Tag: 10.23.20

How (And Why) A Longtime Producer Became A Director

After producing everything from The Talented Mr. Ripley to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Lydia Pilcher started looking for a project of her own. “Being on the inside of the industry as a producer and really being able to see all aspects of how decisions get made — Who decides what stories get told? How did the directors get chosen? — it made me understand that there was something being missed on the Hollywood end. It’s not just that the stories were being shut out. A lot of money was being left on the table.” – Variety

The Responsibilities Of A Literary Institution

In Seattle, and likely everywhere, it’s time to think a little bigger. “A different kind of literary institution means reinterpreting what a core mission, vision and values mean when cast upon a wider field. Many arts institutions today are ‘committed to racial equity’ but don’t have the courage to take a position on upzoning, land use policy or ending the sweeps of homeless encampments. In this era, the arts are an active practice. Housing, human services, the role of government—these are the defining fights of our time and will shape the future of our city.” – LitHub

Tom Maschler, Founder Of The Booker Prize, 87

Maschler upended the “clubby” world of British publishing and established all kinds of new and powerful voices. “Among the authors Mr. Maschler discovered, incubated or published and who would win the Nobel Prize in Literature were Gabriel García Márquez (‘the greatest writer I have published ever,’ he once said), Nadine Gordimer, Doris Lessing, Mario Vargas Llosa and V.S. Naipaul. He also published or nurtured Martin Amis, Jeffrey Archer, Julian Barnes, Bruce Chatwin, Roald Dahl, John Fowles, Clive James, Ian McEwan, Edna O’Brien, Thomas Pynchon, Philip Roth and Kurt Vonnegut.” – The New York Times

Parts Of The Made In L.A. Visual Art Biennial Have Been Up For A Few Weeks, Quietly

To be fair, the Hammer Museum show hasn’t officially opened. Still: “At Bloom & Plume Coffee in Historic Filipinotown: Customers linger on the sidewalk awaiting shots of espresso and oat milk lattes to go, as the K-pop girl group Blackpink spills from the café’s speakers. Unbeknownst to many of the customers moving through morning routines, they are attending one of the city’s most anticipated art events of 2020.” – Los Angeles Times

Pandemic Entertainment When You Don’t Have A Bubble

It can be creepy to feel extra alone when pods are enjoying concerts, drive-in movies, and more. But: “As we slowly adapt to living with the pandemic, many of us are realizing that the connection we miss to art and entertainment is as powerful as it is to our social relationships. It’s art, after all, be it a concert, a theater, a museum or even a theme park, that helps us make sense of or simply survive the moment we’re living in.” – Los Angeles Times