“Beyoncé’s performance makes us nervous when juxtaposed with the earnest idealism of the inauguration. … [Her] fakery, it seems, implies some larger fakery at the heart of the whole enterprise. … We don’t want to be reminded that we’re watching mere mortals who might trip on their way to the podium, stutter through the oaths of office, shiver in the cold, or worse, err in judgment and lead the country on the wrong path.”
Tag: 01.23.13
New York Times Classical Music Editor Steps Down
“Classical musical critic [sic] for The New York Times James Oestreich has accepted the paper’s buyout and will retire at the end of the month … but will continue to advise the Times on classical music coverage through the spring and write for the paper on a freelance basis.”
What Oestreich’s Tenure At The Times Meant For Classical Music
“I wanted there to be something on the Internet, not just in Twitter form, that fleshes out a bit the importance that Jim Oestreich’s 24 years at the Times has meant to classical music” – which is more than you might think.
Julie Taymor Returns To Stage Directing With Midsummer Night’s Dream
For her first new staging since her involvement with the Broadway Spider-Man degenerated into litigious acrimony, Taymor will direct the Shakespeare comedy this fall to inaugurate the new Brooklyn headquarters of the company Theater for a New Audience.
Spider-Man Producers And Taymor Close To Settlement (Again)
“The producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark and Julie Taymor, the musical’s ousted director, are once again ready to settle their long-running court case. … The letter comes less than two weeks after the parties resumed litigation after failing to reach a final settlement of Taymor’s copyright infringement lawsuit.”
England Gives Millions In Lottery Funds To Refurbish Arts Venues
“In a rare piece of good news for the country’s art groups, millions of pounds of lottery money has been given out to to help refurbish run-down theatres, galleries and cinemas. Arts Council England (ACE) gave out small capital grants, between £100,000 and £500,000, … [for a] total of £11.6 million.”
Ripe Prose: Cheesemongers And Their Creamy Product Descriptions
“They can tell you about torment. They can describe long, frustrating hours sitting in dark, stinky basements and caves, pen in hand, trying to get the flow of the words just right. … In case you haven’t noticed, some of the most amusing and captivating writing in the city is being produced in the service of cheese.”
Chinese Construction Workers Dance To Protest Conditions
“They have occupied factories and taken to the streets. But Chinese workers chose a more unusual form of protest when they highlighted their unpaid wages by dancing Gangnam Style outside the nightclub they had built.”
How Aaron Swartz’s Suicide Furthers The Things He Fought For
“By becoming a martyr to open access, Swartz has, for better or worse, dealt a blow to government efforts to delegitimize hackers and their values.”
Three Arrested In Major Art Heist Case
” ‘Three people have been arrested, but unfortunately we did not get the paintings back,’ a Dutch police spokeswoman confirmed. Seven masterpieces by artists including Picasso and Monet were stolen from the Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam.”