Is it an illness? (Sometimes.) A bad habit? A natural response to unnatural conditions? ‘The price tag on human freedom”? Louis Menand explores the subject – which is, he says, “a mess.”
Archives for January 22, 2014
Getting Liberals to Agree Really Is Like Herding Cats: Psychologists
The key, says a team of NYU researchers, is a difference in how liberals and conservatives think about others sharing their particular beliefs.
Iran Shows Musical Instruments on TV for First Time in 30 Years
And nobody’s sure whether this marks the lifting of a longtime ban or was simply a mistake.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 01.22.14
Keeping company
Source: Life’s A Pitch | Published on 2014-01-23
73,000 of My Closest Friends
Source: Engaging Matters | Published on 2014-01-22
Day’s Wrap-Up For DIA: Settlement Link To Pensions Is Key
Source: Real Clear Arts | Published on 2014-01-23
Video: These playable instruments are made of ice
Source: Slipped Disc | Published on 2014-01-22
Don’t Regret Missing “Civilisation” — Not Anymore
Source: Real Clear Arts | Published on 2014-01-22
Study: Three-Strikes Laws Don’t Deter Content Piracy
“The goal of these policies is to track down copyright infringers and warn them that their behavior is not acceptable. After repeat warnings, these accused file-sharers then face a penalty ranging from a fine to prolonged Internet disconnection.”
Human Nature – We JUDGE People When They Dance (Can’t Help It)
“That’s literally all Living Stars is: 30-plus strangers shaking their stuff to Britney Spears and the Black Eyed Peas. There’s good dancers and bad dancers and a whole lot of mediocre. It makes your body want to move, and then, improbably, it makes your brain start to race.”
Movie Theatre Detains Man Wearing Google Glass During Movie (Recording?)
The man was watching Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit at an AMC theatre in Columbus on Saturday. Authorities did not identify him.
Italy Threatens Legal Action Over Stolen Artifacts In High-Profile London Gallery Case
The 700 disputed objects were excavated illegally and then sold “illicitly”, the lawyer claimed. The objects, including sculptures, jewellery and vases, were largely ancient Etruscan treasures from the Lazio and Tuscany regions.
Crowdfunding Has Completely Changed The Way Indie Film Is Being Made
“During the last 12 months, “crowdfunding” entered the popular lexicon as it expanded from funding DIY endeavors to multimillion-dollar celebrity projects and became one of the most exciting — and polarizing — developments in pop culture.”
Shakespeare, Shakespeare Everywhere (Is It Too Much?)
While the productions say this confluence offers a chance to build on one another’s success, they also acknowledge, in much more than a stage whisper, that they need to stand out from the pack.
Booming Interest In Art Leading To Christie’s Record Year
Over the last 12 months Christie’s has expanded its online business and opened showrooms in Shanghai and Mumbai to capture new buyers.
State Of Michigan Legislators Close On Announcing Detroit Bailout For DIA Art
“Two sources familiar with Snyder’s plans said the Republican governor would announce plans for the state to match the $330 million that nine private foundations have already pledged to aid pensioners and protect city-purchased art.”
Music Festival Asks Twitterverse To Compose Symphony
“Budding Mozarts will be able to submit their melodies via a specially designed website www.tweetfonie.de, which goes live from February 28, with an online keyboard that converts tunes into tweet format, to then be sent on Twitter.”
This Broadway Show Bought And Paid For By The Travel Industry
Conceived of and paid for by travel industry players, the show is produced and performed Off-Broadway. It’s open to the public but a number of performances have been bought out by travel-related businesses.
Why Do American Orchestras Neglect American Music?
“For a nation with a century-and-a-half of substantial orchestral compositions, this is a disgrace. Orchestra conductors and musicians are largely unaware of — and show little interest in — any but the handful of the most well-worn pieces.”
Why It’s Getting Harder To Prove Things
“It has been jarring to learn in recent years that a reproducible result may actually be the rarest of birds. Replication, the ability of another lab to reproduce a finding, is the gold standard of science, reassurance that you have discovered something true. But that is getting harder all the time.”
Yo Yo Ma: Why The Arts Are Essential
“For me the most proficient way to teach the values of collaboration, flexibility, imagination and innovation — all skill sets needed in today’s world — is through the performing arts. If you have these tools, you can do well in any field from software engineering to the biosciences.”
Classical Music in America Is Dead, Says Concern Troll
Mark Vanhoenacker: “When it comes to classical music and American culture, the fat lady hasn’t just sung. Brünnhilde has packed her bags and moved to Boca Raton.” (No, actually. She got a makeover and moved to downtown Brooklyn.) Readers are arguing back in the comments, so join the battle, comrades!
Berlin Philharmonic Offers Abbado Concerts For Free Viewing
“The Berlin Philharmonic have decided to mark the passing of their former Chief Conductor by making all of his concerts in their Digital Concert Hall free to view for anyone who cares to pay an online visit.”
Backstage at Matthew Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’
“Backstage is the best place to sight-see, and we troop respectfully past an inanimate corgi and past a park bench that displays the sign ‘Don’t feed the swans’.” (And those feathered pantaloons the male swans wear? €1,000 a piece.)
Shia LaBoeuf Says His Plagiarism Was Really Performance Art
“In recent weeks, Shia LaBeouf has been accused of plagiarism and then of plagiarizing his apologies for plagiarism. He has been embroiled in Twitter feuds. He written his apologies for his behavior with an airplane. He even said he sent a picture of his genitalia to a director to land a role in Nymphomaniac. This, he says, was all part of the act.” (Sure it was.)
Meet the New Editor of the OED
Michael Profitt: “My idea about dictionaries is that, in a way, their time has come. People need filters much more than they did in the past. As much as I adhere to the O.E.D.’s public reputation, I want proof that it is of value to people in terms of practical use.”
Shakespeare’s Globe’s New Indoor Theatre Will Boost Attendance By 25 Percent
“The newly-opened Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is expected to attract an additional 100,000 annual audience members to the Shakespeare’s Globe South Bank site, the venue’s directors have said.”
What Candlelight Tells Us About Jacobean Theatre
Mark Lawson writes of seeing The Duchess of Malfi at the new period-style Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – and how daylight or the lack of it affected the way plays were written.
Live Theatre Vs. Cinemacasts – Can They Avoid Being Enemies?
Elizabeth Freestone, who directs a small British touring company: “I’m thrilled live screenings give our audiences more opportunities to experience theatre near them. … But some of the infrastructure surrounding screenings can’t help but pitch one against the other. And if put into competition with each other, venues will always choose live screenings because they are much cheaper to buy than live theatre. The good news is, the problems are solvable.”
Harvey Weinstein: No More Films Glorifying Gun Violence
Says the producer of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, “I have to just choose movies that aren’t violent – or as violent as they used to be. … I can’t continue to do that. The change starts here. It has already.” (video)
Why Harvey Weinstein’s Comments About Movie Violence Matter
“The question is, of course, how Harvey is going to reconcile being in business with Tarantino. The filmmaker has made a lot of money for the company with violent fare. … Weinstein is trying to tip the scales; to shift Hollywood from glorifying violence in films, to showing the true human cost and destructiveness of it.”