Says one: “I didn’t want to go into another [conventional] company and do corps work where you’re standing in the background waving a rose.” Says another: “I’ve been dancing 40-week years for 16 years and never had to worry about the next paycheck. And how many people in this business can say that?”
Tag: 12.30.10
Why Are Robots Being Programmed as Actors?
“[To] acquire acting skills that could help the rest of robotkind interact more fluidly with humans. And boy, do robots have a lot to learn. Present-day robots can often be annoying, creepy or just plain rude in their interactions with us.”
The New Lincoln Center – Reimagining A Public Space
“If in the end, the center got a less flashy makeover, it also got a more substantial one. The architects have lightened and enlivened the space, opened it up to the city and added touches of humor and eccentricity that suggest both a subtle aesthetic and a playful one. The redesign of Lincoln Center isn’t just about remaking 1960s monumentalism for a new era; it offers a compelling alternative to cities that place fear above dynamism.”
Darren Aronofsky Talks About Making A Dance Movie
“At first, we had a really hard time getting into the ballet world because it is very insular, and they like being secretive. Also they’re very serious about what they do, so, if you get in the way, they’re not interested. Eventually, when they realised we weren’t just making a romantic coming-of-age story set in the ballet world, but that we were actually taking one of the great ballets and turning it into a movie, they got really excited.”
When Actors Have To Say Goodbye To Their Long-Time Roles
“For actors who have been with their shows for several years, from workshops to Broadway, closing-night tears often sting more sharply. Playing the same character eight shows a week will do that to a person.”
CGI Animation – Math As Beautiful As The Images
“The images on screen are not the result of a patchwork of technical tricks, but of precise mathematical equations based on the way the world actually looks and operates — in a word, physics. They use what is known as discrete differential geometry, a field so new that the first textbook on the subject was published only two years ago.”
Mecca Makeover – Monster Buildings Loom
“The historic core of Mecca is being reshaped in ways that many here find appalling, sparking unusually heated criticism of the authoritarian Saudi government.”
Has British TV Lost Its Nerve?
“Is British television daring enough? With the industry having undergone a long period of financial uncertainty and programme budgets tightly controlled, have commissioners and channel controllers lost their nerves? Many viewers noticed the results in the uninspired Christmas schedules.”
France Gets Serious About Illegal Downloading
“Nicolas Sarkozy’s war on illegal downloading has begun in earnest, with the state internet surveillance body dubbed “Big Brother” warning more than 100,000 French internet-users that they have been caught accessing pirate material.”
Sondheim: “West Side Story” Lyrics Are Bad
Stephen Sondheim appeared on ABC’s “Nightline” on Tuesday night, and during the interview, the theater legend disclosed that he found the words to his 1957 masterpiece “West Side Story,” written with Arthur Laurents and Leonard Bernstein — are you ready for this? — “embarrassing.”