Music writer David Hadju says that though the musician bore some resemblance to Mahershala Ali’s Oscar-winning portrait of him in the movie Green Book, there was a lot more to the man – including this exchange: “I asked him how he would feel about being portrayed on screen. ‘Damn foolishness,’ he said. ‘I want nothing to do with it!’ – The New York Times
Author: ArtsJournal2
The BBC Isn’t Into Netflix’s Claims About ‘The Crown’
In what seems a twist worthy of season 65 of the Netflix show The Crown, the BBC has started mocking the numbers, or rather lack of numbers, Netflix shares about one of its most expensive shows. The Beeb’s director general acknowledged that Netflix had a huge budget compared to the BBC, and also urged the BBC to get ready for people never to watch live TV. – The Guardian (UK)
Senator Elizabeth Warren Wants To Break Up Big Tech Companies, Including Apple
Wow. Senator Warren is dropping antitrust ideas as fast as, well, Facebook and Google and Amazon and Apple gobble up our time and privacy. After her Medium post didn’t mention Apple, Warren said she meant Apple as well, and she explained: “What was applied to railroad companies more than a hundred years ago, we need to now look at those tech platforms the same way.” – The Verge
Americans Love Donating Things To Museums, And Now Museums Need To Clean Out Their Basements
Curators have to ask themselves, “Has this ever, does this now, and will this ever spark joy?” (Ha ha, kidding. What they have to ask is more like, “What letter grade would I give this Marc Chagall painting?”) – The New York Times
Tracing A Passion For Theatre To The Performance That Sparked It All
Theatre can be magical, yes – but if you work in the theatre,”it’s easy to forget what compelled us into the profession in the first place. It can be lost amid the realities of the job at hand, chasing the next opportunity and our familiarity with the things that enthralled us once upon a time. It is also easy to forget what a personal experience theatre can be, where actors walk out of stage doors every night to waiting fans. It’s an experience that cannot be replicated by movies and television.” – The Stage (UK)
Yes, A Woman Can Open A Major Superhero Movie
Duh, right? Captain Marvel had the seventh-highest opening for a Marvel movie and by far the highest debut for a film fronted by a woman. (Also, Marvel, perhaps because of its internal and external experience, was ready for the trolls.) – Quartz
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Goes On Strike
The chair of the negotiating committee for the union said in a statement, “Beginning at 8 a.m. Monday morning, March 11, picket lines will stretch across all of the doors of Orchestra Hall through 8 p.m. daily until a contract that is fair to the musicians is reached. It is requested that no orchestra, performer or patron cross the line.” The main issue? Wages, of course, and also pension contributions. – Chicago Tribune
Gillian Freeman, Writer Of The Groundbreaking Novel And Movie ‘The Leather Boys,’ Has Died At 89
She published the novel in 1961 under the pen name Eliot George, and then the “three years later, when Ms. Freeman wrote the screenplay for a film of the same title, she used her real name. (The opening credits said Ms. Freeman’s screenplay was based on the novel by Eliot George.)” – The New York Times
Inside The ‘Magical’ Studio Of Kiki Smith
Smith is “known for her seriality, spinning concepts and images into one work after another, until something new piques her interest. Her sources of inspiration remain in flux, but Smith’s work itself tends to revolve around the body, death, mythology, and nature. Rumpelstiltskin may have been able to weave hay into gold, but there’s no alchemy to Smith’s practice: just hours of making, year after year.” – Artsy
Music Programs In England’s State Schools Have Dropped 21 Percent In Five Years
It’s bad – and far worse in poorer areas. “One in five primary school teachers reported there was no regular music lesson for their class, and only 12% of schools in deprived areas have an orchestra, compared with 85% of independent schools.” – BBC