Claire Creffield: “I didn’t warm to Alain de Botton’s suggestion, in his book Religion for Atheists, that we should start building ‘atheist temples’, because not far from my house there is already a splendid one. … The building is Durham Cathedral.”
Tag: 02.11.13
Special Effects Company For Life Of Pi Rakes In Awards But Goes Bankrupt
“The award-winning visual-effects company Rhythm & Hues, considered one of the industry’s leaders, is laying off 200 employees as it files for bankruptcy protection.”
Even Nelson Mandela’s Granddaughters Are Doing Reality TV
“The granddaughters of the former South African president appeared in the first episode of Being Mandela on Sunday night.” The 13-episode series Being Mandela focuses on how the two sisters “carry on the family legacy while juggling motherhood in Johannesburg.”
New British Architecture Trend: Converting Public Restrooms Into Retail Spaces
“If you happen to be caught short on Fulham Broadway in west London forget making a legs-crossed dash for the nearest public lavatory; it’s being turned into an ice-cream parlour.”
What’s The Attraction Of Violent Video Games?
“The answer is unclear, but one thing is obvious: Violence sells games. The most popular video game franchise is Call of Duty, a war game where killing is the goal.”
Official Stops Newcastle’s Plan To End All Arts Funding
“Harriet Harman, the shadow culture secretary and deputy Labour leader, has intervened in the arts funding crisis in Newcastle to prevent the Labour council from cutting their culture and arts budget by 100%.”
Jazz Trumpeter Donald Byrd Dead At 80
“[He] emerged from the jazz caldron of Detroit in the mid-1950s and quickly became one of the primary instrumental voices of the hard-bop movement, a swinging blues-based style of jazz built around driving rhythms and tight ensemble work. … [He] later achieved commercial success, if not always critical acclaim, by exploring the contours of soul and funk music.”
Police Suspect Fellow Dancers In Bolshoi Acid Attack
Reports from Moscow indicate that the police investigating the maiming of ballet director Sergei Filin are now officially considering certain company members, unnamed as yet, to be suspects.
Nikolai Tsiskaridze Says Bolshoi Acid Attack Is A Hoax
Currently the company’s most famous dancer and the most public enemy of ballet director/attack victim Sergei Filin and of the Bolshoi’s administration, Tsiskaridze has publicly alleged that whatever was thrown into Filin’s face couldn’t have been sulfuric acid because his wounds weren’t serious enough.
Classical Grammys: Familiar Winners, New(-ish) Music
Leading the pack were the San Francisco Symphony (its 15th Grammy) and chamber group eighth blackbird (third Grammy in a row). But the winning works were a surprise: out of ten classical awards, only one (to the Met Opera for its Ring cycle) went to music from before World War II.