“A gentle satirist of contemporary society, Mazursky at his best” – in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Blume in Love, An Unmarried Woman and Down and Out in Beverly Hills – “chronicled the social trends of the late 1960s and ’70s, including the era’s touchy-feely self-improvement fads, drug experimentation and shifting rules for love and sex.”
Tag: 07.01.14
The Wall Street Journal Analyzes The Met Opera’s Box Office Figures
“[The study] shows new productions spearheaded by the Met’s general manager Peter Gelb have had mixed success. While they generally sell better than revivals, some performed poorly when brought back to the stage a season or two later.”
Abbey Theatre, An Irish Cultural Institution, Told To Be More Irish And Less Cultural Institution
An audit of the troubled national theatre company, commissioned by the Arts Council of Ireland in response to falling attendance and revenue, says that the Abbey should concentrate more on new Irish writing and on touring beyond Dublin.
Propeller Theatre Co. Could Shut Down After Losing All Gov’t Funding
“Edward Hall, artistic director of all-male theatre company Propeller, has warned that the venue’s future is at risk following Arts Council England’s 100% cut to its funding…. Hall said without the money the company would be prevented from ‘forward planning’ and added that it ‘calls into question the future’ of Propeller.”
Media In Asia Still Use Blackface (Though They’re Finally Getting Grief For It)
“On screens across Asia, it’s not terribly uncommon to see commercials or soap operas that display milk-skinned actors painted brown. Sometimes they try to depict a character with African ancestry. Sometimes they intend to show an Asian bumpkin from the countryside” – or a Filipino guest worker.
When The Power Of Positive Thinking Fails
“But – and here Science of Us offers its sincerest apologies for being a complete and total buzzkill – in everyday life, emerging evidence suggests the ‘I believe’ attitude tends to backfire.”
Francis Bacon Triptych Sells For $45.7 Million
“A Francis Bacon small-format triptych of his lover George Dyer made what Sotheby’s called a ‘landmark’ price of 26.7 million pounds on Monday in a contemporary art sale that surpassed estimates and set records for some artists.
Tracey Emin’s Bed Sells For More Than $4 Million
“The work, a rumpled bed surrounded by the intimate debris of empty bottles of vodka, cigarette packets and condoms, attracted controversy when it was shortlisted for the 1999 Turner Prize, prompting a debate about the state of contemporary art.”
In A Kingdom Without Museums, Public Art Starts To Catch On
The newly-formed Saudi Art Council is organizing shows in disused buildings and installing outdoor art in Jeddah and working on a new space in Medina.
NYPD Goes To Battle Against Subway Dancers
“The New York Police Department is cracking down on the subway showmen who use the tight quarters of the nation’s busiest transit system as moving stages for impromptu – and illegal – pass-the-hat performances. More than 240 people have been arrested on misdemeanors related to acrobatics so far this year, compared with fewer than 40 at this time a year ago.”