“No other photographer of his time lived and worked so long or commanded the admiration of so many artists, critics, editors, museum curators and connoisseurs of photography—not to mention the public at large—and none bore worldwide fame with a more appealing combination of intelligence, authority, insouciance and self-deprecating irony.”
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A Russian Blockbuster Outpaces Hollywood
A Russian movie is proving an unexpected hit at the box office. “Blood, action and suspense helped “Night Watch” rake in $13 million in the first three weeks after it was released July 8, almost as much as the last “Lord of the Rings” film made in two months in Russia. The previous best-performing Russian film made $3 million.”
Even Regional Theatre Shuns Playwrights
“It’s bad enough that some of the best and brightest theater talents are fleeing to television and the movies. But when the regional theater – where you felt you always had a home – blocks their main stages to you, you might as well start packing your sunscreen for the West Coast. And many already have.”
Clyfford Still Estate To Denver
Clyfford Still’s estate paintings will go to the Denver Art Museum. “Patricia A. Still, the artist’s 84-year-old widow, has chosen Denver as the repository for more than 2,000 works from the abstract expressionist’s estate. Putting an exact value on the gift is difficult, because Still’s paintings are rarely sold, but Mayor John Hickenlooper said the collection’s value could be as much as $1 billion.
Kooser Chosen Poet Laureate
Nebraskan poet Ted Kooser has been chosen as the next US Poet Laureate. “Kooser has written 10 collections of poetry, most recently “Delights & Shadows,” published this year. His 1980 collection, “Sure Signs,” received the Society of Midland Authors Prize for the best book of poetry by a Midwestern writer published in that year.”
A Canadian “Chain” Novel
In Canada, 19 writers from across the country participate in writing a novel – each contribting 600 words before passing it along to a colleague. “As the chapters crossed invisible borders, the initial linear plot took bizarre turns as creative visions clashed, and as they erased and re-introduced plot changes, such as the female protagonist’s ever-changing pregnant condition. ‘The book is not art, it’s a game. I don’t think the writers were very generous with each other, you would do something, and then the next character would undo it’.”
Coming To A Stamp Near You
The US Postal Service produces only 35 new stamp designs each year. But a new service lets consumers design their own stamps. “PhotoStamps allows anyone to design their own image and emblazon a stamp with it. Thus, be prepared to see a wave of stamps with babies, cats, weddings and other personalized images and logos arriving in a mailbox near you.”
Dan Brown – Hanging Upside Down
Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown has a strict routine for writing: “The 39-year-old Dan Brown gets up and starts writing each day at four in the morning. He writes with an antique hour glass on his desk and at the end of each 60 minute period he does sit-ups, stretches and push-ups. He also confesses to wearing gravity boots.”
BookNotes To End In December
After 800 author interviews, Brian Lamb is quitting his BookNotes show on C-Span. Why? “He spends 20 hours each week reading books in preparation for “Booknotes,” he estimates. That’s 1.8 years of his life that have been dedicated to reading since the show debuted April 2, 1989. Now he wants to reclaim some of that time for his personal life. Has it come to this? The author-interviewer, arguably the most quirky and dedicated on television, the creator and curator of one of TV’s few institutions for avid readers — has he finally tired of books?”
An Assist For Authors And University Presses?
University presses are essential for academics who need to publish to advance their careers. Yet university presses are underfunded and endangered. “One proposed solution now gaining ground is that universities and other institutions that support academic research create a pool of money to provide subsidies for authors to help offset the costs of publishing.”