“Art world deal making typically doesn’t involve Congress, so elite auction houses have not had much cause to spend time — or money — lobbying Capitol Hill. And in this case, the effort might seem outsize.”
Archives for March 23, 2014
Films, Especially Indies, May Not Be So Safe For Those Who Make Them
“The biggest Hollywood films … are overseen by studio safety officers who check and crosscheck potentially hazardous situations, making an accident of the kind that killed Ms. Jones almost unthinkable. But smaller productions … rely heavily on the professional skills of production managers and, especially, assistant directors.”
It’s Terrifying To Make Films, But They Must Be Made
Richard Ayoade: “You do this thing that is completely personal and invested and then you find yourself on T4 trying to see if you can throw a hoop over Justin Bieber’s erect nipple and you go, ‘I’m in the most absurd kind of weird light-entertainment world anyway.'”
The German Publishing Company That Sells Wikipedia As Books
“Thousands are listed for sale on Amazon, all with the same cover design (albeit with different stock photos swapped in) and the same three names (Frederic P. Miller, Agnes F. Vandome, and John McBrewster) listed as the ‘authors.’ Some go for as much as $100.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 03.23.14
What’s The Best Course For the Bamian Buddhas?
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-03-24
A tenor laments the abolition of San Diego Opera
AJBlog: Slipped Disc | Published 2014-03-23
Creativity, Craft, and the Quants
AJBlog: For What it’s Worth | Published 2014-03-22
Candy-coloured world of stupid
AJBlog: Performance Monkey | Published 2014-03-21
Dallas Park Pavilions: CooperJoseph outshines Snohetta
AJBlog: Aesthetic Grounds | Published 2014-03-21
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How Humor Rewires The Brain – And Why It Works So Well
“We benefit from taxing our brains with the mental exercise of humor, much as we benefit from the physical exercise of a long run or a tough tennis match. Comedy extends our mental stamina and improves our mental flexibility.”
Will Apple Make A Deal With Comcast?
“If talks come to fruition, such a venture would mark a breakthrough for Apple, which has futilely attempted many times to get in on the TV business.”
Gene Feist, Founder Of Roundabout Theatre Company, Dies At 91
“Carving out a 150-seat performance space in a basement under a supermarket in Chelsea (now home to the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade) and drawing an audience with an inexpensive subscription offer (three plays for $5 — the first season had 400 subscribers), Mr. Feist assembled a schedule made up largely of revivals of classic plays from various eras.”
Is This The End Of Cheap Music Downloads?
“The chancellor will bring in new laws making sure that internet downloads are taxed in the country where they are purchased, meaning web firms such as Amazon and Apple will have to charge the UK’s 20% rate of VAT.”
Why Would Someone Leave Academia For Journalism?
“I thought that I could wedge/force/hipcheck my way into a position that would reconcile the type of work that I wanted to do with the teaching that I love. But as a friend of mine said [about] her time on the market, ‘academia is drunk’ — not belligerent or irresponsible so much single-sightedly focused on things that may or may not ultimately matter.”
Those Nights When A Pub Sacrifices Its Takings For Opera
“Not as many people as we would like in Tunbridge Wells appreciate opera.”
A Novelist Of Several Cultures May Please None Of Them
“The compound modifier that many readers and critics have settled on to describe Ms. Aboulela’s work is Sudanese-British, which leaves plenty of room for criticism in a world of relentless categorization.” (And then there’s Scotland.)
Why We’re All (Yes, All Of Us) Terrible At Giving Gifts
“These sort of things ostensibly make for great gifts because they communicate something beyond practicality. They communicate that the giver cares. But do the recipients care? Often, no.”
What Does Curating Mean In The 21st Century?
“Before 1800, few people went to exhibitions. Now hundreds of millions of people visit them every year. It’s a mass medium and a ritual. The curator sets it up.”
‘First Lady’ Of Czech Cinema Who Made ‘Mordant Satires Of Life’
“The only prominent woman among the Czech New Wave directors —a group of avant-garde auteurs in the 1960s who included Milos Forman and Jiri Menzel — Ms. Chytilova was known for films that were formally rigorous even by the standards of the movement.”
