“This was the year of the “What is TV, anyway?” question. The surge of viewers to Netflix and the increasing number of younger people watching TV online only caused the question to be asked. And it caused confusion. There should be none – TV is content watched on any platform.”
Archives for December 24, 2013
Legendary Detroit Jazz Saxophonist Yusef Lateef, 93
“He gained notoriety as early as the 1950s in Detroit for his prescient experiments with what would come to be known as “world music,” grafting exotic instruments like the Egyptian arghul and the melodic contours and rhythms of Africa and the Middle and Far East onto the trunk of hard-swinging modern jazz.”
French Government Locates, Returns Antiquities Looted In Egypt’s Arab Spring
The objects were about to be sold online.
Where Illuminated Manuscripts Really Began
“Evidence has emerged for a previously unknown school of painting in sub-Saharan Africa that may have been responsible for the earliest Christian paintings in manuscripts.”
Show At London’s Collapsed-Ceiling Theatre Cancelled Until New Year
“Nimax Theatres has confirmed that all performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time [at the Apollo Theatre] have been cancelled until and including January 4, 2014.”
Why Are So Many West End Theatres In Such Bad Repair?
“Actually, they were largely quite flimsy to start with, and for good reason: the buildings were never expected to last.”
Italy To Offer Tax Rebate To Book Buyers
“The Italian government is planning a 19 percent tax rebate for book buyers, up to a maximum annual limit of EUR 2000 ($2746).” (Real dead-tree books only, though.)
How The Civil War Helped Create Christmas American-Style
“Northerners and southerners, civilians and soldiers alike attempted to recreate in it the peace and well-being that eluded the nation.”
American Imprisoned In Dubai For Parody Video
“The video in question is a 19-minute short that pokes fun at a clique of Dubai teens who are influenced by hip-hop culture.”
Spike Jonze’s Abandonment Issues
“He keeps making movies in which extremely needy people get what they are seeking (a ghost orchid, an escape from mom, fifteen minutes inside John Malkovich, an O.S. for a girlfriend) but can’t keep it.”
Ailing Pierre Boulez Cancels Chicago Symphony Residency
The maestro, who turns 89 next spring, has suffered a number of health problems in recent years.
ENO’s Income Up 12%
“Increased performances and audience numbers together with a 71% increase in income from sponsorship and donations gave English National Opera a 12% boost in total income to just over £40 million in the year to the end of March.”
Dallas’s New Arts Center Is In The Black, But …
“Officials for the AT&T Performing Arts Center announced Monday that they finished in the black for a second consecutive year,” after an opening year that saw a $3.3 million deficit. But there’s the matter of the capital campaign.
Orlando Ballet Gets Third Exec In Three Years
“The Orlando Ballet has chosen its third executive director in three years. Ron Legler, president of Florida Theatrical Association and owner of downtown nightclub The Abbey, will be the ballet’s interim leader.”
What It Takes To Study Kathakali
Students of the dance-drama from the Indian state of Kerala face a regimen that even ballet dancers might find daunting.
A 21st-Century Star of Ancient Sanskrit Theater
“Not many women in India choose a Sanskrit theatre that’s more than 2,000 years old as their profession. But Margi Sathi not only picked koodiyattam, she also contributed immensely to the evolution of a strong feminine narrative of the ancient art form, while resuscitating nangiarkoothu, a women-only offshoot that dates back to the 10th century.”
Where They’re Turning The Police Blotter Into Literature
This town’s daily newspaper has just released a second paperback of police stories under the title, We Don’t Make This Stuff Up. (No, it’s not in Florida. Who’d believe what goes on down there?)
Why Is John Goodman One of Hollywood’s Favorite Character Actors?
“I guess I’m able to tap into some undealt-with anger a lot. My innate rage.”
Who’s The King Of English Country-House Opera?
The Glyndebourne Festival has long been the standard-bearer, but a couple of relative upstarts may be eclipsing it.
What May Surprise You About Duck Dynasty
Virginia Cannon: “Admittedly, a reality show about a hunting clan of self-proclaimed rednecks in West Monroe, Louisiana, sounded problematic to me, too – like having to spend time at home with a southern branch of the Palins. But what is remarkable about the show, at least what I’ve seen of it, is its gentle nature.”
Dolphins May Not Be as Smart as We Thought
Say it ain’t so! Well, they’re far from dumb, mind you, but we may have been inferring more than the evidence we have really warrants.
Plants May Be Much Smarter Than We Thought
Michael Pollan writes about the new – and controversial – study of plant neurobiology. (Does this mean I should feel guilty about pruning?)
How to Do Contemporary Dance
“Look no further than this instructional video by Contemporary Eric, which carefully demonstrates the 15 foundational steps of the genre,” such as the “Zombie With Emotion” and the “Why Is Your Head in My Hand?”