This isn’t just any (massive) theatre renovation. “It was in the Châtelet where the artistic revolutions and innovations of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes were first seen; here where Mahler, Strauss and Tchaikovsky conducted; where Josephine Baker, Cole Porter and Juliette Gréco all sang.” Now a British artistic director, the first woman in the theatre’s history, leads the Châtelet as it prepares to rejoin the cultural life of Paris. – The New York Times
Author: ArtsJournal2
Not Everything Glittered In The Netherlands’ So-Called Golden Age, Says Museum
The Amsterdam Museum said on Thursday that staff were banned from using the term to describe the 17th century because “the term is strongly associated with national pride because of prosperity and peace but ‘ignores the many negative sides of the 17th century, such as poverty, war, forced labor and human trafficking.'” There’s blowback, of course, and national pride, but the museum is sticking to its principles. – Deutsche Welle (AP)
At The Creative Arts Emmys, ‘Game of Thrones’ Cleans Up
The show earned 10 awards in its last season, after demolishing the record for nominations with 32. And: “HBO and Netflix are, once again, locked in a tough battle. HBO notched 25 Creative Arts wins over the weekend compared to Netflix’s 23. HBO has had the most or tied for the most Emmys of any outlet for 17 consecutive years. If Netflix can make up the difference next Sunday, one of television’s most formidable streaks could be broken.” – The New York Times
Joyce DiDonato On Opera And Activism, And Saving Lives
DiDonato works with inmates at Sing Sing and tours with a project aiming to bring harmony and peace through music. And right now, she’s singing the title role in Agrippina, the scheming wife of the Roman emperor Claudius, with one eye on Robin Wright’s character in House of Cards and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Veep and the other on Handel’s “genius.” How does she mix it all? “I’m a musician, a performer, but I’m a citizen. I’m in a privileged position. I understand that. I’m trying to find the right balance.” – The Observer (UK)
Independent Moviehouses Are Having A Hell Of A Time Surviving
In Seattle, the Columbia City moviehouse Ark Lodge Cinemas has seen box office receipts drop by as much as 60 percent this year. “Its struggles illustrate the challenges of operating an independent moviehouse at a time when audiences are changing and competition is fierce from shiny multiplexes that increasingly boast amenities like beer and wine, reclining seats and expanded food menus.” Can the indies survive? – Seattle Times
The Problem With (Book) Pirates
Instead of the royalties authors might expect from book sales, “what comes trickling back are mostly email alerts about websites in brazen violation of copyright law, offering free downloads of books the authors have spent years of their lives producing. At the moment, I have about 400 such offers of my own books in an email folder labeled ‘Thieves.'” – The New York Times
The Artist Who Created The Gold Toilet Denies Having A Role In Stealing It
Maurizio Cattelan, whose gold toilet called America was ripped from its pipes in Blenheim Palace, flooding the palace and causing rather a lot of damage, says that he didn’t steal it, despite his history of pranks (including stealing artwork). “Some sceptics have been slow to accept the theft at face value, with the memory of Banksy shredding his famous Girl With a Balloon still fresh in the mind of the art world.” – The Guardian (UK)
Hollywood Is Assisting In The Death Of Freedom Of Expression In Hong Kong
Soft diplomacy? Or government control and censorship? “Beijing has a very clear idea of how a film industry should operate—namely, as an essential part of the effort to bring public opinion in alignment with the party’s ideological worldview. To that end, Beijing has been using Hollywood’s insatiable need for investment, and its vaulting ambition to reach a potential audience of 1.4 billion people, to draw it into China’s orbit.” – The Atlantic
Librarians Are Angry, And Ready To Do Battle With Publishers Over Ebooks
It’s a quiet war, but it’s fierce. Macmillan is planning to block libraries from buying more than one digital copy of new books for eight weeks after the book comes out, starting in November. The claim: That library ebooks cannibalize book sales. But “studies consistently show library patrons to be more frequent book buyers overall—which is another reason Macmillan’s letter stung.” – Slate
Ric Ocasek Of The Cars, Who Fused New Wave And Pop, Has Died At 75
Ocasek wrote and was lead singer on nearly every song The Cars recorded, including hits like “Best Friend’s Girl” and “Shake It Up,” and after the group broke up, he had a second career as a producer, “helping sculpt blockbuster hits like Weezer’s blue and green albums and cult favorites like Bad Brains’ Rock for Light.” – Rolling Stone