“The Sherlock actor made his debut as Hamlet at the Barbican last week but found the distraction of red lights in the audience so ‘mortifying’ that he stepped outside the stage door after the show to ask the waiting throng for their help.”
Author: ArtsJournal2
Exploring Bitter History Through Sweet Romance
Beverly Jenkins “says publishers liked her work, but couldn’t get their heads around a black historical novel that wasn’t based on slavery.”
Ready To Declare War On Hollywood (Or At Least Its Sexism)
Rose McGowan: “I feel really bad for that kid that I was who was discovered on a street corner at age 17 and a half. I got battered around, and it was a very treacherous place with no protection. I feel really bad for her, but what I’m trying to do is make it better for the next girl. We need the men to help too. We can do this.”
Ukraine Blacklists Artists, Including Gerard Depardieu, Who Support Pro-Russian Rebels
“Ukraine said they were a ‘threat to national security’ for supporting Russia’s annexation of Crimea and pro-Russian separatists in the east.” They may not appear on Ukranian TV, radio or movie screens for five years.
Indian YouTube Is Exploding In Popularity, Making Stars Of Unlikely Comedians And Vloggers
“According to the India Times, there’s a very real possibility India will have the largest number of Facebook users of any country by 2017. Also, WhatsApp’s user base broke 70 million in November of last year. That’s a lot of people sharing content. Put those figures next to the fact that between 2011 and 2013, Indian online video consumption doubled. According to a YouTube spokesperson, total watch time in India has grown 80% from 2014 to 2015. During that same time period, the amount of videos being uploaded in India has doubled.”
Why Don’t Kid Movies Have Kids In Them Anymore?
“The absence of live-action children’s movies featuring child actors in central roles is even more confusing when two other factors are considered: live-action movies tend to be cheaper (Toy Story 3 cost $200m to produce, whereas Home Alone only cost $18m), and child actors are not only everywhere, especially on TV, but are also arguably better than ever.”
The CEO Of Joburg Ballet Is Suspended
South Africa’s “largest ballet company said investigations have been carried out and have kicked up concerns about poor corporate governance, financial management and general oversight of the company.”
How Old Should A Young Adult Author Be?
“Malorie Blackman left her own teen experiences behind a longish time ago but it doesn’t stop her understanding the overwhelming emotions of adolescence and their bravery in standing up for themselves and others when they see unfair things happening.”
How ‘Hamilton’ Found Its Groove
“A lot of times in the past when you’ve seen hip-hop used in musical theatre, it has quotes around it. ‘How crazy! We’re making hip-hop musical theatre!’ We don’t comment on it. We just take as a given that it’s the best way to tell Hamilton’s story, but like any other musical score, Hamilton has his own themes that he uses. It’s Peter and the Wolf; it’s what Sondheim does. When you hear this music, you know Burr’s coming onstage; when you hear that music, you know King George is coming onstage.”
The 70 Longlist Nominees Are In For The Guardian’s ‘Not the Booker’ Prize
Now to crowdsource the shortlist (that’s right – you can help books move on).