“It’s not just that everything we once committed to memory we now store externally on devices that crash or become obsolete or are rendered temporarily inaccessible due to lack of coverage. And it’s not that we spend a lot of time storing, organizing, pruning and maintaining our access to it all. It’s that we’re collectively engaged in a mass conversion of what we used to call, variously, records, accounts, entries, archives, registers, collections, keepsakes, catalogs, testimonies and memories into, simply, data.”
Author: ArtsJournal2
Is Joshua Bell – Is Any Classical Superstar – Worth It?
“What a musician’s stardom means for symphony orchestras is simple: it enables them to achieve their twin goals of making great music and selling tickets. It comes at a price.”
Children’s Theatre Isn’t All Fun And Games – It’s Serious Education
“Facts are just facts and as a society, with a touch of the calculator or a hit of Google, kids can find a factual answer. But that can’t teach a mind to be subtle and flexible.” Practitioners and studies say that theatre can – and despite hits to the arts after No Child Left Behind, children’s theatre thrives in many U.S. cities.
A Century Of Jackson Pollock, And The (Annoying) Debate Still Rages
“Pollock still provokes heated debate about the very definition of art. Was a man who placed a canvas on the floor and dripped paint straight from the can actually creating a work of art?”
Dimitra Arliss, 79, Starred Opposite Redford In ‘The Sting’
“On Broadway, Arliss starred opposite Stacy Keach in ‘Indians’ and with Kevin Kline and John Malkovich in ‘Arms and the Man.'” And she moved from “The Sting” to “Xanadu” and Clint Eastwood’s “Firefox.”
Compressing Your Audio Message Way, Way Down – To Four Notes
“Joel Beckerman spent about 18 months developing a song that boils down to a melody just four notes long. He’s one of a handful of composers who specialize in sonic logos, or the audio equivalents of the Nike ‘swoosh’ or John Deere’s leaping deer. More concise than a theme song and subtler than a jingle, sonic logos are brief melodies or sound effects designed to cement a brand in the consumer’s subconscious mind.”
These Actors May Be Dead, But Why Are They So Gone?
“Many celebrated stars of earlier days are off the screen. And it breaks my heart to say their names. … Unless you are film aficionados or watch Turner Classic Movies, these names are meaningless to those who could be my grandchildren.”
In A World Where Preview Voiceovers Are Performed By Men, Women Want In On The Action
“What gender is the voice of God? The question has been pondered by mystics through the ages, but in the sanctuary of cinema the voice of a sonorous, authoritative, fear-inspiring yet sometimes relatable presence is, invariably, that of a man.”
Hearst Is Rolling In His Grave: ‘Citizen Kane’ Shows At His Castle
William Randolph Hearst did all he could to torpedo Orson Welles’ epic movie. Welles triumphed then, and triumphs more now: “Seventy-one years after Hearst’s effort to derail it, ‘Citizen Kane’ will be shown at Hearst Castle’s visitors center, with the blessings of the Hearst family.”
Can The Academy *Ever* Get Documentaries Right?
Probably not. But the Oscar picks for best documentary could be getting better … maybe.