It’s unprecedented in modern times, as Cuba has been quick to quash artistic dissent – but many of the protestors, who were demonstrating following a Thursday night raid of another protest, were actors, musicians, and others who long held governmental approval. – Seattle Times (AP)
Blog
The Worst Kind Of Book Thief
Easily the worst is the kind that steals from a shared heritage in libraries for private sale or just adoration. “It denies everyone the opportunity of having access to that book. Even a rare book bought (or stolen) from a bookshop will end up having just one owner, whereas in a public library that same book is available for anyone who wishes to read it.” – The Guardian (UK)
Documentaries Are Hot Right Now, Threatening HBO’s Dominance
But the two women who run the documentary division at the behemoth aren’t worried. “Audiences’ appetite for nonfiction has grown as new funding sources like Kickstarter have emerged, and new formats, like podcasts. At the same time new and affordable technology has helped democratize the medium, and competition has exploded among deep-pocketed platforms hungry for documentary content.” And then there’s Netflix. – The New York Times
What’s Up With Romance Novel Architecture?
The men in romance novels – whether straight or gay – seem obsessed with open plans. Open plans, big TVs, big sofas. Blame Canada. (Seriously: Blame Canada for HGTV, which led directly to … this.) – Slate
Ask A Teen: Ballet’s A Visually Perfect Sport Art Form
Fair enough. The teen, and other dancers, keep their routines going during the pandemic, as well as they can. The high school senior: “I want to inspire people. I wish for people to be moved and left with a sense of pride and joy when they watch me. … That’s all I’ve ever dreamed of really, on the stage or in the street. I want people to look at me and feel inspired.” – Greenville (South Carolina) News
More Details Emerge About Why Mosaic Theatre Company Kicked Out Its Founding Artistic Director
Ari Roth was fired from Theatre J after 18 years as an AD, and so he quickly founded his own company – Mosaic. Recently, he resigned under pressure from Mosaic. Why? A liaison with Equity says he is living with an older definition of an AD as someone who can treat staff and others badly, as long as his vision is great: “His defense is that the role of the artistic director has changed. … But everything changes. Everything evolves. We just happen to be living in a time where this imaginary rule that an artistic director’s actions will be tolerated by the people below — that rule no longer exists.” – The New York Times
London’s Proposed Tulip Means Nothing About Cultural Capital, But A Lot About Ego
Rowan Atkinson is not happy with the proposed tower or its boosters’ claims that it will make London, exhausted from the battle with COVID-19, feel better. “Its outdated futurism resembles nothing more than the fantasies of a third-world dictator.” – The Guardian (UK)
Flor Silvestre, Mexican Singer, Actress And Musical Matriarch, 90
Silvestre married musical icon Antonio Aguilar after she was already a star, and the two had vital careers apart – “but transformed into a supernova when they worked together in 20 films and dozens of songs that get screened and streamed to this day. More important, Silvestre and Aguilar created a traveling rodeo that toured across the United States and Mexico for decades. Part musical revue, part horse show, part comedy act, and all about a wholesome night out for the family, their espectáculo played from small towns in the Midwest to six straight sold-out performances at Madison Square Garden.” – Los Angeles Times
The Musician Taking Wedding Gigs To Survive The Pandemic
Survive monetarily, that is. And psychologically. “There’s definitely a part of me that puts myself in these risky situations just to feel some sense of normalcy. My sister, a Ph.D. clinical psychologist, agrees. She says the damage this apocalyptic Groundhog Day is doing to performers’ psyche is as bad, if not worse, than the financial hardships we’re facing. After all, for many of us professional entertainers, our work is also intertwined with our social lives. It’s much more than just a paycheck.” – Slate
Hollywood Is Lost And Wandering, And Wondering How To Survive
Sure, Hollywood has been predicting its own demise since TV made it big. Every subsequent innovation – larger TVs! color TVs! The internet! DVD rentals! Streaming! – has the industry thinking it will die soon. But this time, well. “In the 110-year history of the American film industry, never has so much upheaval arrived so fast and on so many fronts, leaving many writers, directors, studio executives, agents and other movie workers disoriented and demoralized — wandering in ‘complete darkness,’ as one longtime female producer told me. These are melodramatic people by nature, but talk to enough of them and you will get the strong sense that their fear is real this time.” – The New York Times