Tag: 04.10.20

Shailene Woodley, Doing (Now Online) Movie Release Press From A Big Social Distance

The actor, who had success as a child and in her teens and early twenties, says that social isolation with her dog isn’t the worst thing. “This feels like heaven in a lot of ways because I don’t have to talk to people, I don’t have to deal with people, I don’t even have to look at people. I can play the game of being an extrovert when I need to — it’s a big part of my job — but my happy place is honestly being alone.” – The New York Times

The Guggenheim Is The Latest Institution To Lay Off, Furlough, And Reduce Benefits

The museum says it’s facing a $10 million shortfall and must furlough 92 people and reduce the salaries for 85 more. The furloughed staff members, “which union officials said include about a dozen people who work in a clandestine storage facility, will be paid through April 19 and receive health benefits covered by the museum through July 31 or the date of rehire, whichever comes first.” – The New York Times

What Did It Mean To Exhibit The Shroud Of Turin Online?

When the Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia, announced the church would livestream the Shroud, things in the world of the mysterious sacred artifact got a bit weird. “Whether Nosiglia knows it or not, his decision to exhibit the Shroud of Turin virtually in real time during a global pandemic finds neat points of synchronicity with the history of the shroud’s rise to becoming Christianity’s most famous—and notorious—sacred artifact. It also forces us to rethink the limits and capabilities of digital mediation as life is exiled to virtual platforms.” – Slate

Louis Johnson, Acclaimed Dancer, Choreographer, And Director, Has Died At 90

Johnson choreographed the film adaptation of The Wiz and won a Tony for his choreography for Purlie. He performed in both stage and screen versions of Damn Yankees, created works for the Alvin Ailey and for the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and inspired Jerome Robbins’ “Afternoon of a Faun.” He began the dance department at Howard University. Carmen de Lavallade, his costar from the 1954 musical House of Flowers, said “You know those hard rubber balls that bounce? He reminded me of that because he had such elevation, and he was quick and tough. He was low to the ground, but he could get off the floor, and he could jump high. My goodness, he was strong. … And there was always a sense of humor in his movement — the jauntiness that he had.” – The New York Times

Novelist Ann Patchett, Alone In Her Bookshop With Her Dogs, Says The Store Feel Closer To The Community

Patchett isn’t actually alone because her co-owner and staff are still coming in, carefully distanced from each other, to work so they can ship books to all of those desperately wanting new reads while self-quarantining. “I understand now that we’re a part of our community as never before, and that our community is the world. When a friend of mine, stuck in his tiny New York apartment, told me he dreamed of being able to read the new Louise Erdrich book, I made that dream come true. I can solve nothing, I can save no one, but dammit, I can mail Patrick a copy of The Night Watchman.” – The Guardian (UK)

Playing To An Empty Cathedral On Easter

Organists and cantors prepare to play for live streams instead of live services. On the other hand, sometimes that’s a bigger crowd: “Fewer than 600 people would tune in to watch the cathedral’s Sunday Mass streams before the pandemic, said Joe Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York — and that number was up to more than 100,000 on Palm Sunday.” – The New York Times