Once the ultimate arbiter of great literature, it has struggled to remain relevant at a time of cultural fragmentation. It could not continue on its historical course—awarding unknown European poets who would fail to stir excitement in the media (and social media)—and remain relevant. – The New Republic
Blog
Why Theatre In Los Angeles Is Missing Its Potential
Charles McNulty: “What is the distinctive stamp of L.A. theater? In posing this question to myself, I find my answer to be dismayingly similar to what I would have said when I moved to Los Angeles from New York 14 years ago to be The Times’ theater critic. The theater has remained decentralized, widely variable in quality and ambition, and sorely in need of institutional leadership able to meet the self-regard of a city that, long out of New York’s shadow, has come to recognize itself as a global metropolis.” – Los Angeles Times
Dance Company From Barcelona Denied Entry To US For LA Dance Festival
The company, Perra da Nadie, released a statement: “Marta and 3 gentlemen who accompany her on this tour, flew from Barcelona with an overlay in Seattle where we were denied access to enter the country. Without knowing why they took us to a secluded room, they warned us from touching our phones, they took our passports.” – Broadway World
“Fortnite” Season Ten Ends In Destruction: Video Games (And Storytelling) Will Never Be The Same Again
In the game’s final moments on Sunday evening, a giant explosion took place, sucking the world into a black vortex, leaving players stunned and confused. Brilliantly, Epic took the explosion out of the “fiction” of the game, so that the menu pages and user interface were also pulled into the black hole. – The Guardian
Have The Movies Gotten Too Loud?
Many filmgoers say they believe sound levels have been crawling up the decibel scale, and not just for the adverts and trailers. Several sufferers also argued that a lack of balanced settings in an auditorium can create an unpleasant booming sensation. – The Observer (UK)
Are You One Of Those Who Has Strong Feelings About Semi-colons?
Punctuation – and especially semicolon use – is more art than science, in other words. – Times Literary Supplement
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Between High Culture And Low Culture
There’s a difference between the two, for sure. But a Marvel movie is marvelous art, and high art helps us appreciate it. – The Hollywood Reporter
A Crash Course In Hitler Satire
Taika Waititi’s new movie Jojo Rabbit is far from the first movie to satirize the genocidal leader. But many people object to the movie on pure concept. “Is it right to make comedy of a man who did such transcendently horrible things?” – Slate
What Does It Mean To Be An Audience, And How Does An Arts Institution ‘Develop’ It?
The idea of audience development as a solution has taken over everything in arts organizations, but there’s more to it, at least from the audience side. “Being an audience member means being a citizen, customer, community member, and worker. It is a sort of control interface for ruling.” – HowlRound
Robert Forster, Oscar Nominee For ‘Jackie Brown,’ Has Died At 78
Forster started strong but faded and had a hard time finding work for decades. But “the drought ended with a chance encounter with Tarantino at a West Hollywood coffee shop where Forster regularly had breakfast. Tarantino told him he was writing an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch, which would become Jackie Brown, and asked Forster to read the book.” – Los Angeles Times