Nicholson Baker digs up a fan letter he wrote on a sunny Sunday in 1985, happy that “the good thing about Mr. Updike is that he is a true writer, and writes out the contents of his mind.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Did Michelangelo Draw A Brain On Sistine Chapel Ceiling?
“Michelangelo was a conscientious student of human anatomy and enthusiastically dissected corpses throughout his life, but few of his anatomical drawings survive. This one, a depiction of the human brain and brain stem, appears to be drawn on the neck of God, but not all art historians can see it there.”
Despite Outcry, LACMA Film Program Remains Imperiled
“The protests that saved the program included director Martin Scorsese’s open letter … asserting the importance of movie screenings in a museum context. But despite the high-profile backdrop to their fundraising efforts, LACMA officials say that financial support — presumably from film industry figures who’d be the logical donors to an L.A. film endowment — has not materialized.”
DC’s Arena Stage Hires Playwrights As Employees
“Over the next three years, five playwrights will be part of Arena’s American Voices New Play Institute, which was formed in August and financed by a $1.1 million gift…. The writers will be paid to write on any project they please during their three-year tenure, with the promise of a stage production and an additional pot of development money under their control.”
William Kentridge Wins Kyoto Prize
The award is given by the Inamori Foundation, which “honors individuals who have made ‘significant contributions to the betterment of society.’ Mr. Kentridge is best known for his animated films, which he calls ‘drawings in motion,’ about the history and social circumstances of postcolonial South Africa….”
BP: Our Arts Sponsorships Will Stand
“BP Plc, which has shed 45 percent of its market value after causing the U.S.’s worst-ever oil spill, said it will keep sponsoring the British Museum, the Royal Opera House, Tate Britain and the National Portrait Gallery in London.”
Art Spiegelman On The Trouble With Drawing For Dance
Said the cartoonist of his Pilobolus collaboration: “The reason this [piece] is called ‘Still Moving’ is ’cause there was a point about two days in when I was so unhappy, and [choreographer] Michael [Tracy]’s saying, ‘What can we do to make this a better experience for you?’ ‘I really don’t know, but my main problem is that these [expletive] dancers keep moving.'”
Study: Biofeedback Can Help To Combat Stage Fright
“The study showed a 71% decrease in performance anxiety in the biofeedback group compared with the control group. The biofeedback group had a 62% improvement in performance” and “said they had an overall increased sense of calmness, slept better, were more relaxed and had less anger in their everyday lives.”
B&N, Amazon Dramatically Cut E-Reader Prices
“The price cuts were made as manufacturers of e-readers face a growing threat from Apple’s iPad. Even though it is far more expensive than the e-readers, the iPad, which starts at $500, performs a range of functions with a versatile, colorful display that contrasts sharply with the static, monochrome screen of e-book readers.”
The Reason For An Orchestra To Play Michael Jackson Is…?
“I suspect one factor is that on some level, an orchestra still functions as a signifier of high quality. Even people who don’t gravitate toward classical music may have a general idea that performance by an orchestra is the highest level to which music can aspire.”