And it didn’t always go well. ‘”This is offensive to me,’ [a] vexed visitor complained. The security staffer found himself in the position of having to defend the activists’s right to protest, and soon after, he needed to separate the visitor and the protesters, as an expletive-laden physical scuffle broke out between the two sides.” – Hyperallergic
Blog
Here, Listen To Teenage Pierre Boulez’ Compositions, Written When He Was 19
Boulez erased most of his early compositions, but this one was preserved at the Paul Sacher Foundation. “After reviewing that score, ‘Prélude, Toccata et Scherzo,’ the Dutch pianist Ralph van Raat persuaded Boulez’s heirs and the Sacher Foundation to allow a belated premiere at the Philharmonie de Paris last September.” – The New York Times
Of Course Southern California Has Gardeners Who Are Instagram Stars
Southern California may seem dry and image-obsessed, but its Instagram garden stars – plantfluencers, perhaps – find not only fame but also community, and acolytes. “Influencers like Christine Kelso, Jennifer Tao, Brandon Jeon, Darlene Zavala and Danae Horst are easily approachable. Have spider mites on your alocasia? Struggling with root rot? Simply reach out to one of them on Instagram and you just might receive a response.” – Los Angeles Times
Concert Films Are Big Again, But Why?
Follow the money: “The resurgence of interest in concert films has been fuelled – in part – by streaming services’ need for content without the financial burden of drama.” The stars like the control they have over their images, too. – The Guardian (UK)
Abigail Disney Says Disney CEO’s Compensation Is ‘Insane’
The Disney heir isn’t happy with the numbers – not the raw numbers, but the pay gap. “Disney told attendees that her perspective has been informed by her interactions with Disneyland employees in Anaheim, California. Over time, she said, they have experienced a reduction in benefits, and in many cases are struggling to pay for essential needs like medicine. … ‘When [Iger] got his bonus last year, I did the math, and I figured out that he could have given personally, out of pocket, a 15% raise to everyone who worked at Disneyland, and still walked away with $10 million.'”- FastCompany
The Joys And Learning Of Cultural Appropriation
Yes, some of it is bad, or uncomfortable, or a real mess of power dynamics. But “the impulse to play dress-up in other people’s cultures goes beyond teenagers wearing qipaos to prom, or Coachella girls in feathered headdresses. It’s an impulse that is nearly universal.” – The New York Times
Old Games Never Die
Well, they do, of course, but Nintendo Game Boys don’t. The man who invented the Game Boy had a philosophy called “Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology.” And the Game Boy has had music, art, and photography uses for years. One artist: “It’s a piece of retro technology that just really makes people freak out.” – Los Angeles Times
The Paradox Of Pointe
Classical ballets present a contemporary challenge: “Ballet, like so much else in our current society, is infused with sexist elements that are also elements of beauty. To tease these apart is impossible and should give us pause to contemplate the mixed nature of art and how hard it is to condemn past inequity and abuse when its codification persists in so much of our cultural expression.” – The Smart Set
Agents Versus Writers Is Nothing New In Hollywood
Sure, the conflict is about packaging and digital rights – but it’s older than that, dating back to Robert Kennedy’s Department of Justice and a deal brokered in 1962. Now, “the two sides seem locked in a standoff with no end in sight, in a battle that could ultimately upend television and movie production and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of people.” – The Atlantic
What Literary Agents Want Now
“On the hunt for a less problematic Simone de Beauvoir who can speak for literally all women at once and also not be so serious. This seems like it should be simple?” (Yes, this is a satirical list … kind of.) – The New York Times