So it turns out that forcing theatres across the country to cancel or take down their productions of To Kill a Mockingbird just because a new one is on Broadway isn’t the most popular move ever. Scott Rudin, producer of the new version, recanted and offered theatres the new script at no cost – but it was far too late for some of them. – The New York Times
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Is This Southern California’s Most Innovative Arts Space?
As Santa Ana’s Grand Central Arts Center turns 20, it’s got a lot of history to celebrate, and that’s because of the way the directors treats the artists they invite to residencies. It’s become “less a traditional gallery space than a creative lab where artists can research and test new ideas, even those that don’t quite fit in a white box.” – Los Angeles Times
America Ferrera Says Everyone Deserves To See Themselves Reflected Onscreen
Ferrera, star of the How to Train Your Dragon series (movie and TV) and – relevant to this conversation – of Superstore, says, “The issues that we talk about on the show are timeless and completely relevant to what it means to be working-class in America. One of my favorite episodes has been the maternity-leave episode where Amy has to come back to work 48 hours after giving birth, which sounds like a ridiculous sitcom setup. And yet when the episode aired, I heard from so many women about how that was a reality for them.” – The New York Times
Ryan Adams’ Tour Canceled After Sexual Misconduct Allegations
The singer, perhaps most famous for being married to (and now famous for his alleged abuse of) Mandy Moore, or for re-creating a Taylor Swift album, faced requests for refunds from so many fans that his UK and Ireland tour got canceled, but only after those requests were initially denied. – Variety
Steven Spielberg Wants Streaming Movies Knocked Out Of Academy Contention
Sure, Netflix’s Roma won three Oscars – or maybe because the film won three Oscars – Spielberg is not OK with streaming films competing with theatrical releases. “Steven feels strongly about the difference between the streaming and theatrical situation.” – Los Angeles Times
The 20-Year-Old Who Recreates Iconic Film Scenes On His Instagram
He plans for months but sometimes has to do things as prosaic as waiting for a train with the correct color poles, or taking a coastal bus to a random Welsh beach. “In the last 18 months, Thomas estimates he’s visited 150 film locations. He posts the results to Instagram, where he’s built an audience of nearly 15,000 followers.” And so far, it’s all for fun. – BBC
Hey City Ballet, Wait A Second: Why Isn’t Wendy Whalen Co-Artistic Director With Jonathan Stafford?
Great that Whalen and Stafford are leading New York City Ballet. Super. Getting closer to equality, clearing up some of the past months’ terrible news, and so forth. But … problem: “Elevating the job title of a man over a woman seems like a regressive, shortsighted and even cowardly act. It’s also a confusing one given that in an interview in The New York Times the two said that ‘they intended to work as partners.'” – The New York Times
How Netflix Uses Social Media To Get Its Shows To The Center Of Popular Culture
The company uses its social and brand editorial department as the engine that keeps Netflix shows and movies at the forefront of the pop-culture conversation. By imbuing its social platforms with the personality of a meme-happy fan who lives for TV and movies (rather than being stunt-driven, deadpan, or, worse, mocking the very audience it seeks), Netflix’s approach goes beyond mere promotion and jumps armpit-deep into participation and collaboration. – Fast Company
Andrew Wyeth’s Secret Paintings That Made A Woman Famous
“Over the course of more than 15 years, Andrew Wyeth created 250 secret paintings. He hid them from everyone—including his wife, who was also his business manager—in the loft of a millhouse near his home in rural Pennsylvania. When they were discovered, in 1986, they generated a media frenzy that extended well beyond the art world. The Helga paintings, as they came to be called, all depicted a single subject: Helga Testorf.” – The Atlantic
How Do Artists Get To Be Famous? Study Says It’s Who You Know
While past studies have suggested that there is a link between creativity and fame, Paul Ingram and Mitali Banerjee found, in contrast, that there was no such correlation for these artists. Rather, artists with a large and diverse network of contacts were most likely to be famous, regardless of how creative their art was. – Artsy