Bova was a “hard” science fiction writer – that is, no fantasy, but a lot of space travel and the science that might ensue. He edited Analog magazine and published new generations of writers there and at Omni, where he was the first editor. He won many Hugos and a lifetime achievement award from the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation “for fueling mankind’s imagination regarding the wonders of outer space.” – The New York Times
Author: ArtsJournal2
TV’s Landscape Had Several New Nonbinary Characters This Year
From Star Trek: Discovery to Good Trouble, TV shows added nonbinary characters this year. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation – GLAAD – even has a checklist for writers’ rooms. All this isn’t an untrammeled joy for nonbinary people, however: Often, “nonbinary characters don’t appear to be informed by a real nonbinary person’s experience and perspective.” – Los Angeles Times
The Head Of WarnerMedia Is Suddenly An Industry-Wide Supervillain
Jason Kilar made what he thought was a pretty decent decision, given the coronavirus – to launch Warner Bros’ entire 2021 slate both in movie theatres (well, the ones that are open) and HBO Max. Filmmakers, agents, actors, movie theatre chains, and many others are bemused or furious. To put it mildly, many in and out of Warner Media “chafe at what they see is a lack of respect for Hollywood tradition.” – The New York Times
Carol Sutton Of Steel Magnolias, Queen Sugar, And Hundreds Of Other Projects, 76
Sutton died of complications from Covid-19. The New Orleans native – who never relocated from her home city – acted in her first movie with The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman in 1974, but she had “honed her acting abilities beginning in 1968, when she joined one of the rare African-American theatrical troupes in the Deep South. The Dashiki Project Theatre, founded by students at Dillard University and other historically black colleges and universities in Louisiana, was based in New Orleans and mounted plays that reflected the complexities of African-American life.” – NPR
Calling 2020 ‘The Year The Music Died’ Is Far More Truth Than Cliche
Where should musicians go, and what should they do? “Everyone in the live music business has asked that question since the pandemic decimated the industry. The damage was relentless and comprehensive, and it’s nowhere near over: tours grounded, beloved venues shuttered, layoffs made permanent and lifelong dreams vaporized. An industry at the crest of a hugely profitable decade has plummeted off a cliff.” – Los Angeles Times
Anthony Veasna So, Whose First Book Was The Subject Of A Bidding War, Has Died At 28
The young Cambodian-American writer died suddenly and unexpectedly at home. He was on the brink of literary stardom as “the author of crackling, kinetic and darkly comedic stories that made vivid the lives of first-generation Khmer-Americans.” His book Afterparties will be published next year. – The New York Times
Prolific New Music Composer Molly Joyce Blazes A Trail
And with one hand, at that. She’s “among the most versatile, prolific and intriguing composers working under the vast new-music dome. She’s composed spectral, searching works for orchestra, choir, string quartet and percussion ensemble; collaborated with virtual-reality artists, dancers and poets; and studied with the likes of Samuel Adler, Martin Bresnick and Missy Mazzoli. … She has carved a unique sound as a composer by treating disability differently: not as an impediment but as a wellspring of creative potential.” – Washington Post
Christmas Carol Is More Than Humbug, Even For Those Weary Of Tiny Tim
Truly. Even this year, or perhaps especially this year. “‘Will you decide who shall live and who shall die?’ this Ghost of Christmas Present asked Scrooge, a question asked many times this year: Is it those in government who played down the disease, those in law enforcement who disregarded Black lives or those who have put others at risk during the pandemic?” – The New York Times
Why Author Allie Brosh Went Silent For Years
The author, whose illustrated tales resonate with what seems like anyone online (the memes are legendary and numerous), basically went radio silent after the publication of Hyperbole and a Half. Seven years – and many traumas – went by. But her new book is hitting at a weirdly accurate time. “I didn’t know quarantine was going to happen when I wrote the material, but I do hope that the last chapter in particular—the one about being your own friend—could be helpful for people feeling a similar type of loneliness to what I was feeling when I wrote it. It was a deep, new kind of loneliness that I’d never felt before.” – Time
Which Of Steve McQueen’s Five New Films Should You Watch First?
Whew, they’re all part of a piece, of course – that’s why they come under the title Small Axe as an anthology series – but some are more full films than others. Let’s say you have three hours. Which one, or ones, are best? – Variety