“In the last 15 years, the science of mind wandering has mushroomed as a topic of scholarly study, thanks in part to advances in brain imaging. But for a long time, it was still difficult to see what people’s brains were doing outside the lab. Then, when smartphones came on the scene in the late 2000s, researchers came up with an ingenious approach to understanding just how often the human brain wanders in the wilds of modern life.”
What Makes A Ballet Really Canadian? A Few Lumberjacks
Yes, Will Tuckett has included some lumberjacks – and beavers and a Mountie, too – in his new Pinocchio for the National Ballet of Canada. Here’s a video peek at rehearsal for the piece, which premieres next month.
The Hot New Opera That Has Transformed The House That Produced It
Breaking The Waves, the new Missy Mazzoli-Royce Vavrek opera, caused a huge wave (ahem) of excitement when Opera Philadelphia premiered it in October – and even more when the production traveled to New York in January. As a result, reports Peter Dobrin, the company now has terrific word-of-mouth from artists, extra funding from new donors, and interest from some of the top opera houses in the world.
How Can Someone As Famous And Prolific As Philip Glass Be So Misunderstood?, Asks Anne Midgette
“It’s not just a question of whether you like the music, or think you like it; it’s a question of knowing that it exists. Although Glass has written 11 symphonies, [conductor Dennis Russell] Davies says that when a major American orchestra was recently approached about performing Glass, the response was, ‘But he doesn’t write symphonies.'” Midgette talks with Davies about understanding the music Glass has actually written (as opposed to what some people think he’s written).
Why It’s Both Wrongheaded And Futile For That Maryland High School To Ban Those Shepard Fairey Posters
Cara Ober, who graduated from the high school in question and subsequently taught in that school district: “In banning such works of art, based on one person’s reported complaint in a highly charged and ugly political climate, this administration, surrounded by ultra-conservative voters, has opened up a can of worms that confirms the worst biases among students, exactly the opposite of what they need to learn.”
You Are What You Think? The Mythologies Of Consciousness
“What if I were to say that the very idea of consciousness was invented to explain how you could experience an apple when there is no apple in your head. So we have to have this consciousness apple. However, if experience and apple are one and the same, there is no longer any need to talk of a consciousness separate from it. The apple is more than enough.”
Arts Council England Readjusts Major YouTube Strategy Off Unrealistic Expectations
“Low subscriber rates, minimal commercial opportunities and barriers to entry for arts organisations have forced Arts Council England (ACE)’s £1.8m Youtube network for the arts to readjust as it enters its final year of funding.”
The Archival Battle Of The 175-Year Old Symphonies
The New York Philharmonic faces off against the Vienna Phil, both turning 175 years old this spring, in a joint exhibition of their archives in Manhattan. Can the NY institution measure up to this? “‘Damn and blast it! Confound it! Wake up!’ the conductor and composer Otto Nicolai wrote in his impassioned draft of the Vienna Philharmonic’s foundation charter.”
OK For Real, Does Ryan Gosling Or Emma Stone Dance Better In ‘La La Land’?
According to the choreographer, “They were a funny little complement. Neither is a perfect dancer; they weren’t supposed to be. I liked the way they took on the challenge.”
The Sprawling Costume Shop Outside Of London That Makes Its Customers Oscar Winners
Aside from outfitting TV – think “The Crown” and “Victoria” – the shop, which has been around since 1840, has worked for 36 movies that have won Oscars for costume design. “If you lined up all of the costumes in Angels’ storage in a row, it would stretch about eight miles.”
All Of The Academy Award-Nominated Foreign Film Directors Get Together And Make A Political Statement
In opposition to the U.S. president’s anticipated revised travel ban and many other things he’s said since he was inaugurated, the six issued a joint statement. “No matter who wins the Oscar, they said, the statuette would be dedicated to activists, journalists, artists and others ‘working to foster unity and understanding, and who uphold freedom of expression and human dignity — values whose protection is now more important than ever.'”
We Call Celebrities ‘Stars,’ But Why?
It all started with Chaucer, and it makes sense. Calling a celebrity a star “emphasizes the role of the celebrity as a body both distant and accessible, gleaming and sparkling and yet reassuringly omnipresent. Stars have long suggested a kind of order—and orientation—within chaotic human lives. They have long hinted that there is something bigger, something beyond, something more.
If They Gave Oscars To Books, Well, LitHub Would Have Beaten Them To It
The LitHub crew, perhaps day drinking long before the Oscars: “What would the categories look like if they applied to books and not films? Sure, best picture makes an easy parallel, but what about sound editing? Hairstyling? Cinematography?”
TV Stations And Networks Have To Pay For The Red Carpet This Year
Wait, isn’t this supposed to be a mutually beneficial relationship? Not anymore: “For the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is charging a license fee to TV stations and networks that broadcast live shows with interviews of movie stars on the red carpet before Sunday’s 89th Academy Awards telecast.”
The Arts Might Be Great In Canada, But The Ecosystem Of Art Will Fall Without Government Support
The problem is that globalization is pulverizing local content. Everything is like Netflix, and “everyone watches the same 50 titles on Netflix. Does anyone seriously believe that the other several hundred titles are truly inferior?”
The Secrets Of An Oscar Engraver
Wait, what? “We wouldn’t have time to engrave each Oscar on the spot, so we pre-engrave the name of every nominee on to plaques beforehand.”
Oxford Dictionary Adds New Words (And Boy Are They Ugly)
“Additions including “clicktivism” (a pejorative word for armchair activists on social media), “haterade” (excessive negativity, criticism, or resentment), “otherize” (view or treat – a person or group of people – as intrinsically different from and alien to oneself) and “herd mentality” (the tendency for people’s behaviour or beliefs to conform to those of the group to which they belong) all emerged during the 2016 battle for the White House.”
Claim: The Oscars Are More Important Than Ever This Year
“Ever since 2015, when the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag called out the industry’s woeful inclusivity, the show has been transformed—possibly against its will—from a sporadically #woke statuette dispensary to something bigger. The entire show is now political: The nominees, the winners, and the things they say (or don’t say) on stage. And at time when everyone’s mad as hell, and deservedly so, this year’s Oscars offer a rare chance for everybody to make a statement—even the viewers playing along at home.”
Toronto International Film Festival Downsizes
“The Toronto International Film Festival is reducing the overall number of films it will screen for this year’s edition by 20 per cent and getting rid of two programs.”
Mayor Of London: Cutting Arts Education Is False Savings
“When you speak to successful people in science or tech, they say one of the things that leads to lateral thinking is people doing arts. Not only does it lead to future artists, people in the cultural and creative sectors, but it helps people in different sectors.”
Will This Be The First Art Museum On The Moon?
The museum purchased a plot on the moon through a website that issues deeds for property. The territory spreads over 20 acres in area D6, Quadrant Charlie, Lot Number 1/0581-0600, located 001 squares south and 001 squares east of the extreme northwest corner of what the deed terms “the recognized Lunar Chart.”