Mary Anning risked her life in fossil hunts, never gaining the recognition nor certainly the rewards that rich men in Britain won. She “was three things you didn’t want to be in 19th-century Britain – she was female, working class and poor.” – BBC
Blog
The Playwright Who Is So Ready For Her Trump/Comey Play To Be Irrelevant
Anne Washburn thought Shipwreck, which she wrote in 2017, wouldn’t be relevant for long. Sadly, that hasn’t been the case; the themes of the Trump administration have been shockingly consistent. But she’s ready never to have to think about the play again. “If Trump is not president in January, I think we won’t want to think about him again for a long time.” – The New York Times
A French Teacher Who Showed His Class Cartoons Of The Prophet Mohammed Was Beheaded
The history teacher’s lesson “was related to the ongoing trial over the 2015 attack at the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which came under fire for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Islamist extremists killed 12 people, and 14 defendants stand accused of giving the gunmen logistical support.” Protests in support of the teacher erupted across France over the weekend. – NPR
The Writers Guild Wants Agencies To Resolve Their Conflicts Of Interest Now
The standoff about packaging has lasted 18 months, and the writers’ union wants it to end. The negotiating committee wrote, “CAA and WME enter these negotiations more deeply conflicted than any of the other agencies. … But that does not give them the right to come out on the other side of this process still conflicted.” – Los Angeles Times
After The Philip Guston Show Postponement, Artists Question Relationship With The National Gallery
The artists who signed a letter objecting to the postponement of a Guston show make a lot of potentially “controversial” art themselves, but “the artists are motivated by more than self-interest. They are concerned about the principle. And they are disgusted by institutional hypocrisy.” – Washington Post
In The U.S., Remote Western Areas Brace To Become Zoom Towns
Remote work changes how, and where, people live. But are towns near national parks or in resort areas remotely, so to speak, ready for an influx of workers from cities? Not even close. “Housing affordability and cost of living issues are a concern in gateway communities across the West.” – FastCompany
How Is French Cinema Coping With Covid?
Director François Ozon: “I believe in cinemas. If you look at French attendance figures, they’re 50% down from last year but that’s because there are no American films – whereas French films are maybe only 20% down. There’s a lot going on in French cinema at the moment – a lot of variety, a lot of debate, commercial films, auteur films, some very strong personalities, it’s pretty healthy. And there are a lot of film shoots happening in France right now – everyone’s making the most of it, in case there’s another lockdown.” – The Observer (UK)
Rhonda Fleming, A Princess In King Arthur’s Court And A Gambler At The O.K. Corral, 97
Fleming, like Maureen O’Hara, “was sometimes referred to as the Queen of Technicolor; both actresses had glamorous red hair, green eyes and fair skin. But in later years, she looked back on that as a drawback.” She worked in film, on Broadway, and on TV until, as she said, she just decided to work less. – The New York Times
Heidi Schreck, Playwright Of ‘What The Constitution Means To Me,’ Interviews One Of Its Inspirations, Norman Lear
Schreck met Lear backstage at an oratory contest when she was 15, and he had just given a speech called “The Constitution and Me.” Lear, who’s 98: “It’s hard to believe, as we talk now, that people aren’t gathering to go to the theater. That we’re living in a time where all of that is out of our lives for the time being. It hurts me.” – Los Angeles Times
Seriously, Though, Will Moviegoing Survive?
With Netflix and Disney controlling so much content, and with both companies now indifferent to movie theatres, things are looking grim. “What if the pandemic, rather than representing a temporary disruption in audience habits and industry revenues, turns out to be an extinction-level event for moviegoing?” – The New York Times