“The need to make things transparent—to break down the barriers between inside and out, between the realms of high culture and everyday life—shapes the structure itself as Mr Piano reveals aspects of the museum’s function that are usually concealed.”
Bob Baker, Founder Of Oldest Puppet Theater In U.S., Dead At 90
The Bob Baker Marionette Theater was a hit when he opened it in 1962, in the midst of a career performing with and making puppets for everything from studio feature films to burger joint commercials to the children of Hollywood royalty.
Can Movie Theatres Become Cool Again?
The seats shake in concert with the action onscreen, spray filmgoers with water, and emit action-matching smells. And there’s this: “Can’t cope with two hours away from your smartphone? One theater company has found success with instant on-screen messaging — the texted comments pop up next to the action.”
The Cautionary Architectural Tale Of One World Trade Center
“1 World Trade implies (wrongly) a metropolis bereft of fresh ideas. It looks as if it could be anywhere, which New York isn’t.”
These Native Alaskans Hired Some Game Developers To See If They Could Hack The Winter …
“The result is ‘Never Alone,’ the story of a young female heroine and the fox who loves her. To play through the puzzle-based side-scrolling adventure (you avoid peril mainly by running and jumping) is to experience the sensation of stumbling upon a long-lost fairy tale.”
Why Do Ruins ‘Elevate The Human Spirit’?
“Good and lovely buildings gladden the heart; their aesthetic pleasures make people feel substantively better. More than that, they provide a healthy sense of perspective. By connecting us subtly to the past, they somehow lighten the load of the present.”
Netflix Wants Nothing Less Than Global Domination
“Netflix is doubling down on its international bet, preparing to enter markets like Australia and New Zealand next March, and snapping up the global rights for original film and television programs. But perhaps its biggest content wager is ‘Marco Polo,’ its series about the 13th-century traveler’s adventures in the court of Kublai Khan.”
Authors Fight Back Against Library Closings In Britain
“We have a duty surely as a society to make sure that no child is denied access to literacy and literature because of social and financial deprivation. Every one of them has a right to be literate.”
Did North Korea Hack Sony’s Servers And Release Screeners To The World?
Well, SOMEONE did: Fury, Annie, Mr. Turner, Still Alice and To Write Love on Her Arms are all now available via (illegal) download.
Let’s Quit Ruining Young Writers By Talking Incessantly About ‘Voice’
“If you want to get paid as a writer, finding your own voice can be a distraction — even a hindrance. The bulk of writing opportunities that will actually provide you with a living wage are work-for-hire. … And when you’re doing work-for-hire, no one cares about your voice.”
In Minneapolis, Children’s Theatre Fixes Racism In ‘Peter Pan’ So Thoroughly That Licensing Company May Adopt Permanent Changes
“‘When I said yes to the piece about a year ago, we said obviously we have to tackle this,’ said Rothstein. ‘We had some hard conversations, and it’s been good to re-imagine him for the 21st century. It’s been worth the endeavor.'”
Mary Hinkson Was ‘A Goddess Graham Dancer’ Who Broke Dance’s Racial Boundaries
“Hinkson’s heart belonged to the Graham repertoire, which increasingly provided her with great roles and success in works like ‘Cave of the Heart,’ ‘Seraphic Dialogue’ and ‘Clytemnestra.'”
Museums Have Almost Recovered From The 2008 Crash
“A recovering stock market did a lot of the heavy lifting, but so did adroit sleights of hand. During the recession, several heavyweight museums quietly added seats to their boards as a way to shore up their sagging bottom lines.”
Mark Strand, Poet Laureate Who Wrote His Epitaph Decades Ago, Dies At 80
“To critics who complained that his poems, with their emphasis on death, despair and dissolution, were too dark, he replied, ‘I find them evenly lit.'”
Vinyl’s Comeback Keeps On Coming
“The entire plant produces 28 records a minute, but Sheldon wishes he could press more. He’s increased his staff and now presses records 24 hours a day, 6 days a week to keep up with demand.”
In Los Angeles, Look To Koreatown’s Architecture To See The Future
“Threaded through a neighborhood that in demographic terms is mostly Latino, well served by subway and bus lines, K-town is a thriving, charismatic advertisement for a more intensely urban Los Angeles.”
Russia Drops Plan To Cut Foreign Films Allowed In By 50 Percent
“The decision come just days after President Vladimir Putin spoke out against the draft bill. The bill was submitted earlier this year when relations between Russia and the West began to sour.”
Back To The Future: How The All-You-Can-Read Fee-Based Libraries Of 200 Years Ago Worked
“All-you-can-eat Internet services such as Netflix and Spotify have been rewriting the rules for the consumption and production of movies and music. If Oyster and its kin do the same for books, they will only be reprising a role that their commercial ancestors played 200 years ago.”
How New York’s Iconic Strand Bookstore Survives In The Internet Age
“Though there are signs of life in the independent-bookseller business — consider the success of McNally-Jackson — few secondhand-book stores are left in Manhattan. Only two survive in midtown, and the necrology is long. Skyline on West 18th Street, New York Bound Bookshop in Rockefeller Center, the Gotham Book Mart on West 47th — closed. Academy Books is now Academy Records & CDs. So, then: Why is there still a Strand Book Store?”