Category: people

“In the latest chapter in a roiling Outer Cape dispute, the land court has struck down a building permit for a mansion being built next door to the former [Edward] Hopper cottage, halting construction of the multimillion-dollar house, which is well on its way toward completion, and returning the legal clash to the town’s zoning board.”

The New York Society Library, the city’s only lender of books at the time of Washington’s presidency, has revealed that the first American president took out two volumes and pointedly failed to return them. At today’s prices, adjusted for inflation, he would face a late fine of $300,000.”

“Humor is also where comedians go to hide, or even exploit, their own sadness. And Mel Brooks has a misty sadness about him even when he’s laughing that laugh, or handing over photographs of his adored grandchildren.”

The star of the sitcom Designing Women, who died this week at age 70, knew that she had given up a lot – artistically and in reputation – in exchange for the steady money a TV series provided. Yet in the last decade of her life, starting with an powerful performance as Maria Callas in Master Class on Broadway in 1997, she flourished as a stage actor and cabaret artist.

“Detailed analysis of the bones instead found that the 84 Donner Party members consumed a family dog, ‘Uno,’ along with cattle, deer and horses. Cattle, likely eaten after the animals themselves died of starvation, appear to have been their mainstay.” The analysis shows no evidence of cannibalism.

“Food artist” Jennifer Rubell has made a 20-foot-tall piñata of Warhol’s head as the centerpiece of her food-art exhibit, titled Icons, at this year’s Brooklyn Ball at the Brooklyn Museum. Yes, patrons can take a whack, and yes, Andy’s head is filled with sweets – “prepackaged, vernacular American dessert items,” of course.

“At one point during the interview Ms. Fleming said she wanted to perform at private concerts–for corporations, say –but started to explain that they are difficult to slot into a schedule booked so far in advance. ‘Oh, wait,’ she said, stopping. ‘This is for The Wall Street Journal, right? I would love to do more private concerts.'”

“For seven years, John Killacky has been the program officer for the San Francisco Foundation, a philanthropic organization that funds a variety of community initiatives, including arts and culture projects. On June 1, he will leave that post to become the chief executive officer of the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, Vt., a multidisciplinary arts organization housed in a 75-year-old, 1,300-seat theater.”

“A highly regarded nature artist, Mr. Schoenherr illustrated more than 40 children’s titles. He won a Caldecott Medal in 1988 for Owl Moon … [He] had a parallel, equally prominent career as a science-fiction illustrator. He was the first artist to depict the world of Frank Herbert’s Dune stories … [and] is widely credited with helping shape midcentury America’s collective image of alien landscapes and their occupants.”

“The intimate lives of writers have always had a special attraction for readers, perhaps because we imagine that people who can shape ideas and arrange scenes on the page should be able to offer us some special insight into how to order our messy off-the-page lives. This has rarely been proven the case … [A]ll the same it has not stemmed our interest in finding out what Sylvia said to Ted or why Simone pimped for Jean-Paul.”