People. Last week, Netflix asked us all – begged us, really – not to take the “Bird Box Challenge” – but someone wasn’t listening. “A teenager with her hat over her eyes drove into oncoming traffic in the city of Layton while taking part in the so-called ‘Bird Box Challenge.'” (No one was injured.) – BBC
Tag: 01.11.19
The Latest Reading Accessory Is A Candle (Or Twelve)
Reading: It’s a lifestyle thing. “Candles are also now a common impulse purchase at independent bookstores, along with tote bags and coffee. There are shelves upon shelves of literary-themed ones at the Strand in New York, which famously brags of 18 miles of books.” – The New York Times
Composer Anthony Braxton Has Only Gotten Far Busier Since ‘Retirement’
To be fair, the MacArthur “Genius Grant” winner only retired from academia. Perhaps that’s why he’s cheerfully working on a five-day opera, a 12-album set of a previous cycle of music, and overseeing his foundation and his label. – The New York Times
An Ad Gone Viral Tells The Story Of Race And Ballet
The English National Ballet ad for Swan Lake stars a Black American dancer – but the show sure doesn’t. “Ballet is interesting because it can be seen both as an enclave of whiteness and privilege, and as an outrunner of change.” – Quartz
Alfred Glancy III, A Detroit Businessman Who Helped Save The DSO, Has Died At 80
Glancy “was perhaps the best example in his time of a Detroit business leader who took on important civic roles.” His leadership helped bring the orchestra back from an underfunded brink in the early 1990s. – Detroit Free Press
The Warhol Foundation Ends Its Smithsonian Ban
The ban started in 2010, when the National Gallery removed (aka censored) a video by artist David Wojnarowicz because of conservative political pressure. Every year since then the Foundation has reviewed its decision. “We thought that a period of time has to go by before you know whether someone has really changed,” says the Foundation president. – The New York Times
Why In The World Would Anyone In Hollywood Hire John Lasseter Again?
Is it that other Hollywood guys simply don’t give a damn what kind of damage the former head of Pixar did with years of harassment? Uh, basically. “With Lasseter’s return, Hollywood can finally get back to the business of celebrating all those geniuses who just happen to be male because so many of the women have left the room to avoid being groped and/or ejaculated in front of.” – Los Angeles Times
Warming Up A Movie Machine By Going Back To Its More Basic, Early Days
When you let someone who’s not Michael Bay direct a Transformers movie, sometimes you get a rather pleasant surprise – and serious animation artists at work for emotional scenes, as well. – The New York Times
After Banksy Paints A Garage Door In A Welsh Port City, Can The Nation Save It?
The guy who owns the garage has been having a hard time keeping the mural secure – and of course, as the mural’s fame spreads on Instagram, it’s getting massive traffic and interest from all over the world. Now, the Welsh government said that “it was taking over the cost of security and looking for a long-term solution.” – The Guardian (UK)
Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ Get A Rest, And Restoration, Break
On Friday, the Van Gogh Musem “announced the painting has been taken off the wall for research and restoration, months after scientists found the artist’s choice of a light-sensitive yellow paint was causing the flowers’ petals and stems to turn brown.” – The Independent (UK)