“Actors have grumbled about this for years, but a furor has erupted now over the recent news that ‘Kinky Boots’ — the fourth-highest-grossing show on Broadway each week — will not pay actors the top rates when its tour begins in September.”
Archives for January 26, 2014
A New, Bizarre Way For Fans To Interact With City Ballet
“Some richly attired New York City Ballet fans have taken to lying down on the floor at intermissions. Other well-heeled patrons are making the climb from the orchestra to the Fourth Ring for a better view. And social media sites are beginning to fill up with odd images.”
Look, Virtual Worlds *Are* Real Worlds
“As with every new communication tool, scientific and practical questions abound. How is using an avatar different from typed chat alone? Do people maintain a sense of personal space when using digital avatars, or do they create new social norms?”
What’s The Point Of Such A Lengthy Awards Season?
“People are still talking and arguing about the relative merits of artistically ambitious films such as ’12 Years a Slave’ and Alfonso Cuaron’s ‘Gravity,’ both released in October, as well as more recent party-joiners such as David O. Russell’s ‘American Hustle’ and Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,'”
Is Quebecois Film Better Than Canadian English-Language Movies?
“‘Maybe we are stronger because we have nothing to lose,’ [director Louise Archambault] says. ‘We can’t compare, so we don’t feel we have to compete with Hollywood. We do it in French and hope it will find an audience. We just dive in. We don’t think.'”
Trapped In A James Turrell Light Piece
“Unclear whether something had gone awry or it was a weird joke, I determined to get out. I got down on my hands and knees and began feeling my way to whatever edges might be out there.”
More Good News On The Ebook Front (If You Want Good News There)
“After years of hand-waving by enthusiasts and detractors, we’re finally getting to the point where we can actually measure what’s going on.”
Alfonso Cuaron Just Won A Directors Guild Award For ‘Gravity’ – So What?
“What remains to be seen is whether the Academy, even if it is inclined to honor Cuaron, like the other groups, will also honor his film. “
Why Does Britain Like To Destroy Its Buildings?
“Ugliness is not a fixed notion – it’s a faddish one.”
Should Theatres Open Rehearsals To The Media?
“it turned out to be a really good idea, as the adrenalin goes up, and we pick up a vibe from the audience and learn about timing.”
An American Composer Dominated The Classical Grammys
“It was a good day for contemporary composers, who took home the bulk of the classical honors this year.”
This Theatre Fan From Montreal Is Now A Power Broker On Broadway
Adam Blanshay, “born and raised in the affluent Montreal enclave of Westmount, is part a pack of Quebec cultural entrepreneurs who have suddenly and somewhat surprisingly become behind-the-curtain stars of a whole lot of Broadway theatre.”
And The Rest Of The Grammys Were Kind Of Fun Too
“The Grammy Awards begin with a look to 2015, as the husband-and-wife pairing of Beyoncé and Jay Z open the show, complete with epileptic-inducing lighting, with ‘Drunk in Love.’ As a performer, Beyoncé is magnetic, her every twist or spin around a spare stage adorned only with a chair eliciting gasps.”
Toronto Could Have Looked Very Different
“Toronto’s history is filled with grand ideas killed by politics, economics and petty parochialism, ideas now buried in history books and boxes at the Toronto Archives.”
Martin Scorsese Was Unhappy About The Unregulated Financial Industry
Hence, “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
Top AJBlogs from 01.26.14
Details on Bombing At Cairo Museum
Source: Real Clear Arts | Published on 2014-01-27
Jewels in the City’s Crown
Source: Dancebeat | Published on 2014-01-26
Beautiful Hand-Made Paper Gems from Hanuman Books
Source: Straight|Up | Published on 2014-01-26
The sunk cost fallacy
Source: For What it’s Worth | Published on 2014-01-26
Preamble
Source: We The Audience | Published on 2014-01-26
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Is This The Writing Career Of The Future?
“I’ll always be doing some variation of this current schedule: working primarily for an organization I really believe in, assisting someone I respect and admire who provides me with challenging and well-paid work, and working on my own personal projects as a writer.”
The Oscars Aren’t Exactly Awesome To Black Filmmakers
Or actors, screenwriters, costumers … “The number of black nominees through history stands at about 125.”
British Orchestras Are Selling Well – And Losing Their Prestige
“The very things that push our art form forward and keep us at the highest international level are then under threat. We would worry about slipping from the top tier, which is a real possibility if it carries on like this.”
What’s a ‘Brutal Comedy’? One That Wins Awards, Of Course
“While ‘American Hustle’ and ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ have the kind of grandiose titles, A-list actors and based-on-a-true-story subject matter associated with prestige dramas, they are, at their best, flamboyantly savage comedies.”
Car Bomb Explodes Outside Cairo Museums
“The scale of damage to the Museum of Islamic Art’s collection is unclear as efforts to catalogue the damage are being hampered by concerns over the structure’s stability.”
Is Geography Destiny? Ask The American South (And Ohio)
“The American Dream is alive in Denmark and Finland and Sweden. And in San Jose and Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh. But it’s dead in Atlanta and Raleigh and Charlotte.”
No One – Aside From Photographers Of London – Loves The Shard
“Despite the stunning design by the Italian architect Renzo Piano and glamorous marketing, almost a year after its opening the building remains practically a shell.”
Would You Pay £1,200 For A Seat At The National’s King Lear?
British theatres reserve a certain number of (very good) seats for members. As government subsidies fall, will the demands of members harm the theatres’ programming?
Yes, We Can Calculate The Exact Time Monet Painted Certain Pieces [VIDEO]
![Yes, We Can Calculate The Exact Time Monet Painted Certain Pieces [VIDEO]](http://i2.wp.com/www.artsjournal.com/newsside/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Screen-Shot-2014-01-26-at-12.34.44-AM1.png?resize=150%2C136)
Just ask an astrophysicist and his team.
What Should You Look For At The Grammys Tonight?
“Will we finally get an all-robot rhythm section?”
Got Romantic Notions About French Cuisine? Think Again
Supermarkets and one hospitality company dominate the food in France, and “in a recent survey, one-third of French restaurants acknowledged serving frozen products that they had simply reheated.”
Smaller Music Groups Benefited From The Minnesota Orchestra’s Lockout
“Some music directors say the lockout triggered their increases; others say they don’t know the cause. But they agree that the silence from Orchestra Hall kindled a new appreciation of classical music — wherever it was performed.”
The Theatre Artist Who Got Famous Thanks To A Viral Post
“Kristina Wong has crashed Miss Chinatown pageants as a pimply, cigar-smoking, over-the-hill contestant. She has posed as a rabid Jeremy Lin fan, waving sexually suggestive signs at the NBA player’s games. On a sewing machine in her Koreatown apartment, she makes vagina puppets out of colored felt.”
Guess Where The Little Prince Was Written (It Isn’t France)
“Wherever he went, he had stacks of onionskin paper with him, and always a cup of coffee or tea by his side, always a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.”