If You Want To Be A YA Heroine, You’d Better Be Powerful – And Small
“Some readers became so attached to the image of a short, emaciated girl claiming victory in the battle-royal arena that when Jennifer Lawrence was cast as Katniss, multiple critics complained that she was too ‘big-boned’ for the part.”
No One Can Agree About The Site In Afghanistan Where The Taliban Destroyed Ancient Buddhas
“The debate has roiled Unesco and many of its donors, which years ago appointed an Expert Working Group that has been meeting annually for a decade on the fate of the site, and that so far has been able to agree only to preserve the niches where the statues stood and stabilize them against further damage.”
The BBC’s New Plan To Make The Arts ‘Less Elitist’
How? Add some big shows both new and old, sprinkle arts coverage into popular news shows – and raise arts coverage for the BBC by 20 percent.
How Will Deputy Director Erica Whyman Change The Royal Shakespeare Company?
First step: Get the RSC performing more work by female playwrights – and consider how to talk about gender and theatre without going directly to Issue Of The Day 101.
The Two Kinds Of Novelists
“Cormac McCarthy [is] a novelist who neglects to contact one-night stands after a passionate night of lovemaking, Tom Wolfe one who sends each conquest a handwritten note on monogrammed paper.”
Starting Women Conductors Out Young
“It’s not so much actively sexist but there is a stereotype, really, of conductors being slightly older men. But hopefully a course like this will get younger women interested. It’s a big opportunity.”
James Rebhorn, ‘Homeland’ Actor, Dead At 65
“During his prolific five-decade career, the Philadelphia native also was memorable as the district attorney that sent Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer to jail on the Seinfeld finale in 1998 and as the prosecution’s FBI expert automotive witness in the hilarious film My Cousin Vinny (1992).”
Is The World Ready To Laugh At Hitler?
“Books don’t have to educate or turn people into better human beings – they can also just ask questions. If mine makes some readers realise that dictators aren’t necessarily instantly recognisable as such, then I consider it a success.”
If You Want To Succeed As An Actor, Maybe Be A Producer Too
“No matter how good you are or how hard you work, the jobs may not be forthcoming. But instead of drowning in a pool of disillusionment, it is possible to take the power back.”
What’s Up With The Teenage Obsession With Dystopia? (Duh)
“The to-do list for the decade between ages 10 and 20 includes separating from your parents, finding your place among your peers at school, beginning to make decisions about your own future, and—oh yes—figuring out how to relate to the world, and yourself, as a suddenly and mystifyingly sexual being.”
Kermit Is A Terrible Producer, And We Can Learn From Him
“Though effective in many ways, he’s largely unsuited for the entrepreneurial and managerial tasks for which he’s responsible.”
Hollywood + Bible = Scary, But Also Potentially Lucrative
“If that interest then [develops] into controversy, and if the censorship word comes in, if certain countries start banning it, then that in itself will arouse a little bit of interest, maybe even suspicion. And people will walk through the theater doors, [when earlier] perhaps they thought, ‘Oh, maybe not.'”
You Think You Can See Other People’s Pain? A Computer Can Do It Better
“Researchers led by the University of California-San Diego’s Marian Bartlett pitted humans against computers in a battle to see who could best distinguish between genuine and faked facial expressions of pain. We lost, by a lot.”
Bring Back The Angry, Unsent Letter!
“The unsent angry letter has a venerable tradition. Its purpose is twofold. It serves as a type of emotional catharsis, a way to let it all out without the repercussions of true engagement. And it acts as a strategic catharsis, an exercise in saying what you really think.”
How Do Adults Feel About Going To Kids’ Movies … Without Kids?
“The general ongoing sensation that I was about to be followed home by a pack of villagers with pitchforks who would burn my house down. If you’re a fan of excruciating awkwardness and/or feeling like you’d happily welcome death at any point, I really cannot recommend it enough.”