Dubai’s Burj Khalifa bears a resemblance to Wright’s unbuilt “Mile-High Illinois” tower. “I’m not sure if the famously prickly Wright would have considered imitation the sincerest form of flattery, but he would have been pleased to see a version of his conception take shape in the Middle East, which was the site of one of his most spectacular unbuilt projects.”
Tag: 01.13.10
And This, Tom Hanks, Is How A Boston Accent Sounds
A new website started by an actress “brings together ordinary folks–the site refers to them as ‘readers’–who for a modest fee (sometimes under $10) will record a short script for an actor eager to master the pronunciation and speech patterns of a specific region in preparation for an audition.”
Under Domingo’s Hands-Off Leadership, WNO Is Suffering
“Why can’t a general director with the fame, charm and ability of [Placido] Domingo roll up his sleeves and work to realize his vision [for the Washington National Opera], rather than distancing himself from the results? The answer: because he isn’t actually there, running the company.” And so the recession is exposing the cracks in its structure.
What Miep Gies’ Death Means To Anne Frank’s Readers
“Her passing represented the loss of the only connection that Anne had to the present world, and that her fans, in turn, had to her. As years passed, and the Holocaust became something that happened a generation ago, then two, then three, Gies alone was our tie.”
UK Charity: Arts Spending Will Be Down For 2 More Years
“Arts & Business Chief Executive Colin Tweedy made the prediction as the charity published a survey showing that spending by U.K.-based companies in the year ended March 31, 2009, fell 6 percent to 157.3 million pounds ($254 million).”
Mina Bern, 98, One Of Last Stars Of Yiddish Stage
“The fabled world of the Yiddish theater on lower Second Avenue … was in steep decline when the Polish-born Ms. Bern arrived in New York in 1949. She and Ben Bonus, who was to be her second husband, helped keep it breathing a good while longer.”
Rothschild Foundation Goes Missing, Along With Its Grants
“Now the foundation, established 15 years ago under the terms of the will of the abstract painter Judith Rothschild – who died in 1993 – has defaulted on all 17 of its 2009 grants to artists’ estates and arts organizations.”
Long Beach Symphony Board Threatens To Cancel Season
“The Long Beach [California] Symphony Orchestra’s concert this Saturday might be its last for this season unless its musicians agree to changes in their contract that will cut their income, according to Symphony management.”
The Man Who Leaked Wolverine Speaks!
Last spring, a month before X-Men Origins: Wolverine was to hit the screens, someone uploaded an early print of the movie to the Web, causing serious agita for the studio and star Hugh Jackman. Now the culprit, a 47-year-old Bronx father who has been arrested and charged, explains how and why he did it.
Faculty Bloodbath At Sydney’s National Art School
“All but one department head at [the institution] have reportedly lost their roles after the positions they held were recast and readvertised.”