Category: people

Mark Swed: “Again and again Bausch stopped the dancers, praised them and ever so sweetly asked them to start over, as she lithely sidestepped falling bodies. … When the tension became unbearable or it looked as if the dancers would be beaten to a pulp, Bausch flashed a sly smile and handed out cookies. She had baked them that morning. They were delicious.”

When critic James Marcus interviewed Roth for an L.A. Times profile, the author gave a demonstration of what he described as “shouting. Jewish shouting.” (Roth was talking about the film version of Goodbye, Columbus.) Marcus liked the demo so much, he remixed it into a dance track. That track is now a “viral sensation” which has been blogged about by The New York Times, Gawker, The Guardian and MediaBistro. (And now it’s a ringtone, too.)

Michelle Cottle: “[M]y six-year-old friends and I … were years away from understanding the concept of ‘Jiggle TV,’ much less why it might be a bad thing. We liked the guns and the gowns and the karate kicks and the sight of a bunch of really pretty ladies getting the best of the bad guys. And, oh yes, we loved the fact that, week after week, the chicks dashed out to save the day while their faithful handler, John Bosley, functioned as a genial, glorified manservant.”

“Iz the Wiz was a legend among graffiti artists, by almost all accounts ‘the longest-reigning all-city king in N.Y.C. history,’ as the graffiti Web site at149st.com puts it. In other words, Iz put his name, or tag, on subway cars running on every line in the system more times than any other artist. Michael Martin — Iz the Wiz — died on June 17 in Spring Hill, Fla., where he had moved a few years ago.”

“Gordon Brown has sought advice from Sir Andrew Motion, the former poet laureate, prompting speculation that the Prime Minister was seeking inspiration for his speeches. Mr Brown, who is often criticised for his leaden manner, spoke to the poet about popular works including Thomas Gray’s celebrated Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard, one of the most-quoted poems in the English language.”

“Actress Elaine Stritch, known for her caustic personality, gravelly voice and her Emmy-winning turn as Alec Baldwin’s mother in ’30 Rock’ on TV, failed to pay writer John Lahr for his work on her hit 2002 Broadway show, according to a lawsuit Lahr filed last week.” New Yorker magazine drama critic Lahr was billed as having “constructed” the show, “Elaine Stritch at Liberty.”

“Though recovering from various maladies and the side effects of their treatment (which temporarily robbed part of his left hand of feeling), Brubeck played with the zest of old, and then some. In fact, the melodic ardor of his work exceeded expectations, as if the pianist was trying to pack as much meaning as possible into every note.”

“After her husband was named Cardiff Singer of the World, Mrs Hvorostovsky gave up her career at his request so that she could travel with him. In 1991 they moved from Siberia to Moscow and in 1994 to England where they are still both living.”

“At the tender age of 72, he is preparing to add a new string to his bow. The former president of the Czech Republic is to direct his first film, an adaptation of his stage play Leaving.”

“[A] child Motown sensation who grew into a moonwalking megastar … the entertainer sold millions of records, earning worldwide adoration in the 1980s. […] For all his many successes as a child and young man, Jackson’s later life devolved into a series of tabloid headlines, bizarre plastic surgeries, and more courtroom appearances than hit songs.”