Why is Blair Kamin doing this? "I’m a realist, and I realize that, given who the Tribune is owned by now and given the realities of the business model of journalism having collapsed, either somebody was going to do something, or nothing would get done." - Medill Local News Initiative
Yes, the Met tops the list (by Post art critics Philip Kennicott and Sebastian Smee), and museum aficionados will have heard of the others, but the order of the rankings may surprise you. - The Washington Post (MSN)
For years, the Connelly Theater has been performing in two auditoriums at a Catholic school in Manhattan’s East Village. In recent months, the Archdiocese of New York has started scrutinizing scripts and denying permission to stage in the building anything deemed contrary to Catholic teaching. - The New York Times
“The dispute threatens to cloud the company’s new season, with the fired dancers demanding to be reinstated and vowing to form picket lines at coming performances. Many of the fired dancers have previously worked with their replacements, adding another layer of resentment and unease.” - The New York Times
“Fame, like football, takes a toll. The effects can be particularly destabilizing when the star in question is still just a kid. And all too often, the people who should be looking out for these valuable, vulnerable quantities are, instead, cashing in.” - The New York Times
He got The Grapes of Wrath; Sonora Babb’s novel contract was cancelled; and Steinbeck dedicated his book to her male supervisor. What would Tom Joad say? - The New York Times
"A room that’s consecrated to music is one where people come together, sit in quiet communion, listen rather than shout, and focus for a couple of hours instead of getting peppered with notifications. … Such an institution is one of the few sacramental spaces we have outside of explicitly religious buildings." - Curbed (MSN)
"You do not see advertisers beating at the door of the Ives estate to use his music in commercials. His music is not ready to package or post on Instagram. But there is knowledge in it. … His music suggests America will just have to muddle through." - The New York Times
"A dancer, singer, actress and comic impersonator since childhood, Ms. Gaynor was much admired for her stamina and versatility over more than seven decades in show business" — ranging from movie musicals (most notably, South Pacific) to Las Vegas revues to TV variety shows to cabaret. - The Washington Post (MSN)
Oliver Wainwright: "The Lizzie line is a worthy winner, providing a dazzling demonstration that, for all chaos surrounding HS2, Britain is still capable of pulling off gargantuan transport infrastructure projects with style and panache." - The Guardian
Dennis Moore, the morning host at Chicago-based WFMT, returned from a medical leave earlier this year and asked for schedule or other changes as an accommodation for a sleep-related issue. When station management declined and Moore rejected a buyout, he says, he was fired. - Chicago Sun-Times
"They must become expert drummers. They’ll also learn to spit paint onto a spinning canvas, catch a dozen rapid-fire marshmallows in their mouths and then be prepared for absolutely anything the audience might throw at them. Hundreds audition every year across the globe. Only a handful ultimately get hired." - WBEZ (Chicago)
"To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Pulp Fiction, Variety spoke with more than 20 members of the film’s cast and crew about their experiences, recollections and insights." - Variety
The orchestra, which was known for improving access for students and low-income folks in the Minnesota, will play its swan song concert this weekend. Why? Conductor and AD Jay Fishman says to follow the (lack of) money. - MinnPost
Bjarne Melgaard, whose career soared in the 2010s, developed some very ill-advised habits (including crystal meth) and ran up big debts. Two investors gave him roughly $10 million in this Faustian deal — with a contract Melgaard says he was too drunk to understand at the time. - The New York Times
“The Wyoming Episcopal Church possessed the Northern Arapaho tribe’s artifacts for nearly 80 years — ranging from children’s toys to bows and arrows to traditional dresses. … The state’s Episcopal leadership had been reluctant to return the artifacts for decades.” - Washington Post (MSN)
Potentially huge changes in the city’s arts funding - canceling the $35 arts tax, for instance, and downgrading the longstanding Regional Arts and Culture Council - make November’s election choices vital for the city's and even the state’s continued “arts”creative future.” - Oregon ArtsWatch
Less than a year ago, “‘my goal was 20 to 25 kids,' Pieken said. ‘(I thought) if we don’t have at least like 15 signed up to audition … then we probably might want to rethink some things.’ … Now, the groups boasts 94 players.” - KCUR
