Bill Gold, Backstage Superstar Designer Of Famous Hollywood Posters, Has Died At 97
Gold designed the posters for Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, Alien, and thousands more. "Long before poster artists turned to photography and computer-generated images in the 1980s and ’90s, illustrators like Mr. Gold billboarded movies with freehand drawings, based on scripts and first screen prints, that hinted at plots and moods and mysteries, without giving away too much — priming audiences for love, betrayal, jealousy, murder." … Read More
Catching Up With Apple’s Siri, The Google Assistant And Amazon Alexa *Finally* Have Male Voices
Why does that make a difference? "The vocal variety now offered by these companies minimizes the subservient female assistant vibe. And as these assistants are increasingly being adopted in households with children, bossing around not just a female-voiced assistant seems like a healthy step in teaching gender equality and eliminating traditional gender role expectations. For younger children anthropomorphizing the bot, a changing voice may also make it clear that this is a computer entity, not a person." … Read More
What Can The Oscars Learn From The Royal Wedding?
Despite three and a half hours of pre-wedding coverage, both the British and the American networks did a far better job of interviewing people than they do on the Oscars red carpet. Can this be replicated for the next Academy Awards? … Read More
The Animator Slash Director Who Brought Us ‘Secret Of Kells’ And ‘Song Of The Sea’ Dropped Out Of School At 15 And Worked In A Factory
Nora Twomey: The factory "was an incredible training for my imagination. The machinery was very loud so I had to wear earplugs and then headphones on top of the earplugs and I couldn’t talk to anybody. And I’d just make up stories and entertain myself with beginnings, middles and ends in my head for those 12 hours." … Read More
Artist Amy Sherald, Who Painted The Portrait Of Michelle Obama, Has Won A Major Prize In Maryland
Sherald won the $40,000 Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize, capping off a couple of big years for the artist. "It’s only been in the past two years that the 44-year-old Sherald has received the career recognition of which most artists dream. In May 2016, she bested 2,500 other entries nationwide to win first place in the National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, which carries a $25,000 prize. In October the National Portrait Gallery announced that Sherald had been selected to paint the official portrait of former first lady Michelle Obama." … Read More
A Rare Full Interview With Elena Ferrante, On The Writing Process Behind The Neapolitan Novels
The author says she can't remember what provided the inspiration for the novels, and that she definitely did not have everything plotted out from the beginning: "I never plan my stories. A detailed outline is enough for me to lose interest in the whole thing. Even a brief oral summary makes the desire to write what I have in mind vanish. I am one of those who begin to write knowing only a few essential features of the story they intend to tell. The rest they discover line by line." … Read More
How Homeless Youth Built A Score With (And For) The Seattle Symphony
Composer in residence Alexandra Garner worked with the youth over a few months. "The participants, she said, never wanted to talk much about whatever traumatic back stories they’d brought into the room. Instead, they wanted to make music about love and hope. 'In one way or another, they all said ‘just because we don’t fit into other people’s boxes doesn’t mean we’re not people — we have a lot of love to share.’' Once the musicians got the score, she added, 'some were surprised that it was very sweet and beautiful — not the angry, thorny experience they expected it to be.'" … Read More
Is The Nobel Prize For Literature Gone For Good?
This is quite the feature. Yikes: "It is the kind of bitter farce that might result if August Strindberg were to emerge from the grave to watch the dandies from the academy pelt each other with champagne glasses. And Strindberg, whose path to early 20th century literary greatness in Sweden was filled with hatred and scorn, likely wouldn't even find it possible to hate them, as consumed as he would be with disdain." … Read More
Will The European Union Kill Theatre Lighting?
