The intense responses to the R. Kelly, Britney Spears (who, unlike the others on the list, is not portrayed a predator but rather a woman much preyed upon), Michael Jackson, and Woody Allen documentaries have surprised filmmakers - after all, most of the info was already part of the public record. One producer: "The loudest and most impactful documentaries...
Pandemic-related shutdowns mean that the people who need help printing, filling out, and scanning documents - "There are lots of forms, which demand lots of one-on-one help from library staff to find and complete" - can't get it directly, but there's still Wi-Fi in the parking lots ... and long lines of people each time the libraries re-open. -...
Van Gogh died in 1890. By 1909, Anna, the oldest Van Gogh sister, "wrote of selling a picture that he had given Willemien, enabling her to pay for medical costs: 'I remember when Wil got the painting from Vincent, but what a figure! Who would have thought that Vincent would contribute to Wil’s upkeep in this way?'" - The...
Cepillín, whose non-performing name was Ricardo González Gutiérrez, was a Mexican clown with a half-century-long career. He "hosted TV shows broadcast from Mexico, sold millions of copies of his albums of children’s songs, and later drew millions of viewers to his videos on TikTok and YouTube. And he toured Mexico and the United States with circus companies including his...
Even weeks after the Golden Globes, Hollywood isn't relenting; this reckoning has been a long time coming. "Now, with the very survival of the Globes hanging in the balance, some in Hollywood remain unconvinced that the insular and notoriously fractious group has the capacity, or perhaps even the self-awareness, to undertake the sort of transformational reforms it has vowed." - Los...
Well, that's ... a good question. "We know how Amazon treats its workers, how it squeezes its sellers, how it devastates small businesses, and how it extorts money out of state and local governments (and let’s not even start talking about privacy). We know that our elected officials play along. We aren’t happy about it, yet we keep on...
Is the binge better? Or is it OK to let episodes marinate for a week before returning to a story? When Netflix first dropped entire seasons, it blew everyone's mind. But now, perhaps, the choices are simply "one more set of storytelling tools — like shooting in front of a studio audience, or not — creatively suited to different...
And other plays too. This isn't a "Shakespeare didn't write his own plays" theory; it's a theory about an Elizabethan playwright named Thomas North - and Thomas North's cousin George. - Boston Globe
This is not great. "The past year ... has laid bare just how perilous a job you like, or even love, can be when you’re working without the most basic of safety nets. This fragility is something that Strand employees have always known — they work in retail, after all. Before, though, the job had just enough perks, just...
Start with an "electrostatic disinfectant sprayer," add in a seat buffering system, and don't forget prepackaged condiments for your popcorn. (But ... what about air flow and vaccine requirements? Hm.) - Variety
Hugo Marchand's new memoir speaks of feelings that seem to beset nearly every dancer - of not belonging, of self-doubt, and of stage fright. And his newest pandemic project brought him into close contact with artist Anselm Kiefer. "I like the way loops and matches Kiefer’s work which uses recycled and repeating materials. We were lucky to meet...
Peel's star has been ascending, with work for TV and movies, and hosting a new, controversial BBC music show - and she managed, with the help of the cosmos, Barbara Hepworth, her grandfather's voice, and nature, to compose a new album during pandemic lockdowns and restrictions and a lot of Zoom meetings. - The Observer (UK)
Carus believed that children should read - and see - high-quality short stories, poetry, and art. In 1982, she said in an interview, "So many people talk down to children, but you have to respect their intelligence. ... Parents give them the best clothes, the best food, the best toys, when what they should be giving them is food...
Louis Grachos had a two-year stint, including a year of pandemic shutdown marred by controversy surrounding the museum's response to George Floyd's killing and by the deaccessioning and sale of a massive Helen Frankenthaler painting. Grachos is returning to New Mexico, where he'll be ED of "the contemporary arts organization SITE Sante Fe, which he led from 1996 to...
The state legislature voted to scrap the state's official song. Why? "The pro-Confederate Civil War-era tune features lyrics that denigrate Abraham Lincoln as a 'tyrant' and call on Maryland to join the South in fighting 'the Northern scum.' Penned in 1861 and set to the melody of 'O Tannenbaum,' it has been blasted by critics as racist and an embarrassment to...
