Category: people

“Derek Acorah is the most famous medium working in Britain today. He writes books, appears on television programmes, and does live medium shows. He is partly responsible for a huge revival of interest across Britain in what he calls ‘the spirit world’.”

“The 79-year-old maestro has undergone ‘a complex operation,’ according to KP, and his doctors are ‘seriously worried’ about his condition. Currently only his closest relations and associates are allowed to visit him; a special exception was made for President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.”

Richard Dreyfuss has made plenty of money and achieved plenty of fame as an actor. But these days, he’s not taking many acting jobs, having swapped his Hollywood lifestyle for a new career as an educator. Moreover, Dreyfuss is convinced that he can reinvigorate the traditional public school “civics” course as an exciting and engaging way of teaching children the importance of participation in the American democracy.

“Olitski rose to prominence in the 1960’s as a leading exponent of Color Field painting, an outgrowth of Abstract Expressionism. With its emphasis on the visual properties of paint applied to a flat surface, Color Field shies away from illusions of depth and visible brushwork, instead prizing the subtlety and expressiveness of swaths of pure color.”

The great New Yorker jazz critic’s “heart and his soul were with the artisan-poets of jazz, the late-night pianists and unsung singers, the long line of jazzmen and women who ‘piece out their lives in the shadows and shoals of show business’ and keep alive the music’s lyric heart.”

“Gian Carlo Menotti was perhaps not a composer of the first rank, but he made effective use of music as an ingredient of drama; he wrote his own librettos, and found most of his subject matter in contemporary life.”

Janet Maslin says that Sidney Sheldon, who passed away this week, had a talent for blending the lurid with a potent literacy that gave his books just the right kick. “He brought class to trash. And he did it with consistent professionalism, turning himself into a legitimate brand name. If that sounds like no great accomplishment, think about how rarely an author does it right.”

“Sir John Tusa, widely respected for having turned round the fortunes of London’s Barbican Centre, is to lead a new Conservative taskforce on the arts. The former broadcaster steps down from his role as the Barbican’s chief executive in August, and in the meantime joins a number of prominent figures from Zac Goldsmith to Bob Geldof who have been enlisted by the Tories to look at all areas of policy before the next general election.”

“Opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has told a court seeing underwear being thrown made her cancel three concerts. She is being sued for up to AUS$2m [$1.55m] by a concert promoter after pulling out of shows with Australian star John Farnham in 2005. She told the New South Wales State Supreme Court footage of Farnham catching underwear and holding it like ‘a trophy’ had alarmed her.”

“Gian Carlo Menotti, who wrote his first opera before he was 11 and went on to become perhaps the most popular and prolific opera composer of his time, winning two Pulitzer Prizes, died Thursday in Monaco, where he had a home. He was 95.”