One moviegoer in Manhattan: “We understand what all the drama is, … but we felt that if we went to the first movie of the day, it wouldn’t be that crowded. And we wanted to just change the subject for a moment.” – The New York Times
Author: ArtsJournal2
What’s Going To Happen To Hollywood?
It’s grim for movie theatres and for production companies as they halt production. But … “A lot of analysts have been talking about how the old theatrical model is outdated and streaming is the future of Hollywood. … Now we get a chance to see how that works out.” – The Washington Post (AP)
It’s Time For Epic Self-Isolation Living-Room Dance Parties
Seriously: Dance is doable in-the-house exercise. Though the five dancers in this article all have extensive gym and group class routines, one also says that “dancing helps me appreciate my body and how much it can do for me. I can ask it to be coordinated, connected, and challenged. I like that it can surprise me, too!” – HuffPost
Canada’s Stratford Festival Has Canceled All Performances Through April
It’s not a surprise, considering that everything else is canceling, but it’s a massive blow. “Gaffney said the decision will have a ‘multi-million-dollar impact on our organization and the surrounding tourism economy.'” (The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and its area are facing a very similar economic disaster.) – CBC
Mayor Of Los Angeles Closes All Bars And Gyms, Says Restaurants Can Only Be Takeout For Now
Grocery stores, pharmacies, and food banks can remain open, but movie theatres are also closed (at least, those that hadn’t already closed themselves). – Los Angeles Times
Disney Says It’s Committed To Showing LGBT Stores Onscreen
Does anyone who identifies as queer or LGBTQIA actually believe Disney at this point? Probably not, but should production on movies and TV shows ever resume in the world, “There will be a transgender character in a future Marvel film, and upcoming superhero movie The Eternals will introduce Marvel’s first openly gay lead character to cinema screens.” – BBC
Musician, Artist And Provocateur Genesis Breyer P-Orridge Has Died At 70
This paragraph barely skims the surface of the life of P-Orridge: “Genesis led the influential British rock bands Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, dabbled as a dominatrix in New York, ran a soup kitchen in Kathmandu, hid out from Scotland Yard, organized a cultlike fan club that asked initiates to send in their bodily fluids, and undertook a long-running surgical project to merge identities with her wife, Jacqueline Mary Breyer, in a single nongendered being they called a ‘pandrogyne.'” – The New York Times
How Do You Teach History Without Having Kids Think It’s Boring?
If you’re historian Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, you ask YA superstar Jason Reynolds to collaborate on adapting a thick tome for middle schoolers. Reynolds: “I wanted to try to figure out how to make this really complex thing that has all this information that he gave the world, how do I take it and make it feel like a fresh pair of Jordans.” – NPR
Burglars Steal A Van Dyck, Two Other Paintings From An Oxford Museum
No one was injured in the theft, but what the heck is going on? “The loss of the paintings was a fresh blow to [Christ Church] college, which had already made headlines this weekend after it discovered that cases of burgundy and Pouilly-Fuissé worth between £1,000 and £2,000 have been mysteriously disappearing from its large fine wine collection.” – The Guardian (UK)
All Nine Members Of British Equity’s Minority Committee Resign
First came the comments from actor Lawrence Fox; then came the tweets labeling him “a disgrace” after his appearance on the show Question Time; then came Equity’s official apology for the tweets and removal of the tweets; and then came the mass resignations. Former chair Daniel York Loh: “It’s always felt more like a box-ticking exercise than anything else and our committee is there to look good in photos without really raising any serious or difficult issues (though of course we have, time and time again). Now Equity does not have a minority ethnic members or race equality committee.” – The Stage (UK)