Hippie Lingo In The 21st Century – A Risible Relic? Not Entirely

Linguist Geoff Nunberg: “Fifty years after the Summer of Love, that’s been the fate of a lot of the language we associate with that era – faded psychedelia, sort of like acid rock and tie-dye, except that nobody ever tries to revive it. … But it’s striking how many words from the hippie era are still with us, from ‘uptight’ to ‘bummer’ to ‘freak show.’ As brief as the moment was, it changed the way we think and talk.” (includes audio)

HBO Defends Its If-The-South-Won Series ‘Confederate’ But Acknowledges It ‘Screwed Up’ The Announcement

“The concept, especially the revelation that a modern form slavery will be depicted, spurred a furious backlash on social media and in essays from high-profile writers like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay,” and HBO’s CEO acknowledged that the idea deserved more explanation than a three-paragraph press release. (Oddly, no one seems to be pointing out HBO’s tactical error in initially spotlighting producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, who created Game of Thrones and are white, rather than executive producers and lead writers Malcolm Spellman and Nichelle Tramble Spellman, who are African-American.)

Santa Found Dead? Tomb Of Real St. Nicholas May Have Been Discovered In Turkey

The body of Nicholas of Myra, the beloved fourth-century bishop whose figure morphed over the centuries into the jolly old Santa Claus seen everywhere each December, was long thought to have been disinterred in 1087 and taken to the Italian city of Bari, where his shrine was built and remains to this day. But it seems that the Crusader merchants who took the remains away 930 years ago got the wrong guy: a team of archaeologists says they believe they’ve found the tomb of the real St. Nicholas under his old church in Myra, now Demre on Turkey’s southern coast.

‘Charlie Hebdo’ Launches A U.S. Edition – And It’s Not At All What You Might Expect

The French original of the magazine is (in)famous for its ferocious, often blunt and sometimes offensive satirical cartoons. The American version – a limited-edition (four parts), online-only project – is graphic journalism: a Paris-based American reporter joined one of Charlie‘s cartoonists for a trip along the Northeast Corridor for a look at the American left.

‘Shameful’: David Geffen Calls Out Wealthy New Yorkers For Not Donating To Geffen Hall Renovation Plan

“That a city that has as many wealthy individuals who’ve made a fortune in New York – that they couldn’t show up and support the most important cultural institution in New York, I think is too bad and shameful. New York deserves to have the best concert hall for the Philharmonic. New York should have the best of everything.”

Arthur Janov, 93, Father Of Primal Scream Therapy

“Through his treatment of celebrities – among them entertainers John Lennon, Yoko Ono and James Earl Jones – Dr. Janov became a celebrity in his own right beginning in the 1970s. In a best-selling book, and in appearances on television programs such as The Dick Cavett Show, he converted curious onlookers to committed followers with an enticingly simple explanation of psychological ailments, and what he billed as a near surefire way of resolving them.”

More Controversy About ‘Yellowface’ Opera Casting, This Time In Contemporary Work

Peter Eötvös’s The Golden Dragon, “based on a play by Roland Schimmelpfennig [and set in a Chinese restaurant], has a cast of five who perform multiple roles that include ‘Chinese mother’, ‘Chinese aunt’, ‘Old Asian’ and ‘An Asian’.” Music Theatre Wales, generally a respected touring company admired for its unconventional productions, has fielded an all-white cast for the piece and is drawing criticism for it.

Top Posts From AJBlogs 10.04.17

BlogBack: Timothy Cahill, Regional Art Writer, on Berkshire Museum’s Decline (& how it should regroup)
Timothy Cahill, a veteran journalist and critic focused on the Berkshire art scene, responds to CultureGrrl Video: My Opinionated Tour of the Embattled Berkshire Museum:
I watched the video of the your visit to the … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2017-10-04

Leaves Fall, Dancers Rise
New York City Ballet presents its annual Fall Gala at Lincoln Center. … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2017-10-04

Aida at the ENO: singing the words of one song to the tune of another
Phelim McDermott’s Improbable company has mounted a new production of Verdi’s weirdest opera at the English National Opera … It is not, I fear, Improbable’s finest two hours and 40 minutes.” … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2017-10-04