In this Lexicon Valley podcast, “John McWhorter goes negative, exploring the evolution of no and not.”
Blog
The Artist As Arts Administrator
John Killacky: “Artists have certain advantages, particularly with the never-ending aspiration to improve. While building upon technique and experience, curiosity leads artists to explore new horizons. I often tell employees that, ‘We’re hired for what we know, but our job is to learn what we don’t know’.”
The Great Genius Of Rare-Book Theft
“James Richard Shinn was a master book thief. Using expert techniques and fraudulent documents, he would ultimately pillage world-class libraries to the tune of half a million dollars or more. A Philadelphia detective once called him ‘the most fascinating, best, smartest crook I ever encountered.’ And yet, despite the audacity of his approach and the widespread effects of his crimes, Shinn has been relegated to a footnote in book history.”
The Most Anthologized Poems Of The Last 25 Years
A couple of weeks ago, Emily Temple cracked some books, ran some stats, and came up with a list (several, actually) of the most anthologized short stories of all time in the U.S. over the last 34 years. Now she’s tried a similar approach with poetry.
Let Great Stage Actors Be Great *On Stage* (Not Screen)
Isaac Butler and Dan Kois: ” Call it the Rylance Rule: Great stage actors can be great on film as well, but their film careers are always less interesting than their stage careers.” And Mark Rylance himself is their Exhibit B; Exhibit A is Nathan Lane: “So why on earth would we want to push one of the four or five best living stage actors onto film? Is Nathan Lane’s road to an Oscar worth the dozen great performances on stage that he’d sacrifice to get there?”
Double Dutch As Dance Form (Seriously)
Gia Kourlas: “Double Dutch has been a competitive sport since the 1970s, its popularity in cities intertwined with the birth of hip-hop. While just about anyone can do it, the best practitioners use athleticism, finesse and musicality to transform it from a game into a choreographic feat. Yes, double Dutch is very much an art form. And who knew? It even has roots at Lincoln Center.”
With TV Producers Running Out Of Books To Adapt, Where Are They Turning? Podcasts
“When television networks resort to adapting books that haven’t even been written yet,” – and that’s what the Game of Thrones folks are doing at this point – “it’s time to start looking for new source material. Luckily, salvation might be as close as their smartphones. As the supply of books and comics ripe for adaptation dwindles, TV producers are looking to podcasts for fresh material – and finding stories with audiences as loyal as any book club’s inner circle.”
‘Simpsons’ Creator Matt Groening Is Creating A New Cartoon Series
Disenchantment, of which Netflix has ordered an initial 20 episodes, “is described as an adult fantasy about a crumbling medieval kingdom known as Dreamland. The central character is a hard-drinking princess, Bean, [with] her elf companion Elfo and her ‘personal demon’ Luci. The first 10 episodes are targeted to premiere next year.”
Background Music In The Office Is Coming Back (Dept. Of Terrifying Trends From 50 Years Ago)
“For decades, it was thought that playing music in our places of work would boost morale and productivity. Before it terrorised hotel guests and shoppers, Muzak originally set out to rally workers with 15-minute cycles of slowly climaxing, terrible music.” (These days, thank heaven, offices seem to be turning to Spotify.)
What Dancers Should Know Before Taking That Gig On A Cruise Ship
Meghan McFerran gives a rundown of the pluses (free travel, free room and board, extra strength) and minuses (isolation, seasickness, the stage moving under you).