Category: people

“The University of California has sued the family of Jacques Derrida, a pioneer in contemporary philosophy and literary theory who died in 2004. The lawsuit is the first public eruption of a bitter, behind-the-scenes battle that involves both the papers and, perhaps, the legacy of the thinker… What is at stake in the battle may be the remainder of Derrida’s papers, which are held by his estate or in other repositories.”

Tino Sehgal is a difficult artist to pigeonhole, with much of his work falling somewhere between human sculpture and performance art. But even hardened art cynics frequently find themselves at least intrigued by Sehgal’s bizarre output. “What gets seasoned gallerygoers talking is not the form or content of Sehgal’s pieces but the discomfort of interaction with unusual living, breathing human behaviour. A bit like the weird thrill of speed-dating or arguing with a Jehovah’s Witness on the doorstep.”

Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk has cancelled a publicity tour of Germany amid fears for his safety following the murder of Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink.

The writer had a string of hits. ”I try to write my books so the reader can’t put them down. ‘I try to construct them so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she has to read just one more chapter. It’s the technique of the old Saturday afternoon serial: leave the guy hanging on the edge of the cliff at the end of the chapter.”

“Dame Kiri Te Kanawa pulled out of a series of concerts with Australian crooner John Farnham after learning that fans sometimes threw underwear at the pop star, according to testimony in court Monday.” She’s being sued by the promoter of an aborted tour after pulling out.

Gilbert & George are getting a major retrospective at the Tate. “It’s impossible to get to grips with Gilbert and George. Perhaps this all started out as a game, and then it became their reality. Or perhaps this is just what they are like. I really have no idea. But they are cheering company, like two crazy but indulgent old uncles.”

“In 2005 Till Fellner, an Austrian pianist then rising quickly, canceled an appearance in the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center because of illness. A cold? The flu? A sprained finger? This time the matter was not so simple. Mr. Fellner had developed tinnitus, an ear affliction that rendered him extremely uncomfortable.” His recovery from the career-threatening illness was relatively swift, but his experience points up the continual danger of hearing loss faced by professional musicians.

“Julie Andrews, whose career spans 50 years, takes center stage again this week as she is honored with the Screen Actors Guild’s 43rd Life Achievement Award, given for acting excellence and humanitarian accomplishment.”

Detroit Symphony principal cellist Robert DeMaine was a prodigy who fell from grace before Climbing back to become a star. “In hindsight, he understands that his stage fright was the byproduct of feeling unprepared, which was the outgrowth of the impossibly high standards he set for himself and a crippling inferiority complex. Like many prodigies, he never learned how to practice and found himself stymied when his natural skills began to plateau.”

Director Franco Zeffirelli has been hospitalized with heart problems. “Zeffirelli, 83, was undergoing medical tests at San Giovanni hospital after being admitted late Monday with heart fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat, his son said.”