L.A. used to have dozens of porn movie theaters. “Now only two remain: the Studs and the Tiki. They sit at opposite ends of Santa Monica Boulevard — the former in West Hollywood, the latter in East Hollywood, framing the city in an unseen porno-magnetic field.”
Blog
If Jane Austen Lived Today, She Would Definitely Have A Twitter Feed Critiquing ‘The Bachelor’
“It seems that long before reality TV binges and bodice-rippers, women were indulging in entertainment that mixed straightforward pleasure with the appreciation of unintentional camp.”
Nelsan Ellis, Star Of ‘Trueblood’ And More, Has Died At Age 39
The actor, beloved for his portrayal of the character Lafayette, died from complications of heart failure, according to his manager. Ellis was talented: “On True Blood, Lafayette was a short order cook at Merlotte’s. In the books, he was killed off, but because Ellis made him such an enjoyable character, he survived in the series.”
San Francisco Symphony Gets A New Executive Director
Mark Hanson will become only the fifth executive director of the Symphony since the position was created in 1939. Like his predecessors, he combines training in arts management with a history as a practical musician.
What’s The Point Of Intermissions?
“If there is an art to intermission, what are its elements of style? When is the long event transporting, and how does the break (or two) become the worst part of the night? The feeling varies from dance to music to theater, from night to night and place to place.”
Can Danny Feldman Save The Pasadena Playhouse?
“The Pasadena Playhouse, which holds the designation of the State Theater of California, marks its centennial this summer. And while that’s reason to celebrate, the theater continues to struggle for survival amid serious financial challenges. Now, eight months into the job, Feldman has his work cut out for him.”
Venice Has Been Crumbling For Centuries. But Why Is Its Crumbliness So Appealing?
“When did this love for ‘crumbling Venice’ begin, and why has it taken hold with such tenacity? By the time Victorian historian and art critic John Ruskin encountered the city in the 1840s, he thought Venice was so neglected that she might melt into the lagoon ‘like a lump of sugar in hot tea.’ It’s true that Ruskin feared any further deterioration, but what appalled him to an even greater extent was any attempt to modernize the city.”
The Women Who Built New York’s Art World
“During this period, other women—like Peggy Guggenheim, Grace Nail Johnson, and Florine Stettheimer—also helped carve out the New York art landscape by establishing influential galleries and salons that fostered avant-garde art. Rarely, however, are these women heralded as the pioneers they were.”
The Ideal EU City Of Culture (According To The EU)
“A new index by the EU Joint Research Centre published Thursday measures 168 cities in 30 European countries and ranks how they perform in 29 areas of culture and creativity. The ideal city would have the cultural venues of Cork, the cultural attractiveness and knowledge-based jobs of Paris, the innovation of Eindhoven, the new creative jobs of Umeå, the education system of Leuven, the openness, tolerance and trust of Glasgow, the connectedness of Utrecht and the good governance of Copenhagen.”
An Expedition To Spiral Jetty
“The road conditions near the jetty were highly variable, which was to say not always roads. The lake’s water levels, too, needed to be below 4,195 feet for us to see it, and those levels were partly dependent on snowfall (this winter there was lots) and how much of that snow, by the time we arrived, had melted and sluiced down the mountains — water that also, en route to the lake, could turn the 16 miles of unpaved roads into impassable mush.”