He Sings, He Plays Oboe, He Conducts (And He’s Not Dead and Not Mitch Miller)

He’s 40-year-old baritone Eric Owens, and this summer, between his appearances in the NY Phil’s Grand Macabre and the Met’s new Ring, he’s taking up the baton at Aspen’s conducting institute. And, so he could play in the conducting students’ orchestra with his 20-something fellows, he returned to the oboe after a two-decade break.

Jonathan Miller: “Why I Never Go To The Theatre”

Speaking to The Independent, Miller, aged 76, confessed he had no idea about the state of contemporary theatre because he preferred to give it all a miss. “I don’t bother,” he said. “I’m not interested in theatre, I never was. I don’t want to go to the West End; I hate travelling, I prefer to be at home with my grandchildren, and just go to Marks & Spencer.”

Why TV Critics Still Matter

“There’s a perception that newspapers no longer employ TV critics, which is wrong,” Young says. “A shift has been happening, but it’s slighter than you would think. Four years before the big consolidations and layoffs, (writers from) daily newspapers were only about 50%-55% of our membership. Now they represent about 45%-50%.”