Robbins – who just died at 93 – changed the relationship of the average, at-home painter to abstract art through his homely scenes that, reduced down to color shapes with numbers in them, influenced (and delighted) Andy Warhol. Robbins’ clever idea did more, though – “its secret influence can be seen right through 60s American art.” – The Guardian (UK)
Author: ArtsJournal2
This Norwegian National Ballet Principal Is Balancing A Career, Another Career, And Parenthood
Moving to Norway can focus the mind, or so says former Houston Ballet star Melissa Hough: “I had quite a few life revelations that took me by surprise. I began to ask myself a lot of hard questions and forced myself to find the answers. One of these questions was, ‘Do you want to be a choreographer and if so, why?'” – Pointe Magazine
If You Judged By TV Shows, You’d Think Most Bisexual People Were Psychopaths
What’s up with the terrible representation, TV? Of course, “the sexually manipulative bi character is not so unique,” but Villanelle, Frank Underwood, and Annalise Keating’s characters shade more into the diabolical. – BuzzFeed
Does Australia Need Its Own Turner Prize?
Maybe. Australia seems to have prizes for everything in art, but none is a big national prize like the Turner in the UK. “A major, national contemporary art prize therefore needs two things: a continuing bequest to support the prize financially, and a group of major institutions to support it.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Man Who Was Called ‘Mr. Followspot’
Linford Hudson worked at London’s Palladium Theatre for more than 50 years, and he just got a special Olivier award for his skill. “I was born to do the followspot,” he says. ‘A lot of people try and fail. It takes a lot of finesse and feeling. I don’t use sights.” And he has stories. Ask him about the time Bette Midler flashed him, but don’t ask him about the parties Sammy Davis Jr. threw for cast and crew alike. – The Stage (UK)
Netflix Suddenly Isn’t Casting To Apple TVs
Until very recently, you could start a Netflix video on your phone and then “cast” it to your Apple TV. Then, boom, it just … stopped working. That’s “a change Netflix says is due to “technical limitations” and not a business disagreement with Apple.” Hmmmm. – Variety
How Did The Moomins Get So Popular?
For years, they were a secret of Finnish literature, guarded by those who loved them fiercely. Then the author died, the books were reissued, and the absolute flood of character consumer opportunities began. (And now there’s a new “all singing, all dancing TV adaptation.”) – The Guardian (UK)
The World’s Longest-Running Soap Opera Finally Features A Black Family
It’s been a long time coming for Coronation Street. “To many observers, the addition, while welcome, came astonishingly late for a show, known as ‘Corrie,’ that debuted in December 1960 and that has been watched by up to a third of the British public — including, reports say, Queen Elizabeth II.” – The New York Times
The TV Show That Revived Musicals Comes To An End
After four seasons, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is ending, but it began at a time when critics declared the TV musical utterly moribund after the decline and fall of Glee (and, earlier, Smash). But more than a little show that could, the wild plot and edgy comedy of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend got around certain issues with musicals and musical theatre by framing all of the music (150 original songs so far) as an imaginary therapeutic device for the main character, allowing her “to escape from her overwhelming emotions and her unfeeling family.” – The Atlantic
Groundbreaking Writer Vonda McIntyre Has Died At 70
The Nebula and Hugo-award winning McIntyre was a good friend of Ursula LeGuin’s, and founder of the Clarion West writers’ workshop in Seattle. She wrote feminist science fiction, including about issues of birth control and consent in the future, and she long advocated for other women in the genre (oh, and she wrote five Star Trek novels, including The Wrath of Khan). She pushed to finish one final novel before her death of pancreatic cancer. – The New York Times