“Of the writers in Kurosawa’s stable, Mr. Hashimoto was among the longest-serving, contributing to eight screenplays from 1950 to 1970. Their other pictures together include Throne of Blood (1957), a reworking of Macbeth set in feudal Japan; The Hidden Fortress (1958), an adventure film about a princess escorted in disguise through enemy territory; and Dodes’ka-den (1970), about the residents of a Tokyo slum.”
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Baltimore’s Independent Popular Music Artists Are Rewriting The City’s Sound
It’s all about local in Baltimore, and musicians know it as well as anyone. “The city’s emerging musicians represent a collage of perspectives, aesthetics and reasons for being. Some of them are decidedly activists; others wear their political views more lightly, or express skepticism about art’s ability to effect change. Most of the artists acknowledge the influence of jazz and hip-hop in their music, even as it defies categorization. And each in their own way believes Baltimore informed their creativity.”
Anti-Opioid Activists Protest At Harvard’s Arthur M. Sackler Museum
On Friday, “a few minutes after 4 p.m., around 70 protesters poured into the Harvard Art Museums’ courtyard to chants of ‘Sacklers lie, people die, fund harm reduction now,’ ‘People over profit,’ and ‘Shame on Sackler.'”
Angela Bowen, Dance Teacher And Black Feminist Lesbian Activist, Has Died At 82
Bowen “shaped countless young lives through the Bowen/Peters School of Dance in New Haven, which she ran from 1963 to 1982 with her husband at the time, Ken Peters. For the students, many of whom were black and came from less-than-affluent homes, the dancing they did was only part of the instruction.” She later shaped more young lives as an English professor in California.
China Gets Its Own ‘Ishtar’
Whew, yeah, the extravaganza Asura, which cost more than $100 million to make, has tanked rather spectacularly. “It aimed to spawn a trilogy based on Tibetan mythology by following a classic Hollywood playbook: pair a time-tested story with sumptuous visual effects, big-name actors and industry veterans.” Instead, it made $7 million last weekend – and was yanked immediately.
An Art Dealer Claims He Found Six De Koonings In A New Jersey Locker
Er, indeed, sir: “‘What are the odds of finding a de Kooning in a storage unit?’ he asked. ‘It’s unheard of!'”
An Attempt At A Parallel, More Diverse NYT ‘By The Book’ Column
It started centuries ago, and also six months ago, when an author listed his favorite books for The New York Times, and he seemed not to know that women have been writing books for – yes – centuries. Then came the #ReadMoreWomen hashtag. At Electric Lit, “in light of that simple mission statement — read more women — we’re launching a new series, which we’re thinking of as a stripped-down, feminist version of ‘By the Book.’ Twice a month, we’ll have some of our favorite writers — of any gender — discuss their favorite or most influential books that aren’t by men.”
Mel Brooks Is 92, And Seems Just The Same As He Ever Has Been
Is there anything he can’t do? “Brooks and the director Susan Stroman mounted a musical version of [Young Frankenstein], a show that Brooks now calls ‘lugubrious.’ It was only moderately successful, so he cut about 40 minutes, bringing the entire evening (with intermission) down to about two hours, and that version has been playing at the Garrick Theatre in London since last September. Was it hard to edit himself? ‘I did it in a couple weeks. I knew what to do.’ He cut three songs and added a new one. (Singing) ‘It could work! My grandfather wasn’t wrong. You could re-animate dead tissue’” He finds it hard to believe ‘It Could Work’ wasn’t in the original show, since it’s the ‘Rain in Spain’ moment, the song that makes the musical a hit. In imitation of Dr. Frankenstein, he seems to have reanimated his own dead show.”
SAG-AFTRA Approves Deals For Non-Primetime TV Plus Telemundo
One of the key pieces of info: “The non-primetime deal with the networks includes language limiting auditions in hotel rooms and private residences. Those limits are part of the initiative announced earlier this year by SAG-AFTRA leaders in response to the industry’s sexual harassment scandals that came to light in October with the revelations about disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein. It’s the first time the union has included those specific provisions in a master contract.”
Museum Babygate Over Trump Balloon
Who gets the balloon – the British Museum, the Museum of London, the Bishopsgate Institute, or others? “The Trump babysitters started a crowdfunding campaign to fund a ‘Trump Baby world tour’: They have so far raised over 34,000 British pounds, or about $44,500. But Mr. Smith said the creators need time to work out what to do next, and assess the offers from museums and others. Other options could include releasing the balloon’s design under a Creative Commons license so that activists worldwide can use it.”