“In the late 1960s, [J. Paul Getty] hired architects, classicists and Hollywood set designers to re-create the Villa dei Papiri, at Herculaneum, which was smothered under a hundred feet of lava when Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79. Now, after nine years and $275 million, after lawsuits and delays and amid ongoing scandals and the prosecution of its former curator (currently defending herself against charges in Italy of trafficking in stolen antiquities), Getty’s over-the-top vision is restored, reopened and wow. Hail, Caesar by the seashore — this place is a trip.”
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Fargin’ Shite: The Seven (Thousand) Words You Can Say On TV
These days, there aren’t many words you can’t say on television. But the policies of broadcasters determined to keep the small screen “family friendly” have led to a bizarre expansion of the language for purposes of on-screen cursing that won’t get anyone fired. No one in real life would ever blurt out “frik,” or “frinx,” or “fup” in a moment of anger, but for TV characters, the made-up curse words have become second nature, and are bordering on becoming a new dialect.
Too Many Cooks…?
Launching big public initiatives has never been easy in Minneapolis, where a weak mayor-strong council system forces every new idea to be subjected to the will of dozens of elected officials and bureaucrats before becoming reality. The gridlock has particularly affected the arts, since nearly every bold proposal eventually falls victim to the endless bickering of the committee process. The city’s current mayor is hoping to galvanize support for any number of public design projects to complement an ongoing downtown boom, but wary of the failures of past administrations, even his pitches are vague and seemingly designed to accomodate the nitpicking that is certain to follow.
History vs. Innovation in SoCal
Pasadena, California, is on the verge of a building boom, and fans of daring architecture will likely be pleased by what is to come. “But what’s avant-garde to some could be an assault to others… It’s either a step into the future, or the early stages of an aesthetic identity crisis.”
Liberal Activism or Artistic Utility?
Ever since Brokeback Mountain became a bona fide cultural phenomenon, conservative commentators have been alleging that Hollywood is deliberately shoving homosexuality down the throats of “normal” Americans who have no interest in it. But Colin Covert says that while Hollywood may well have an agenda, it likely isn’t of the gay variety: “It might be more a question of sheer artistic utility. What gay themes offer in this day and age is the essential element for drama: conflict. And while there are few subjects as intrinsically charged as forbidden love, there’s always a need for a novel, culturally relevant angle as social mores change.”
Making Billy Less British
The stage version of Billy Elliot has been raking in the cash for over a year in the UK, and the show is now preparing for its first international tour. But there’s something very British about the Elliott story, and producers are scrambling to insure that the message doesn’t get lost in translation.
Michelangelo’s Lost Fresco?
That the residents of the Italian town of Marcialla have long believed that a fresco in their local church was painted by a young Michelangelo would come as no surprise to many scholars in the art world. That the villagers may be right, however, is a shock of the highest order. “At the end of last year, a stone slab forming part of the altar was heaved aside to reveal the first visible evidence for the claim: a monogram with the letters M, B and F intertwined.”
Brazilian Museum Robbed Of Four Masterpieces
“Gunmen overpowered security guards and stole paintings by Picasso, Dali, Matisse and Monet from a Rio museum Friday, using the cover of a Carnival crowd to make their getaway, Brazilian authorities said. The thieves entered the Chacara do Ceu museum as a samba band performed on the street outside and stole Pablo Picasso’s The Dance, Salvador Dali’s The Two Balconies, Henri Matisse’s Luxemburg Garden and Claude Monet’s Marine. The paintings were considered the most valuable pieces at the museum.”
The Devil, The Teacher, & The Very Small Town
The residents of the tiny town of Bennett, Colorado, have no desire to be held up as a national example of religious extremism and ignorance. But ever since an elementary school teacher in the town was suspended for showing a video version of the opera Faust to her class, the backlash against the town has been swift and severe. “Tensions can be found in many of Colorado’s smaller communities as development pressures and population growth cause friction between longtime residents and newcomers, who often have differing backgrounds and values. These differences sometimes explode in cultural clashes.”
How To Insert Your Network Into A Race War
America’s Armenian immigrant community was thrilled last month when PBS announced that it would air a documentary detailing the Armenian genocide of World War I. But since scheduling the showing, PBS has bowed to pressure from the Turkish government, which has always denied the genocide, agreeing to follow the documentary with a “panel discussion including people who dispute that genocide occurred.”