From Olivia de Havilland to Diana Rigg to Ann Reinking; from Kirk Douglas to Sean Connery to Chadwick Boseman; from Elizabeth Wurtzel to Jan Morris to John le Carré; from Vera Lynn to Kenny Rogers to Little Richard; from Terrence McNally to Larry Kramer; from Krzysztof Penderecki to Ennio Morricone; from Julian Bream to Leon Fleisher to Ida Haendel to Ivry Gitlis; from Christo to Luchida Hurtado; and from Sumner Redstone to Alex Trebek. (Click here for a more complete, bulleted list sorted by month.) – BBC
Tag: 12.29.20
How The Millennial Generation Burned Out
According to Anne Petersen, the main difference between millennials and the rest of the precariat is that we once had such great expectations. Molded in the mythos of meritocracy, our generation was raised to believe that we could beat bad circumstances and secure personal stability — if we simply worked hard enough. This happy ending has not materialized for most of us, and there has been extensive emotional fallout. – Los Angeles Review of Books
2020’s Most Powerless People In The Art World
“Considering it’s 2020, it was especially tough to compile since most of us have felt powerless this year as a deadly virus ravaged our communities by forcing businesses to close, upending daily life, and resulting in the illness and death of millions of people.” – Hyperallergic
The (Largely Untapped) Potential Of Reaching People With Physical Disabilities
“There is simply a lack of awareness of the need and a misunderstanding of the public benefit that could result from reaching out to this population, not to mention the financial benefit that might be gleaned from this untapped market. But fiscal considerations aside, there is simply no good reason why a person with a physical disability must also be culturally disadvantaged.” – Equal Entry
Our Robot Overlords Have Learned To Dance… (Better Than I Can)
The video sees Boston Dynamics’ entire lineup of robots — the humanoid Atlas, the dog-shaped Spot, and the box-juggling Handle — all come together in a bopping, coordinated dance routine set to The Contours’ “Do You Love Me.” – The Verge
How The COVID Relief Bill Will Help Performing Arts Venues
“The bill gives priority to those who have lost at least 90% of their revenue between April and December 2019 and the same period this year; they can apply for funding in the first two weeks that grants become available. Second priority goes to those who have lost at least 70% of their revenue in the same period; they can apply in the second two weeks. Administrators can allocate up to 80% of the funds during those first four weeks; after that, anyone can apply. Individual grants are capped at the lesser of 45% of an organization’s 2019 revenue or $10 million.” – San Francisco Chronicle
First Step: Scott Cantrell Admits His CD Problem
The Dallas music critic has thousands of CDs accumulated over a long career. Of course he’s not going to give them up. Is it just habit, or is there something better about listening to music on plastic discs. Well, the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem… – Dallas Morning News
What’s The Word Of The Year For 2020? In The U.S. Art World, It’s ‘Deaccession’
As the pandemic forced American museums to close their doors and give up all earned income, the Association of Art Museum Directors agreed to temporarily relax its strict rule that museums may sell their art only to fund the purchase of other art. A number of deaccessions (as the practice is euphemized) promptly ensued, followed swiftly by arguments over them and the cancellation of a few (notably in Baltimore). Matt Stromberg looks back at the year’s battles. – Los Angeles Times
Lamenting A Brave Little Theater And Its Big Shakespeare Cycle, Both Killed By COVID
Over the course of this year and next, Brave Spirits Theater in Alexandria, Va. was going to be “first professional American theater company to mount full productions of Shakespeare’s two history play tetralogies” — that’s Richard II, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 and Henry V, then Henry VI Parts 1, 2, and 3 and Richard III — “and perform them in repertory.” Maya Phillips was going to report on it all; as she begins her account, “I’ve written several versions of this story. …” – The New York Times
Big Entertainment Versus Big Tech – The COVID Relief Bill And Its Copyright Bomb
“Passage of the measure is one of the clearest public signs yet of longstanding tensions between the tech and entertainment industries and who’s winning the battle for control. Big Entertainment (Disney et al) has benefited enormously from technology in producing content and getting it to consumers in new ways, but Big Tech (Google et al) has also given consumers (and upstart content producers) the means of accessing that content on their own terms, which Big E sees as a threat.” – Post Alley