“When I got the diagnosis in January of 2014, it was a catastrophe for me. Everything that was normal to me up to that point was gone all of a sudden. No one had died of cancer in my family. I had always assumed I’d die of something else.”
Author: ArtsJournal2
Literary America Is Still Kind Of Obsessed With ‘The Great American Novel’
“Our obsession with the Great American Novel is perhaps evidence of the even greater truth that it’s impossible for one to exist.”
The Oscars Are Finite, Which Is Why The ‘Selma’ Omissions Matter So Much
“The nominations of the director this time around, and a British actor, David Oyelowo, playing a heroic black figure in the American narrative — not the victim of white oppression, but a corrective to it — would have had particular resonance at this moment. This year is the 50th anniversary of both the Selma marches and the Voting Rights Act. And after months full of tragic news from Ferguson, Mo., Staten Island and all over America, race remains a persistent and complex issue that still has the capacity to divide.”
You Can See The World’s Greatest Stolen Artworks In One Place – Online
“The virtual museum was designed to look just like a real one. The works hang on spare white walls, surrounded by ornate frames. An audio guide walks visitors through the halls. For Schneider, recreating the traditional museum environment was a chance to restore some dignity to these stolen works, which often just exist as thumbnail images on FBI and Interpol websites.”
Los Angeles Hosts A Hyperlocal, Modern ‘Figaro’
“Sung in English and Spanish, which are intertwined to create clever rhymes, ‘¡Figaro! (90210)’ finds the titular hero working in Beverly Hills as an undocumented gardener. The basic plot remains the same–a lecherous boss tries to seduce his employee’s fiancée on the eve of her wedding–but Guerriero has reimagined the characters as distinct L.A. archetypes.”
Does The Academy Give Nominations And Awards As ‘Make-up’ Oscars?
“That’s what happened in 1960, she adds, to a certain violet-eyed 28-year-old, Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor went unrewarded by the Academy for National Velvet, Giant, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Suddenly Last Summer. She won for Butterfield 8, a movie she herself called a stinker.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 01.18.15
KUAF Public Radio Gets Crystal Bridges Officials’ Response to Kevin Murphy’s CultureGrrl Lament
AJBlog: CultureGrrlPublished 2015-01-18
AJBlog: PostClassicPublished 2015-01-17
AJBlog: diacriticalPublished 2015-01-16
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Dear Leon Wieseltier, Technology Is *Not* Ruining Culture
“When Wieseltier references his paranoia of numerics and metrics, he ignores the fact that numbers and humanity are not incompatible — in fact, they’re inseparable.”
The World Is Addicted To Skyscrapers Right Now
“A new report shows 2014 was the ‘tallest year ever,’ with more skyscrapers constructed than in any previous year,” and 2015 is on track to outpace it.
French Movie Theatres Screening Documentary About Charlie Hebdo And Freedom Of Speech
“At the time of its release, Mr. Leconte’s documentary did not make much noise. But after terrorist attacks that resulted in the deaths of 17 people in Paris last week, directors at several movie theaters decided to pay tribute to Charlie Hebdo by reprogramming Mr. Leconte’s documentary.”