One of his accusers “said that this case was ‘always the word of a low-level assistant and a perceived eccentric woman of color against an extremely powerful and wealthy TV personality,’ so she was not at all surprised by the news.” – The New York Times
Blog
Groundbreaking Experimental Lesbian Filmmaker Barbara Hammer Has Died At 79
Hammer – profiled in this New Yorker story just a few weeks ago – made 75 short and longer films over the course of her career, winning prizes and praise. Now, “Hammer’s legacy lives on in her films but also with the Barbara Hammer Lesbian Experimental Filmmaking Grant, which she formed with money she received when Yale acquired her papers a few years ago.” – The Advocate
At The London Book Fair, Publishers Salivate Over True Crime
Why is true crime so hot right now? Ask an agent: “I suspect the true-crime podcast thing is driving the current interest.” – The Guardian (UK)
These Are The Films That Got The Most Buzz At SXSW
Though the movies that won awards were serious, the festival “has turned into something of a testing ground for the hit potential of Hollywood comedies.” – The New York Times
How Can Theatre Be More ‘Human’ To Those With Children?
Well, for one thing, it could encourage actors (stage managers, lighting crew members, etc.) to job-share. Also, with professionals, idea: “We need to make sure we are not rehearsing into the evenings and we don’t need to rehearse every night.” – The Stage (UK)
Learning While You Sleep Isn’t Just A Fringe Idea
Nope. Studies are showing, more and more, that the people who listen to information while they sleep may actually be learning it pretty well. For instance, in a recent study, “68 German students were asked to learn some new Dutch words before 11 p.m. Half the students were allowed to go to sleep while the words were played back to them. The other half stayed awake while listening to the words.” Guess who learned the words? – The Wall Street Journal
Everyone’s Talking About The Cat In ‘Captain Marvel,’ But He’s Actually Four Different Cats
There are spoilers in this article, just FYI – but not in this excerpt: “In addition to [experienced cat actor] Reggie and another experienced animal actor, Archie (yes, they’re named after Archie Comics characters), Brauner found two more orange tabbies, named Gonzo and Rizzo in a nod to the Muppets, at a shelter. Each one had a specialty.” – The New York Times
A Stolen De Kooning Gets A Homecoming Party (And A Restoration Fundraiser)
Though Woman-Ochre will go to the Getty for about 18 months of restoration, and will be shown at the Getty before it returns to Arizona, the painting stolen in 1985, it gets one night of pre-restoration display at the museum where a man and a woman simply walked in, distracted a guard, cut it out of its frame, and then … disappeared. – The Guardian (UK) (Associated Press)
Disney Takes Back A Director It Fired For Twitter Jokes
James Gunn’s firing from the Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was controversial because Disney fired him when “two far-right provocateurs, Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec, threw a spotlight on the [offensive tweets] — written between 2009 and 2012 — after Mr. Gunn harshly criticized President Trump online.” – The New York Times
British Actor Juliet Stevenson Calls Brexit A Retrograde Step That Will Make Collaboration Harder
Stevenson was among many other arts leaders in Britain who said Brexit was a terrible idea. She added, “I spent last year filming a series called Riviera, which had a French crew, Belgian director, German camera man, English, Swiss and American casts, and it’s particularly those sorts of things that are going to be much harder.” – The Stage (UK)