“The Italian government is planning a 19 percent tax rebate for book buyers, up to a maximum annual limit of EUR 2000 ($2746).” (Real dead-tree books only, though.)
Dolphins May Not Be as Smart as We Thought
Say it ain’t so! Well, they’re far from dumb, mind you, but we may have been inferring more than the evidence we have really warrants.
The Artists As Artists Of The Kitchen
“To take only the desserts, there is David Hockney’s Strawberry Cake, Robert Motherwell’s Whiskey Cake, Tom Wesselmann’s Lemon Sponge Pudding, Claude Monet’s Madeleines au citron, and Picasso’s Charlotte au chocolat.”
Can Greensboro, NC Fund a New Arts Center? The Deadline Approaches
“The year is rapidly coming to a close, and with it comes the final fundraising push by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro to raise $35 million in private donations by its Dec. 31 deadline for the $65 million Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts.”
How Badly Does This Theater Company Need Money For Costumes?
Why, they just don’t have any – as L.A.’s Antaeus Company shows us in their annual fundraising video. (Sorry, folks, it’s pixellated.)
As The Rest Of The World Gets Wired, Wikipedia’s Languages Are Changing
It may be only a matter of time before there are more Wikipedia articles in Farsi than in French.
Nutcrackers Across The Oceans
“Although the Royal Ballet’s “Nutcracker” is praised by many as an excellent version, and by some as the best, it made me homesick for America as nothing else did during a four-week visit to my native land.”
Peter O’Toole’s Death Marks The End Of An Era
“The era of the profound, unforgettable movie as a vehicle for an actor of O’Toole’s calibre is gone. Television is now where the finest of acting is found, in the richly nuanced multiseason dramas of cable TV.”
Netflix Wants You To Know That There’s Nothing Shameful About Binge-Watching
“Like a wise and sympathetic therapist, Netflix wants you to know that what you’re doing, alone at night, long after your loved ones have gone to bed, well, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s normal. Everyone does it. It doesn’t make you a bad person. And no, it won’t make you go blind.”
Yes, Marina Abramovic Is Selling Out, And That’s Okay
Indeed, argues Jay Michaelson, it may even be a healthy and therapeutic thing for her – with benefits for a lot of other people as well.
The Confusing Kerfuffle In Bavaria Over Mein Kampf
The German state’s finance ministry has held the copyright over Hitler’s book since the end of World War II and has consistently denied permission for new editions. But that copyright expires in two years, and that’s where the brouhaha begins.
New York City Opera Staff And Ticketholders Can’t Jump The Creditors’ Line, Says Judge
“New York City Opera will not be allowed to immediately return ticket fees to customers who paid for canceled performances or provide severance to full-time employees who lost their jobs, according to a bankruptcy court ruling Wednesday.”
Ivor Novello’s Final Musical To Take The Stage At Last
Valley of Song wasn’t yet finished when Novello died in 1951; it was completed by longtime collaborator Christopher Hassall. The world premiere will be just after New Year’s at London’s Finborough Theatre.
The Japanese Drummer Who Invented Karaoke
“He was a drummer, by trade and sensibility, which means he ended up returning home ‘almost penniless’ to live with his parents at the age of 28. He started playing the keyboard in particular bars called ‘snacks’.”
Thinking Inside the Box: China’s New Theme Park-Meets-Quiz Show Craze
“A new generation of businesses has popped up around China and elsewhere in Asia in which players must escape by solving riddles and brain teasers.”
Today’s Top AJBlog Posts 12/18/13
The Ai Weiwei – Olafur Eliasson Collaboration
Source: Real Clear Arts | Published on 2013-12-19
Detroit Institute of Arts Comments (sight unseen) on Christie’s Appraisal Report
Source: Culturegrrl | Published on 2013-12-18
Breaking: Stolen Strad sells for $2.25 million
Source: Slipped Disc | Published on 2013-12-18
Painful Insight
Source: Engaging Matters | Published on 2013-12-18
Watch Video Of Thieves Stealing A Damien Hirst
“Scotland Yard said the pieces, worth £33,000, were stolen from the Exhibitionist Gallery on Blenheim Crescent in west London between 3am and 3.30am on 9 December.”
Why You Should Read Graphic Novels
“If you grew up reading comics, perhaps alongside other more “acceptable” forms of reading, then it can come as a great surprise many years later to find that a vast number of people not only haven’t read a graphic novel, but also profess to not know how to.”
Why Lack Of Diversity Plagues LA Theatre
“Baby steps” and “elbow grease” were phrases that were resorted to by leaders who would like to be agents of progressive change yet don’t want to be responsible for bringing about the downfall of these “old theaters,” as a panelist called the larger institutions represented here.
NYC Public Library Gets City, State Approval For Controversial Rennovation
In a “letter of resolution” dated Monday, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation approved the project with conditions.
With Largest Donation in Its History, Philadelphia Museum of Art Completes Endowment Campaign
With philanthropist (and Inquirer co-owner) Gerry Lenfest making good on his $27 million matching grant, the museum has a new $54 million endowment to fund 29 staff positions.
12 Pivotal Moments in Opera in 2013
For WQXR, Philadelphia Inquirer critic (and ArtsJournal blogger) David Patrick Stearns cites the Wagner/Verdi/Britten anniversaries (naturally), a thrilling Monteverdian battle, seedy Baroque opera in a strip club burlesque house, and the hot new score he stole from the neighbors’ trash.
Audrey Totter, Femme Fatale of Film Noir, Dead at 95
The star of Lady in the Lake and The Postman Always Rings Twice “could twist daggers with the subtlest arch of her perfectly plucked eyebrows.”