Category: people

The Oscar-winning actor and gun rights spokesman died this weekend after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Heston played epic roles throughout his film career, and later became the face of the National Rifle Association, “a powerful campaigner against what he saw as the government’s attempt to infringe on a Constitutional guarantee.”

The LA Philharmonic has been sparing no expense in playing up its appointment of Venezuelan sensation Gustavo Dudamel as its next music director. And it seems that Angelenos are buying into the hype, selling out The Dude’s (yes, that’s his new nickname) concerts, gossiping about him on local blogs, and even naming a hot dog after him at the city’s most famous dog stand.

“Rafael Azcona, the Spanish novelist and scriptwriter known for films including the Oscar-winning comedy Belle Époque, died on March 23 at his home.”

The diaries of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev will be published for the first time next week, and in them are found not only ruminations on music, but political diatribes, thoughts on the future direction of composition, and an anecdote about “screaming at Stravinsky to make him lose control.”

On the one hand, Kevin Spacey is a bona fide Hollywood star who makes millions appearing in big-budget film projects. On the other hand, Kevin Spacey is the director of London’s Old Vic theater, who claims that his interest in movies is dwarfed by his love of serious stage work. “Unfortunately, the necessarily guarded demeanour of a media-hounded Hollywood star is not an asset for someone trying to make his way as a London artistic director.”

Classical musicians usually hold themselves aloof from other genres, but violinist Hilary Hahn has recently been forging some unconventional (and musically fascinating) partnerships with indie rockers and singer-songwriters.

In North America, the composer Osvaldo Golijov is frequently hailed as the greatest composer of his era, and his eclectic style is seen as representing the future of classical music. But in Europe, Golijov is far less celebrated, and many critics have attacked that same eclecticism. The composer himself doesn’t seem to mind the strangely divergent reactions to his work.

Poet Reed Whittemore recently published an illuminating memoir, and has been conducting readings at bookstores to promote it. But Whittemore “is also 88 years old, with a memory that has betrayed him. Vascular dementia is the culprit, and it sometimes leaves him confused as well. Friends and family stand by to read in case he can’t.”

“Still close to her youthful height of 6 feet, the author-poet-dancer-singer-activist is ready to celebrate her 80th birthday on Friday, feeling, she says, like she’s 60, wearing a dark blouse and slacks, sipping apple juice, singing hymns, reciting Latin, whispering, laughing, crying, missing lost friends or planning to make new ones.”

“The 71-year-old Grammy-winning singer was expected to recover but will not be able to make a performance scheduled in Memphis, Tenn., next weekend”