Sure, if the opera company completely strips down and alters the opera’s plot, going back to the original story, and removing race as a driving issue. Anne Midgette: “I wondered how anyone who didn’t know the opera would react to the piece, as those of us who did were inevitably recognizing familiar pieces and assessing how well they fit together in this new configuration.” – The Washington Post
Author: ArtsJournal2
Camilo Sesto, Spain’s Romantic Songwriter And Pop Singer, Has Died At 72
Sesto, writer and performer who also brought Broadway musicals to Spain with Jesus Christ, Superstar, had more than 50 pop hits go to number one on the worldwide charts. Though El País reports that he was practically forgotten in Spain, he was still beloved in the U.S., and he had a (second) farewell tour planned for next year after he released a retrospective album in 2018. – The New York Times
How Can A World Run By Big Data And AI Better Reflect The Real World, Including People Of Color?
To put it in the most basic ways, AI doesn’t see color – even when it should. “Errors from incomplete AI training data already affect people of color. For one, facial recognition software has a history of misidentifying black citizens. – Wired
Disney’s Big British Move Raises Concerns
Disney will have the use of almost every bit of Pinewood Studios, outside of London for at least 10 years – and that comes just after Netflix did a similar deal for Shepperton Studios. Those two deals “are sure to deepen concern that studios space in Britain, already in scarce supply, will now be even tougher for smaller companies and indies to secure.” – Variety
Update On The Progress Of The Boy Thrown From The 10th Floor Of The Tate Modern
Though the 6-year-old French boy still can’t speak or move a month after the trauma, he’s responding to his family by smiling and possibly, they say, laughing. “The family has raised more than $83,000 so far to help his recuperation. He was visiting London with his family and was on the museum’s 10th-floor viewing platform when he was thrown off, falling around 100 feet and landing on a fifth-floor roof.” – The New York Times
You Probably Didn’t Know Cheetos Had A Fashion Show
But … they do. The theme: Flamin’ Haute. Why, though? “To be a brand in 2019 isn’t to be just a brand. Everything, our individual selves included, is now so online. Brands must be personas, asserting themselves on every social media platform for clout and relevance, and brands must stand out through experiences and ‘activations,’ like hosting a fashion show or providing themed makeovers. The reward is exposure and attention as the economy of influencers churns on.” – Vice
Many New Accusers And Sources In Book About Harvey Weinstein
The Weinstein Company’s accountant was one of the key sources in the reporters’ investigation, for one thing. “It was Mr. Reiter who provided the reporters with an explosive internal memo from an employee who described Weinstein’s routine harassment of junior female employees and actresses. Mr. Reiter also alerted Ms. Kantor and Ms. Twohey, who were investigating financial settlements for sexual harassment from decades ago, to other recent accusations against Mr. Weinstein, bringing new urgency to the investigation.” – The New York Times
The Star Of Crazy Rich Asians On Women Of Color In Hollywood
Constance Wu is about to star in the movie Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Lizzo, and some rising stars on the film scene – and it’s a film directed by a woman and written by a woman. Wu wishes none of this were a big deal though – not because it isn’t, but because things should be better: “Part of us should stop being grateful for scraps from the table and demand the whole table. Because it shouldn’t have been history that I was the first in that TV show or movie. It shouldn’t be historic that Hollywood made a story that gives an Asian American a full human experience. That should be regular.” – NPR
What Did The Venice Film Festival Just Say To Women And The MeToo Movement?
About the fest’s awards. The Daily Beast headline is “Child Rapist Roman Polanski Wins Venice Film Festival Award,” so there’s one point of view. A more reportorial version comes from Variety, which soberly says the wins for The Joker and the Polanski movie An Officer and a Spy capped “a festival marked by debate over gender representation and the impact of #MeToo in the industry.” You don’t say. – Variety
How Should Writers Deal With Climate Change?
Novelist Amitav Ghosh has some ideas, but most of all, he wants writers to deal with it in their books instead of ignoring it. “Something this big and this important, there have to be an infinite number of ways to just talk about it,” he said. – The New York Times