For better or for worse, the Oscars still stand apart from the year’s other awards ceremonies. Robbing them of their autonomy would take away a major reason for tuning in—and that’s the only ratings argument that should matter.
Tag: 03.01.16
English National Opera Cuts Senior Management Pay 20%
“A spokesman for ENO said he could not comment on individual pay levels, but told The Stage that a target had been set internally to cut the overall pay of ENO’s 11 senior managers by 20%.”
Paramount Puts Hundreds Of Movies On YouTube – For Free
Paramount Pictures has launched a new channel on YouTube that allows users to watch hundreds of licensed movies, in full, for free.
LA Times Movie Reporters Had To Fight The Newspaper’s Execs To Get Oscar Passes
“We on the film team were shocked to learn this week that the paper has not allocated a single one of its Oscar tickets to a reporter.”
Online Ticket Lotteries Have Become The Norm On Broadway
“In the past year, 16 Broadway shows have implemented digital ticket lotteries to supplement or replace in-person rush sales.”
Wendy Perron Revisits Her Story From The 1970s On Dance Discrimination
“Most dance companies are equally composed of men and women, which gives the impression that dance is one of those rare places where equality and fairness are the order of the day. But as the chart shows, many more women than men are competing for about the same numbers of places.”
Claude Parent, 93, Architect Of The Oblique
“Parent’s theory was called Oblique Architecture, and championed a move from horizontal and vertical architecture into spaces defined by slopes and ramps. His primary concern was unbalanced spaces.”
What The Original Casting Notice For ‘Hamilton’ Looked Like
“What’s striking about these listings is how fully conceived each character was before it was cast, and how well each eventual cast member embodies each character description.” Our favorite example: King George is “Rufus Wainwright meets King Herod from Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 03.01.16
The Arts in the Small Community
Today’s post is by guest, colleague, and dear friend – Maryo Gard Ewell … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-03-01
Time has come today
At the Washington Post, Philip Kennicott looks at changes in how people work and play, and implications for cultural organizations, especially museums. I’m not sure all of the claims made by people he cites add up. … read more
AJBlog: For What It’s Worth Published 2016-03-01
Gergiev and the Vienna Philharmonic
Last Sunday afternoon’s Vienna Philharmonic concert at Carnegie Hall began with a Valery Gergiev moment. Mounting the podium, he turned to the concertmaster and shrugged his shoulders to acknowledge that (as sometimes happens to Gergiev in particular) he had arrived a little late … read more
AJBlog: Unanswered Question Published 2016-03-01
Jones-Lewis & Company In The USSR
Svetlana Ilyicheva, our occasional Moscow correspondent, sent photographs made during the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra’s 1972 Russian tour. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-03-01
Lookback: on the power of criticism to make some readers uncomfortable
From 2006: Alas, I’ve found over the years that many people … become uncomfortable whenever they’re confronted with strongly expressed opinions on any subject whatsoever – even positive ones. It took me a long time to figure out the reason why, … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-03-01
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Audience Rebellion At (Believe It Or Not) A Harpsichord Concert
At a Sunday afternoon concert of Baroque and (more or less) contemporary music in Cologne by harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and the orchestra Concerto Köln, some listeners were evidently not ready for Steve Reich’s Piano Phase (1967). First, as Esfahani gave a spoken introduction in English, some audience members demanded aloud that he speak German; then Reich’s music was greeted with enough whistling, slow clapping, and laughter that Esfahani abandoned the piece halfway through. (in German; Google Translate version here)