Actors rehearsing for the musical Sleepless get test results within 45 minutes on an app. One of the actors says, “It does actually feel amazing to just be hearing people sing again. It’s made me realize the escapism of theatre and how much people will love to see it again.” (Especially if the audience can also get those speedy tests?) – BBC
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Billy Goldenberg, Composer For Stage, Screen, And TV, 84
You may not know you know his work, but you definitely do. A partial description: “Emmy-winning composer who worked with Barbra Streisand and Elvis Presley, scored Steven Spielberg’s early work and wrote the theme music for more than a dozen television series.” – The New York Times
The Pain And Dedication Of Being A Reality Show Camera Operator
The camera operators’ job applications asked them to list their skills at things like mountain biking, river rafting, and hiking. Those aren’t on the skillsheets for a lot of camera operators, but “‘I wish every job application was like that, because that’s all the stuff I love to do,’ said camera operator Kathryn Barrows, 43. ‘I felt like this is the show I’ve been waiting my whole life to shoot.'” – Los Angeles Times
The Many Hatreds Of Horror Master H.P. Lovecraft
Lovecraft was clearly racist and clearly an anti-Semite – and guess what? He also thought the Irish were inferior. “Such prejudices weren’t simply background colour. They are front and centre of many of his most iconic tales.” (Which is why a new series would make him so mad.) – Irish Times
As We All Know Now, Time Both Is And Isn’t Real
OK, let’s get metaphysical: “‘The true present is a dimensionless speck,’ Alan Burdick writes in his book Why Time Flies. ‘The specious present, in contrast, is ‘the short duration of which we are immediately and incessantly sensible’ ’—he quotes James. The specious present, Burdick adds, ‘is a proxy measure of consciousness.’ It is what we think of as now. Not the general now, as in “the way we live now,” but right now. And how long is now?” – The Paris Review
Writing With Radical Ordinariness
Emphasis on that radical, please, when you’re talking about author Carol Shields. – The New York Times
The Traditional Ice Cream Truck Song Has Racist Roots, So Good Humor Asked A Musician To Create A New Song
But will New Yorkers accept the new song? Musician RZA: “I can assure you that this one is made with love.” – Gothamist
Think School Testing Is A Mess In The US? Take A Look At How The UK Shafted Students In The Pandemic
This is not to excuse the United States’ patchwork of school tests, the weirdness (and inequity) of the ACT or SAT, but … wow. “The coronavirus pandemic means exams were canceled and replaced with teacher assessments and algorithms. It has created chaos.” – Wired
Julia Garner’s Newfound Netflix Fame And Lockdown Angst
A casting director’s dismissive “You should try indie movies, honey” changed Garner’s career, and life. – The Hollywood Reporter
Congress Adjourns With No Help For Live Music Venues (Or Anyone At All)
That likely condemns a lot of venues to closure. “‘It’s shocking that they don’t just stay until they figure it out,’ says Audrey Fix Schaefer of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).” Small music venues and theatres are truly at dire risk. – Variety