette bans and the new prime minister, Hockney has been talking a lot about his obsession with JMW Turner, widely believed to be the best artist ever to come out of the UK.
Have We Forgotten About The Composers?
Mark Kanny says that the focus of musical performances has changed decisively over the past several decades, with the bulk of the audience’s attention now firmly focused on the performers, rather than the composer. “Performer-oriented music appreciation goes beyond what we see at concerts. The best selling CDs are often compilations featuring superstars… Yet for listeners, I think it is ultimately more rewarding to pay attention to composers than performers.”
Speaking Truth To Faith (Should We Even Bother?)
In an age when many in the religious right deny evolution, teach their children that Christian law supercedes scientific law, and persist in believing that dinosaurs and humans roamed the Earth together, should responsible science even try to engage the pious? The scientific community is sharply divided on the question, with some saying that science and religion needn’t be mutually exclusive, while others insist that any organized belief in God is a slap in the face of serious science.
Symphony, Opera, Ballet Thriving In KC
It was a great fiscal year for the performing arts in Kansas City, where the ballet company set records for subscription sales and overall revenue; the symphony saw a second consecutive double-digit spike in revenue and made its first commercial recording in years; and the opera bumped its subscription sales by 16%.
The Oundjian Effect
Guest conductor and artistic adviser Peter Oundjian is having a profound impact on the Detroit Symphony, an orchestra still in search of its next music director. “His sparkling appearances reveal a growing rapport with the DSO, and his willingness to dig into the gritty details of the orchestra’s everyday life is providing a stabilizing rudder during a challenging transition.”
Doing Something About Diversity (Or The Lack Of It)
A Boston program which aims to correct the glaring lack of blacks and Latinos in the classical music world is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. “Project STEP has graduated only 30 high school seniors because of its high selectivity and the natural attrition of the long training. [But] the program receives huge support from the BSO and the New England Conservatory, which help provide facilities and training.”
The Ever-Evolving Venice Biennale
“Few glimpses are left of [the Venice Biennale’s] imperial past, where it was still believed that culture might be stamped with a national identity – or vice versa. Confronting nationalism now means a walk across the lawn fronting the bone-dry white façade of the Brazilian pavilion, only to be confronted by an impossibly skinny Japanese transvestite teetering around on elevator shoes posing for Egyptian tourists.”
The Secret of Spoleto’s Success
Toronto’s young Luminato Festival may have much to learn about both content and promotion from the success of Charleston’s Spoleto USA fest. “It is challenging for a festival to make a major impact in a sprawling metropolis, as Luminato has already discovered. It is much easier where, as in Charleston, visitors can walk from venue to venue, past historic houses in a postcard-pretty community totally focused on what is happening on local stages.”
Wouldn’t Tasers Be More Effective?
In response to what many perceive as a sharp uptick in talking, phone use, and other distracting behavior, “Regal Cinemas, the nation’s biggest theater operator, is arming random patrons with wireless pagers to silently alert management to trouble during films.”