“Dozens of pantomimes across the land have been cancelled or postponed due to uncertainty about easing lockdown restrictions for theatres. … Though it is only August, pantos take months to prepare and many venues and producers have been unable to commit to spending money on shows that might be scrapped.” Local theatres depend on these holiday shows every bit as much as American ballet companies depend on Nutcracker — and so do local communities. – The Guardian
Blog
UK Report: TV Watching Surged During Lockdown
Its annual study into UK media habits suggested adults – many stuck indoors – spent 40% of their waking hours in front of a screen, on average. Time spent on subscription streaming services also doubled during April. At the height of lockdown, adults spent an average of six hours and 25 minutes each day staring at screens. Screen time overall was up almost a third (31%) on last year. – BBC
Stripped-Down Salzburg Festival Opens
While the 2020 Salzburg Festival may not have such a global audience, it has commanded the world’s attention by forging ahead against all odds. New regulations notwithstanding — including compulsory masks, half-full theaters and no intermissions — it often felt like business as usual: a bustling festival for a wealthy and elegant audience amid the grandeur of the Alpine landscape. – The New York Times
Can Neil Young Really Win A Lawsuit Against Trump Playing His Music At Rallies?
“If he has withdrawn those two particular songs from BMI’s political license program, then the Trump administration does not have a license to play them at a political rally and they have a good case that they will more likely win.” – Rolling Stone
Virtuosity Doesn’t Mean Playing Lots Of Notes
You don’t think minimalists can be virtuosos? Tell it to Ernest Hemingway. Tell it to Thelonious Monk. Tell it to the Japanese calligrapher who spends his entire life perfecting a straight line, or drawing a flawless circle. – https://psyche.co/ideas/true-musical-virtuosos-are-minimalists-who-put-roll-before-rockPsyche
Tracing The Ancient Art Of Bullshit
If we want to trace bullshit back to its origins, we have to look a lot further back than any human civilization. Bullshit has its origins in deception more broadly, and animals have been deceiving one another for hundreds of millions of years. – Lithub
Seattle Children’s Museum In Turmoil Over Black Lives Matter Post
Staff posted to social media but the museum’s director later deleted “Black Lives Matter” from the posts. Some museum staff went on strike, and then were laid off. – The New York Times
Disney Posts A Near $5 Billion Loss In Q2
The Burbank entertainment giant posted a net loss of $4.72 billion for the three months that ended in June, Disney said Tuesday. That’s compared with the $1.43 billion in net income the company reported for the same period in 2019. – Los Angeles Times
The World’s New Favorite Refugee Writer Tries To Get Comfortable With Freedom And Fame
Far from his native Kurdish village, escaped from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, now released from the Australian internment camp in Papua New Guinea where he wrote his award-winning No Friend but the Mountains on a cell phone, Behrouz Boochani has received asylum in New Zealand and is settled in safe, pretty, tranquil Christchurch, where most Kiwis seem thrilled to have him. It’s driving him a little nuts. – The New York Times Magazine