“[He was] a rugged Dutch actor who played Nazis, action heroes and bloodsucking vampires [in both movies and television], but who was best known as the android outlaw in the science-fiction thriller Blade Runner.” – The Washington Post
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Faye Dunaway Fired From Broadway-Bound One-Woman Show After Assaulting Crew Members
Producers of Tea at Five, a solo show by Matthew Lombardo about Katherine Hepburn that had been in a pre-Broadway tryout in Boston, said that they had “terminated their relationship” with Dunaway and would take the show to London with a new star next year. If we can believe Michael Riedel’s report (seemingly confirmed by the playwright), Dunaway’s screaming at and slapping of backstage staff was part of a pattern of behavior reminiscent of soprano Kathleen Battle’s reign of terror in the 1990s. – New York Post
After Months Of Protests, Whitney Museum Vice Chairman Warren Kanders Resigns
“Protesters had demanded Mr. Kanders’s resignation, or removal from the board, after reports that [his company] Safariland’s tear-gas grenades had been used against migrants at the United States-Mexico border and elsewhere.” – The New York Times
It’s Official: Alexander Neef Will Become General Director Of Paris Opera In 2021
“The news of [the Canadian Opera Co. director’s] return to the Opéra national, where he worked more than a decade ago, comes after the months of speculation in opera circles about Neef’s future, peaking with last month’s reporting from Le Figaro that Neef’s place at the helm of the Paris opera was a sure thing. … Neef’s new post also means he will relinquish his role as Santa Fe Opera’s artistic director, a job that he accepted just last year.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Study: Disadvantaged Students Don’t Have Access To Dance, Music Education
The study, from the University of Bath, shows young people for poor backgrounds are faced with cost barriers, access difficulties and a fear they won’t fit in. – Classic FM
Duh: Study Shows Audiences Find Jokes Funnier When Crowd Laughter Is Added
“This research shows that while canned laughter does elevate the humour of a comedy, adding real laughter would get a better response.” – BBC
Lang Lang Returns After Career-Threatening Injury As A Changed Man, He Says
Mr. Lang — who long maintained that his greatest fear was an injury that would leave him unable to play the piano, and therefore, as he once put it, “render me useless for life” — spent his forced sabbatical taking stock. “I used the time,” Mr. Lang said in an interview, “to rethink everything I do.” – The New York Times
Two Years Into Construction, Philadelphia Museum Of Art Is Remaking Itself From The Inside
Clearly the museum is attempting an unusual feat: Tearing itself apart in plain view, but hiding the mess. – Philadelphia Inquirer
Is Gentrification Really That Bad For Original Residents?
According to one just-released study, original residents gain more from gentrification than the traditional neighborhood narrative lets on. And the harms of gentrification, while hard to fully gauge, may not be so severe for original residents, especially for those who stay but even for those who choose to leave. What if the conventional wisdom about gentrification is kind of wrong? – CityLab
Why Changing Marijuana Laws Made This Christian Publisher Change Its Name
“Christian Book Distributors, also known as CBD, was started four decades ago by brothers Ray and Stephen Hendrickson, selling Christian books, Bibles, home-schooling materials, toys and games. But the company has announced that the rising popularity of cannabidiol, the legal cannabis-derived chemical known as CBD, has begun to cause some unfortunate customer errors.” – The Guardian