Theatres might be saved - for now. "The organisations involved will now draft an exemption for entertainment lighting within the regulations, meaning that the sale of lighting fixtures for theatre will not be banned, even if those fixtures do not meet the required energy efficiency." (For now.) … Read More
Dorothy Allison Wonders When Working-Class Rage Will Bubble Up Through Fiction
Fiction apart from her own, that is. Her project, and the project that she hopes other working-class writers will take us, is clear: "Trying to write with love and respect about people who even as you love them are destroying themselves and to try to write it accurately and with some of the grace of Meridel Le Sueur is the challenge. But you can’t write about this stuff and be boring. That would be a sin against God." … Read More
The Internet Surfaces Viral Illusions (You Know, Laural/Yanny And Blue Dress/White Dress), But Why?
"It all began in a simpler time—February 2015 — on an ordinary Thursday evening when a photo of a dress posted on Tumblr got picked up by BuzzFeed. Was the dress white and gold, or blue and black? The question pitted brother against brother, friend against friend, caused celebrities to weigh in, and basically ground the internet to a halt. The dress was actually blue, but that hardly mattered. ... What mattered was that the chasm between perception and reality had opened up, and we found ourselves teetering on the edge." … Read More
Australia’s La Mama Theatre Destroyed By Fire, Plans To Rebuild
The venue, in the trendy Carlton neighborhood of Melbourne, burned early Saturday morning. The fire commander said, "What's really sad about this, it's a heritage listed building, it's well-loved, it's been a business that's operated in the community for a really long time and that's evident by the scenes out in the street with a lot of people crying, a lot of people very emotional about the loss of this icon." … Read More
Oh My Gosh, Cannes, You *Can* Have A Future, But Quit With The Snooty Rulemaking
And it's not just the rejection of Netflix and streaming that's the problem, but the truth - in hard numbers - that "non-English-language film culture has experienced a serious slippage in currency. ... For half a century or more, starting after World War II, what we referred to in America as 'foreign films' (a parochial term, to be sure, since they’re not foreign in other places) found a way to be part of the conversation. They were movies that periodically produced lines around the block. With rare exceptions, that’s no longer the case." … Read More
Problematic Trade Talks Stall China-U.S.Film Discussions
Negotiations are at a standstill, but that doesn't mean everything's bad. "The shift from earlier talks is a double-edged sword for U.S. producers looking at China’s $8.6 billion cinema market. It could be bad news if broader talks go sour, but it could offer a potential path forward if the two countries find common ground." … Read More
Gala Dalí Was Far More Than A Muse For Her Husband
New photos show her own art and photographic eye. "Gala never spoke to the press about their relationship, so her impact on Dalí’s art must be decoded through his incredibly performative memoir, public appearances, and gossip from those who passed through their famous parties and orgies. But in Women Photograph Dalí, her gaze directed back at him is on display." … Read More
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Teaching Artist Symposium: Building Your Toolkit
Learn about opportunities to engage communities outside the K-12 classroom. This symposium will feature a keynote by Eric Booth and a full day of programming focused on restorative justice, inclusion, … [Read More]
Take Creative Expertise to the Next Level with Classes in Finance, Marketing + Leadership
Northwestern University’s MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises program develops leaders in business, innovation, and entrepreneurship across Entertainment, Media and the Arts. Earn your Master’s … [Read More]
Associate Director, Arts Everywhere at UNC Chapel Hill
The Associate Director for Arts Everywhere reports to the Special Assistant to the Chancellor for the Arts and plays a vital leadership role in the development and implementation of UNC Chapel Hill’s … [Read More]
Calgary International Film Festival is seeking a visionary new Artistic Director
Building on its established success and history, the new Artistic Director will ensure that Calgary Film continues to be one of the most important film festivals in Canada, while enhancing its … [Read More]
The Walden School seeks Development Manager
We are seeking a dynamic fundraising professional to join our award-winning music organization's San Francisco administrative team. The Walden School (waldenschool.org) seeks a Development Manager to … [Read More]
