Payback In Print

Is Michael Crichton engaging in real world literary payback with one of the characters in his new book? “One of the new book’s minor characters — Mick Crowley, a Washington political columnist who rapes a baby — may be a literary dagger aimed at Michael Crowley, a Washington political reporter who wrote an unflattering article about Mr. Crichton this year.

Whitney Ponders Two Locations

The Guggenheim operated two locations in Manhattan for a while, so why not the Whitney? That appears to be the plan, with the museum deciding to build downtown. “While acknowledging that the cost of operating two sites would be substantial, Mr. Weinberg said the possibility of selling the 1966 Marcel Breuer building at Madison Avenue and East 75th Street was not on the table, at least for now.”

What Might LA Look Like 100 Years From Now?

A design competition produced seven ideas. The winner? “A plan to revitalize the eastern end of downtown L.A. by building atop railroad tracks and freeways while filling the concrete-trapped Los Angeles River into a center for tourists and parkland. Honorable mentions went to the Office of Mobile Design and the team of Xefirotarch and Imaginary Forces, for visions involving bioengineered buildings made of living plant matter.”