The auteur of ultraviolence “can now see the day when he’ll lay down his blood-splattered camera and begin a new career as a novelist. That day will be March 27, 2023, his 60th birthday.” Tarantino says, “I don’t really want to make ‘old men’ movies. I don’t want to be worried about making my day and getting up and going through all the stuff to make movies. … When I’m 60 will be my time to be a man of letters.”
Tag: 08.13.09
Extremely Cool: Lower-Ranked Teams Band Together To Take Netflix Prize
“By pooling a larger number of competitors — all of whose algorithms performed more poorly than those of the top two teams — The Ensemble produced the best results. It’s a profound lesson in the power of the crowd.”
Cleveland Museum Appoints Deborah Gribbon Interim Director
“Cleveland museum trustees said they hoped Gribbon’s appointment would communicate stability and momentum as the museum nears a critical decision in December about whether to continue with a $350 million expansion and renovation, now half-finished.”
Study: Turns Out Babies Mirror Behavior
“Even very young children absorb the messages they perceive from their immediate environment, and behave accordingly. So if yours are acting in a me-first manner, the obvious question becomes: Whose behavior are they mirroring?”
Are Human Facial Expressions Universal? (Probably Not.)
“Facial expressions, Charles Darwin argued … are a universal window into emotion. But new research challenges that notion, showing that east Asian people struggle to recognise facial expressions that western Caucasians attribute to fear and disgust. By focusing on eyes and brows, Asians miss subtle cues conveyed via the mouth.”
How To Write A Hit For the NY Int’l Fringe Festival (From Someone Who’s Been There)
New York Times theater critic Neil Genzlinger: “Back in 2001 I was sent to review a play at the Fringe, a two-hander called Hustle that left me underwhelmed. … I took in a few other Fringe shows that year as well, and I soon came to this conclusion: ‘Heck, I could write better plays than this’.” (He tried, twice.) “Since then I’ve absorbed a bit more of the Fringe culture … and now know the keys to mounting a successful Fringe show:”
Arts Orgs Join In The Health Care Debate (Uh-Oh)
Christopher Knight: “Today, a coalition of 21 national arts organizations entered the healthcare reform debate with three really good prescriptions – and one really bad one.”
Miami’s Ballet Gamonet To Disband
“Ballet Gamonet dance troupe filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in Miami on Wednesday, the second major South Florida dance company to enter bankruptcy this summer.”
Rashied Ali, Pioneering Free Jazz Drummer, Dies At 76
His “expressionistic, free-jazz drumming helped define the experimental style of John Coltrane’s final years.” His playing was described as “a multi-rhythmic, polytonal propellant, helping fuel Coltrane’s flights of free-jazz fancy.”
What’s A Bride To Do When Her Wedding Pianist Is Stuck In Traffic? Grab The Nearest Famous Conductor.
Scene: Norwich, England. “Disaster was imminent: The bride was due to arrive at any moment and the pianist called to say he wasn’t going to make it to the wedding in time.” (Stuck in London traffic.) So “the groom hit the panic button – with stupendous results.” It happened that Bramwell Tovey, the Vancouver Symphony’s music director, was on the way into town for a gig. He got a call from a colleague on the scene, drove right to the wedding hall, and …