“I think that nobody can say, ‘I’m going to use stream-of-consciousness as my method for writing.’ … It’s much better to show the character in familiar terms of – of action, of speech, but sometimes that’s not sufficient. Then you have to use another tool, just as at times the carpenter realizes that his familiar tool is not quite enough to do what he wants to do, so he’s got to stop and make something, make a tool …” (From an audio archive of Faulkner lectures at U.Va.)
Tag: 07.16.10
Luo Pinchao, 98, World’s Oldest Opera Singer
The Cantonese opera star began his performing career in 1930. His “signature move was singing for nearly half an hour with one foot raised and wrapped around a prop.”
The Movies That Make Grown Men Cry
“Many men like to think themselves impervious to Hollywood’s traditional tearjerkers, but is the newly-released Toy Story 3 a sign that moviemakers are gaining new powers to make them weep? … Indeed, some men who might sneer at the idea of crying during Titanic will readily admit to becoming choked up during Saving Private Ryan or Platoon.”
Broadway’s Booming Offshore Trade
“The export of musical theater abroad has never been bigger. At least 13 major productions of American or British musicals are running in Japan.”
Jada Pinkett And Will Smith Considering Broadway Streetcar
Michael Riedel: “I’m also hearing that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been approached to play Stanley and Stella Kowalski in a revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, opening early next year.” (No conrracts have yet been signed.) The revival will be directed by Emily Mann and produced by Stephen Byrd, who presented the all-black 2007 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Terrence Howard and Anika Noni Rose.
Naxos Chief Talks Business About Classical Recordings
Klaus Heymann: “[Naxos Music Library is] no longer a hope; it’s a big thing now. It’s the fastest growing business we have. This year it’s up 25% on last year. Nothing else is up 25%. … Downloads are stagnating. I don’t think this is a long-term [prospect] … Physical sales are still surprisingly strong in classical music, unlike pop and rock. … All our distribution companies are very profitable, not necessarily from selling our own stuff; but we sell practically every independent classical label.”
AmEx Awards Arts Grant Via Online Vote (And It’s Not Pretty)
“[T]hings have gotten ugly in an online contest among cultural organizations to win a $200,000 grant from American Express” in the wake of a Twitter message by an overeager Lincoln Center employee: “I know we’ve asked before, but we really need to beat StoryCorps. We NEED your HELP.” While Lincoln Center has apologized and disavowed the offending tweet, many in the arts world remain bothered by the idea of awarding grant money by popular vote.
Top UK Historian Settles Libel Suit Over Fake Amazon Reviews
“One of Britain’s leading historians, Orlando Figes, is to pay damages and costs to two rivals who launched a libel case after a row erupted over fake reviews posted on the Amazon website.”
Eli Broad Has Competition For The Land For His L.A. Museum
“A potential roadblock to Eli Broad’s plans for a downtown museum housing his contemporary art collection sprang up Thursday.” Shen Yun Performing Arts, a Falun Gong-affiliated organization which presents touring spectacles based on traditional Chinese music and dance, has proposed “a rival plan to build a 3,000-seat theater and training center … on the same parcel at Grand Avenue and 2nd Street.”
All Honolulu Symphony Musicians Resign (Oh Really? That’s News To Us)
“The Honolulu Symphony Society announced yesterday that it has ‘accepted the resignation’ of the 63 musicians that comprise its orchestra–much to the surprise of the musicians.”