Broadway, of course, and a cappella Broadway at that: “The culture’s awareness and understanding of a cappella, and all the things a cappella can do, has changed. It’s not just a bunch of old guys singing ‘Blue skies smilin’ at me!'”
Those Who Say Illness Makes You A Better Person – Are They Full Of Shinola, Or Do They Have A Point?
“Bookshops are already filled with memoirs, diaries, accounts and letters by, for and about the ill. We seem to be living through a veritable ‘golden age of pathography’, as the historian Thomas Lacqueur observed recently. … But Lacqueur notes that asking deep questions isn’t the same as being able to answer them, or even being able to write well.”
What Made Kafka Kafka? Insomnia
“Here’s a Kafkaesque approach to the creative process: staying up so late that, as you doze at the writing desk, insights slip out of your unconscious. This was, according to a new paper in Lancet Neurology, precisely what Franz Kafka himself employed.”
Uncertainty Can Be A Tool Of Persuasion
“In fact, persuasion research reveals that in some situations people can make their own message more persuasive by explicitly noting that they are unsure about what they’re saying!” Especially if the person saying it is an expert.
At Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Collection Grows As Curatorial Staff Shrinks
“The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s second, collection-based exhibition is due to open next March … The announcement comes amid speculation over the momentum of the much-delayed [museum] project, which was launched ten years ago, prompted by the recent departure of two key members [out of five] of its curatorial team.
Is The Cult Film On The Way To Going Extinct?
“In today’s fragmented, ever-churning pop culture ecosystem, the long tail of home video that once gave oddball movies a shot at a glorious cult afterlife has shortened to the point of vanishing. With even big-budget commercial films often struggling to break through the endless clutter of content, the challenge for smaller, quirkier fare is that much harder.”
Broadway’s First A Cappella Musical Is Coming, And Here’s A Chat With The Woman Who Co-Wrote It (And ‘Frozen’)
Kristen Anderson-Lopez on In Transit: “When we started this a lot of people didn’t know what a cappella was. For advertising in the Off-Broadway version, we called it ‘vocal orchestration,’ because a cappella was this weird Latin term that the marketing team was afraid would alienate people. Now our tagline is ‘Broadway’s first a cappella musical.’ The culture’s awareness and understanding of a cappella, and all the things a cappella can do, has changed. It’s not just a bunch of old guys singing ‘Blue skies smilin’ at me!'”
The Dearly Departed, Digitally Remastered So You Can Be With Them Forever
It’s possible. We capture enough of our loved ones digitally that recreating a version of them is within reach. “A digital bereavement company has captured and analysed torrents of data about your husband to create a digital likeness. His voice, his gait, his idiosyncrasies and mannerisms, the undulations of his laugh – all are replicated with near-perfect similitude. Spending time with your digitally reborn spouse has become a part of your daily routine.”
50,000 Chinese Break Record For Simultaneous Coordinated Dancing
Did you even know there was a Guinness record for such a thing? “A video of the Sunday event shows a total 50,085 people performing a dance routine at the same time in cities including Shanghai, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Chongqing and Shenzhen.”
China Passes New Law: Movies Must ‘Serve The People And Socialism’
“It forbids content that stirs up opposition to the law or constitution, harms national unity, sovereignty or territorial integrity, exposes national secrets, harms Chinese security, dignity, honour or interests, or spreads terrorism or extremism. Also banned are subjects that ‘defame the people’s excellent cultural traditions’, incite ethnic hatred or discrimination, or destroy ethnic unity.”
There’s A Place In New York Where Spiritualism Is Still Alive And Well, And Mediums Still Communicate With The Dead
“Nestled on the banks of the jewel-toned Cassadaga Lake in south-western New York, the world’s largest spiritualist community” – Lily Dale – “was first established back in 1879. Since then, the tiny wooded hamlet has served as a sanctuary for those who wish to take part in the community’s stated mission to ‘further the science, philosophy, and religion of spiritualism’.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 11.08.16
Who Benefits?
Definitions are important to me. That’s probably a reflection of my former life as an academic. (Or, I suppose, it could be why I was an academic.) They’ve also become critical to my work as an advocate for community engagement. … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-11-08
Comes the Revolution!
Don’t let that word “revolution” scare you this tense Election Day. I’m not talking about the USA. I’m referring to the wonderful exhibition now on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-11-08
India in New York
Mark Morris curates “Sounds of India” for Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival. … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2016-11-08
“Tears of St. Peter” and the Master Chorale
Here is a piece I had not even heard of: … read more
AJBlog: CultureCrash Published 2016-11-08
Where Black Lives Did Not Matter
In the many years I spent on Grub Street writing about the theater, Athol Fugard and the plays I saw of his stand out in memory for their searing eloquence and humanity. Master Harold … And the Boys was one of them. … read more
AJBlog: Straight|Up Published 2016-11-08
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Madeleine Thien Wins Again – This Time Canada’s Giller Prize
“The $100,000 prize is widely considered the most prestigious in Canadian literature, and caps an auspicious autumn for Ms. Thien; Do Not Say We Have Nothing received the Governor-General’s Literary Award last month, and was also a finalist for the Man Booker Prize.”