“This season, for the first time, Paul Gasol and Nikola Mirotic both have been starters for the Chicago Bulls. But around town, they’ve become known as something else: the city’s biggest patrons of the arts. Gasol and Mirotic are regulars at the opera house. They have been backstage guests of the symphony orchestra. Officials from the city’s highbrow cultural institutions say they can’t remember professional athletes coming to any of their performances—let alone as many as these Bulls.”
Designs Submitted For DC WWI Memorial Demonstrate Our Problem With Contemporary Memorials
“None of the five finalists clearly stand out, and none are inspiring. Something has clearly gone wrong not just in the design competition, but also more fundamentally in the language of memorialization prevalent today.”
‘In Cold Blood’ At 50
Not only did Capote’s book inspire a feature film, at least one TV mini-series, and two biopics of the author, it’s had enormous influence, right down to today’s media phenomenons Serial and Making a Murderer.
Charlotte Rampling Walks Back Her Comment That #OscarsSoWhite Is ‘Racist To White People’
“I regret that my comments could have been misinterpreted. I simply meant to say that in an ideal world every performance will be given equal opportunities for consideration.”
For People With Parkinson’s Disease, Dance Can Bring Back Joy In Movement
“Some small, short-term studies that suggest dance might improve some of those symptoms, especially ease of walking. But Leventhal says the class was never intended as just physical therapy. ‘There’s also an artistic quality,” he says, “where we’re hoping people are able to say something with those gestures.’ This is particularly relevant to people with Parkinson’s, who start to lose their expressive ability.”
British Orchestras Are Also #SoWhite, But They Have To Change
“British orchestras must make ‘a real step change’ to allow a wider diversity of backgrounds into their ranks, according to culture minister, Ed Vaizey. In a strongly worded appeal to a group of musicians and orchestral managers in Birmingham on Friday night, the minister put pressure on leaders in the music world to do more.”
There’s A Search Site For Unsecured Web Cams, Including Ones On Sleeping Kids
“Shodan crawls the Internet at random looking for IP addresses with open ports. If an open port lacks authentication and streams a video feed, the new script takes a snap and moves on. While the privacy implications here are obvious, Shodan’s new image feed also highlights the pathetic state of [Internet of Things] security.”
New York Gets An Open Studio
“A sense that at any moment Bourgeois might walk through the door is heightened by the atmosphere of bohemian dilapidation: Surely this place is in no shape to be seen by anyone other than its owner. Crude patchwork testifies to the cave-in of a plaster ceiling. A two-burner gas hot plate that fills in for a stove and an ancient television that stands next to a small metal folding chair further the impression of a home not ready to receive company.”
How To Tank Your Oscar Chances
“Despite her effort to backtrack, the damage has clearly been done. (Also: worst apology ever. Does Rampling even have a publicist? Perhaps that person is in a dark corner somewhere, curled up in the fetal position with a bottle of gin.)”
A Masterpiece Of Social Media Art
“The photos were of Ulman, and at the same time not of her at all. Ulman is a concept artist. The 186 photos were part of a series, Excellences and Perfections, that examines femininity and the authenticity of the lives we document on social media.”
Should Playwrights Post Their Scripts Online For Free?
“In essence, I am saying the artistic satisfaction of having one’s work read and produced is much greater than having it lay hidden. And, just as importantly, the intellectual property of an unread script has much less economic potential than that of possible future productions.”
Taking Real Action – Meaning Real Auditions – To Increase The Ranks Of Minority Ballerinas
On Sunday, the International Association of Blacks in Dance “is holding auditions for minority women seeking contracts with American companies – the group’s first such event. Ballet Memphis, Pennsylvania Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Washington Ballet, among others, are sending representatives.” Here’s a Q&A with IABD chair Denise Saunders Thompson about the project.