Yes, Performing Artists Need To Pay Attention To Visas (No, Not The Credit Card)
Why? Because the U.S. visa process has gotten more expensive and much harder to navigate with success. "Visa delays and denials have damaged a wide number of productions, and in many situations, have led to cancellations. It is tempting to feel powerless—to feel that there is nothing that the performing arts community can do to push back against cultural isolation. But all is not hopeless." … [Read More]
The New Lynching Memorial May Be A Massive Gamechanger For Alabama Tourism
There are few direct flights to Montgomery, where the memorial opened, and it's a three-hour drive from Atlanta. Still, officials estimate it may attract 100,000 people in its first year. "One young man, Dimitri Digbeu Jr., who drove 13 hours from Baltimore to see the memorial, said he thought it had singlehandedly 'rebranded' Montgomery." … [Read More]
Cannes Closes With A Fury As Asia Argento Says Harvey Weinstein Used It As His ‘Hunting Ground’
"The fierce, unwavering Ms. Argento added that there were those in the auditorium who needed to be held accountable for their conduct toward women. 'You know who you are,' she said, 'but, most importantly, we know who you are, and we are not going to allow you to get away with it any longer.'" … [Read More]
What Do Girls – And Young Women – Want? Complex Plays About Them, Obviously
Recent plays are showing teenagers in all of their complexity, cruelty, shyness, rage, and desire for more, says Diep Tran. "In other words, there are whole worlds within teenage girls and they are complicated AF." … [Read More]
Fans Love Murder, Or At Least This Murder Podcast
The fandom, especially the fandom among women, for this podcast is reaching pop-star levels. "Calling themselves Murderinos, they came to hear expletive-laden tales of serial killings and brutal homicides told by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff, the irreverent hosts of the wildly popular true-crime comedy podcast 'My Favorite Murder.'" (One of the host's offhand comments, "Toxic masculinity ruins the party again," has become something of a rallying cry.) … [Read More]
In Hollywood And Looking To Connect With A Young Multicultural Audience? Talk To This Guy
The Cashmere Agency's business has exploded in recent years, just as the U.S. demographics change permanently. "In the past, Hollywood’s marketing efforts were mostly aimed at white audiences. But as the industry shifts to capitalize on an increasingly diverse nation, marketing tactics have also had to change. These efforts require more nuance and cultural sensitivity to successfully engage young people of color, women and LGBTQ communities." … [Read More]
Hong Kong’s Youth Culture, Translated By Animations
An artist who made his name with bizarre, playful and violent animations that got at the heart of Hong Kong's weird relationship with mainland China says "In the society, we all have doubts now and people have less emotional reactions to the politics. We are really disappointed and we are feeling powerless." … [Read More]
Jane Campion Is Still The Only Woman To Have Won Cannes’ Palme D’Or, And She Says Time’s Very, Very Up For The Festival
The director of The Piano and The Top of the Lake says that women should see more success in the industry. "Hero stories are wearing thin. We have lived a male life, we have lived within the patriarchy. It’s something else to take ownership of your own story." … [Read More]
Paul Taylor Has (At Long Last) Chosen A Successor For His Company And Foundation
The surprise successor will be 35-year-old Michael Novak, who has been with the company since 2010. For Novak, "the appointment came out of nowhere. Just after the company’s Lincoln Center season ended in March, he went to Mr. Taylor’s apartment for a meeting. 'Paul said, ‘I have been thinking a long time and I have decided that you’re going to be the one to take over the company once I buzz off,’' Mr. Novak said. 'I don’t think ‘shocked’ even begins to describe the feeling.'" … [Read More]
Keeping Women On The Shelves Requires Ensuring There’s A Secondary Market
Author and book dealer AN Devers began the The Second Shelf project after experience in serious book buying. She realized, and did research to back up her realizations, that "book collectors help determine which writers are remembered and canonised, and which are forgotten. The collector trade is a part of a supply line, to readers’ bookshelves, universities, archives and libraries. Historically it has been male-dominated (bookmen), white, and oriented around a western canon. Women, particularly women of colour, are left under-recognised, their books deemed less collectable and given less space on shelves." … [Read More]