Category: people

M r. Pei was probably best known for designing the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the glass pyramid that serves as an entry for the Louvre in Paris. – The New York Times

The payments to Phramus were disclosed Wednesday when the Met released its tax return for the year ending last July 31. The payments to Phramus were in the calendar year 2017. – Yahoo! (AP)

“The Detroit native has played on at least 100 records, which is probably a conservative estimate. Burrell made his recording debut with Dizzy Gillespie in 1951, teamed up for a record with John Coltrane in 1958 and spent the 1960s doing not only session work — with everyone from Louis Armstrong to James Brown.” – Washington Post

“A prolific actress who appeared in plays, television series and more than 80 films, … she was among Japan’s earliest on-screen sex symbols, known for playing elegant and assertive princesses, noblewomen, geishas and prostitutes. Her performances marked a striking departure from traditional roles for Japanese actresses.” – The Washington Post

Among the many anecdotes in Christine Smallwood’s profile: “She never dabbled in the drugs and alcohol that were omnipresent on film sets. Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols once pulled her aside while they were shooting Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains and scared her straight. (Dern celebrated her 13th birthday on that set.) ‘I was saying to my mom, Who knew that the best thing to do would be to send your daughter to do a movie with the Sex Pistols for five months?'” – The New York Times Magazine

He had had a long and successful career as a character dancer at the Bolshoi (he danced for Stalin) when he up and left in 1975; the next year, he turned up at Balanchine’s School of American Ballet in New York. Balanchine watched him teach a class and told him, “My dear, I’ve been waiting for you for 40 years.” – The New York Times

Todd Purdum: “Doris Day, who died Monday at 97, was always underrated—the girl next door whose peaches-and-cream good looks, 1,000-watt smile, and sinuous, molten singing voice were so often taken for granted. Her huge commercial power—and the bad management of her third husband, Martin Melcher—meant that she seldom had material worthy of her talents, in records or on film. But when she did, watch out.” – The Atlantic

“Conway’s breakout role was on the 1960s sitcom McHale’s Navy, as a bumbling ensign in World War II. On The Carol Burnett Show he played Mr. Tudball, a heavily-accented boss perpetually annoyed by his slow-moving secretary. On the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants he voiced a frustrated superhero sidekick called Barnacle Boy.” – NPR

Three years ago, the Times ran a feature about how the erstwhile King of All Media had moved on from the crazy, raunchy stuff that made him rich and famous and become an intelligent, sensitive, and generally admirable interviewer. Here, in an extended Q&A, he tells David Marchese just how it happened. (includes straight talk about Donald Trump, a longtime friend and frequent guest of yore) – The New York Times Magazine

“While not well known outside continental Europe, Elsner was a major star in Germany, one of the country’s most famous actors and a regular in both film and television. She was also one of the last great originals, a larger-than-life personality who seemed fearless in her choice of roles and in her intense acting style.” – The Hollywood Reporter