“What’s great about the art selfie craze is that it efficiently harnesses other, less blatant, but still very zeitgeisty tributaries to the culture: irony in the face of high art; camera-conscious vanity; the obsession with statistical measurement (each match is given a percentage rating); online flirtation (if Google says you look like a Titian, you’re texting your love interest with the news, I guarantee it — and it’s safer than sexting); digital excavation (the Internet’s startling ability to unearth hidden treasures); and, of course, the naughty thrill — truly, a hallmark of our time — of signing over some crucial piece of your identity to a corporate behemoth, purely on trust, and for the most frivolous of reasons.”
Blog
Peter Mayle, Whose ‘Year In Provence’ Drastically Changed How Britons Vacation, Has Died At 78
The book also opened Provence up to the world – but first to Britain. “Mayle’s relaxed amusement with the French villagers appealed to traditional British frustrations at dealing with their neighbours, and more important, it linked into what the writer George Mikes once described as the English love of enduring hardship: the lavender-scented pleasures of Provence came only at the cost of adapting to life among the locals.”
There’s A New Music Academy In France, And Its Plan Is To (Finally) Diversify The Classical Music World
Countertenor Philippe Jaroussky said his academy “was inspired by ambitious initiatives such as El Sistema, a program founded in 1975 that has provided hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan children with a music education, and the Demos project in France.”
Scarlett Johannson Tells James Franco To Give Back His Time’s Up Pin
Johansson addressed Franco, and the many allegations against him, at the Women’s March in L.A. She questioned “how a person could ‘publicly stand by an organization that helps to provide support for victims of sexual assault, while privately preying on people who have no power.’ She then added, ‘I want my pin back, by the way.'”
Germany Invades The United States
In board games, anyway. That’s right: Board games are back, baby, especially Eurogames. “Most Eurogames are designed such that scoring comes at the end of the game, after some defined milestone or turn limit, so that every player can enjoy the experience of being a contender until the final moments. If this sounds somewhat Euro-socialistic, that’s because it is.”
Julius Lester, Activist, Author, And Newbery Award Finalist, Dies At 78
“After initially publishing the instruction book The Folksinger’s Guide to the 12-String Guitar as Played by Leadbelly with musician Pete Seeger in 1965, Professor Lester went on to write essays, fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books. Among the latter was 1968’s To Be a Slave, which was named a Newbery Honor Book – a finalist for the prestigious Newbery Medal. He also collaborated with African-American illustrator Jerry Pinkney on children’s books, including a reworking of the Uncle Remus tales and 1996’s Sam and the Tigers: A Retelling of Little Black Sambo.”
Some New Zealanders Can’t Deal With Shakespeare In Maori Language
The fairies in the latest production of Midsummer Night’s Dream speak Te Reo, one of New Zealand’s official languages, for about 20 percent of the production. “Online reviews left about the Pop-up Globe performance said the move was ‘disrespectful’ and ‘bastardising’ Shakespeare and confusing for audiences. Other theatre goers have made their equally damning views direct to the venue’s management.”
Smithsonian Sites Remain Open In D.C. On Monday As Federal Government Remains Shut Down
After Monday? Probably not; and the National Zoo webcams will also close down as the Zoo closes (personnel will still care for the animals, however). “The Smithsonian announced that it has ‘funds available to keep the museums open on Monday. We will update this announcement as needed.'”
At Two Awards Shows, Different Top Contenders For Oscars Get Big Wins, Over The Weekend
The Producers Guild Awards loved Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, but the Screen Actors Guild (where women headlined, and wore pink instead of black in reference to the weekend’s many marches) went for Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.
Cherokee Nation Member Wes Studi, The Star Of A New Film, Says Theatre Acting Is A Like The Adrenaline Rush Of War
Community theatre, of course. Studi: “It was kind of a combination of the aftereffect of Vietnam in a way, in that — I won’t say I was addicted or a junkie of adrenaline — but, you know, I tried a number of fairly dangerous things just to kick that off in my brain again. … What I saw in community theater was you could learn your lines and do rehearsals and all of that, but finally opening night shows up and you’re in the wings and I rediscovered that huge wall of fear.”