Category: people

The New England Journal of Medicine is reporting that new research shows that playwright Eugene O’Neill “died from complications of a rare neurological disease that consumed the last 12 years of his life yet left his brilliance intact – and not, as has often been speculated, from a combination of Parkinson’s disease and chronic alcoholism.” – Boston Globe

Marlon Brando is the latest American actor to succumb to wooing by Italian advertisers. There’s a “Hollywood ant-trail to Italy to appear in adverts that earn fistfuls of dollars but safeguard thespian reputations by remaining unseen in America.” – The Guardian

Director Peter Sellars has made a career of playing against type, of appreciating the value of being outrageous. Now he’s directing Adelaide’s 2002 Festival, and he’s imagined the most radical idea the festival has seen. Australian festivals have traditionally showcased work from Europe and North America, but Sellars is hoping to reverse that trend by curating the festival without any imports – just Australian art from Australian artists. – Sydney Morning Herald

Richard Smith was one of the inventors of pop art in the ’50s. In the ’60s he caused a stir in London art circles with his huge, advert-inspired canvases. In the ’70s he was selling paintings as fast as he could make them. Then he simply disappeared. What happened? And what does his story tell us about the nature of fame in art? – The Guardian

British historian David Irving loses his long-running and controversial libel case over his views on the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. – CBC

“Alex Colville has been frequently described by his fans as Canada’s ‘national artist.’ He is commercially successful, selling his realist paintings in the six figures. He is highly popular with the public, although he is often denigrated by the abstract-loving art establishment. Finally, at age 79, he is getting his first solo show at the National Gallery of Canada.” – Ottawa Citizen

Lawrence Wilker, who presided over a period of enormous growth as president of the Kennedy Center, has resigned. The center was $7 million in debt when he began the job in 1991. He succeeded in eliminating the red ink and more than doubling its annual fund-raising from $14 million his first year to $32.8 million in 1999. – Washington Post

Only 24, Zadie Smith has become the first literary sensation of the new millennium. She is “currently enjoying the kind of success that most novelists can barely dream of. As well as widespread publicity for the book, which has already been sold in eight countries, she was asked to write a short story for The New Yorker’s millennial fiction issue, and this month will travel to New York to take part in a literary festival organized by the magazine and to promote the American publication of White Teeth.” – Daily Mail and Telegraph (South Africa)

— stepping down to join internet firm. – New York Times

After hiding from the world for all these years, now Salman Rushdie wants to burst into the limelight as an actor. He plays himself in an upcoming made-for-television movie, and hopes “it’s just the first of many dramatic performances he’ll be tackling.” – CBC