Martin Charnin, Who Won A Tony For ‘Annie’, Dead At 84

“With more than 40 productions to his credit, Charnin penned lyrics for seven Broadway musicals and directed seven shows as well. He won his Tony Award for best original score, with composer Charles Strouse, for Annie,” which he also directed. “Charnin also received three Emmys for his work on television variety specials and won a Grammy for Jay-Z’s ‘Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),’ which sampled his lyrics from the Annie song of that name.” – The Hollywood Reporter

The Real Reason Hannah Rothschild Stepped Down As Chair Of London’s National Gallery

What her statement didn’t mention was an acrimonious dispute over the dismissals of 27 gallery lecturers and educators that has hung over the organisation for nearly two years, seen the intervention of numerous politicians, and was, say insiders, one of the reasons Rothschild stepped down “with sadness” two years before she was due to go. – The Observer

London’s Parliament Building Needs £4 Billion Of Repairs. A Temporary Home Is A Missed Opportunity

The recent unveiling of interim accommodation for 650 decanted MPs, who are to be shoehorned into Richmond House, the former Department of Health in Whitehall, for the anticipated eight-year duration of the palace’s patching up, might point the way, but has attracted attention for all the wrong reasons. – The Observer

The Arts Are Finally Coming To Terms With Unsavory Philanthropic Money

Sponsorships and philanthropy are tricky businesses. Philanthropy and arts patronage sanitises some truly awful personal and corporate behaviours. As tobacco and, more tentatively, alcohol sponsorships are eradicated from sports and the arts, their replacements are not always a better societal bet, but the patronage process is surprisingly effective in the whitewashing game. – Irish Times

Canadian Composer Michael Colgrass, 87

Eager to share his own enthusiasm for creating music, Colgrass devised his own notation system. Easy-to-draw lines and symbols allowed children to immediately start composing and performing their own original works without the long and often tedious process of learning music theory and notation. Colgrass was also an unorthodox psychologist. – Toronto Star