The Deep Comfort Of Mediocre Sitcoms

“The easy tropes and practiced banter, the reliable fulfilling of a sitcom’s tasks, contributed to a sense of permanence. … Here was a world void of dread, danger, and anxiety, a place in which work and play were indistinguishable, in which jobs just meant different aesthetics attached to the same basic glee.” Exhibit A: Just Shoot Me.

Is This Young Man The Next Leonard Bernstein?

“Now 24, Matthew Aucoin has become one of the most sought-after young voices in classical music. He also is one of the most ambitious, setting himself the goal of transforming opera into something other than musical spinach for a new generation. He is as close as the art form comes to a triple threat, racking up accomplishments as a composer, conductor and pianist.”

Aspen Art Museum Set To Move Into A New Home And (Perhaps) A New League

“After three decades of shoehorning contemporary-art exhibits into a former power plant on the outskirts of this wealthy Rocky Mountain enclave, the museum plans to triple its footprint. It will relocate in August to a new home designed by Pritzker prize winner Shigeru Ban in the center of town – a move that illustrates the growing clout and ambition of Aspen’s stewards.”

Top Posts From AJBlogs 07.17.14

News Flash: D.C. Attorney General Supports Corcoran Merger
AJBlog: CultureGrrl | Published 2014-07-17

Will Amazon Crush Publishing?
AJBlog: CultureCrash | Published 2014-07-17

Ives the Primitive as Straw Man
AJBlog: PostClassic | Published 2014-07-17

Let’s All Help Save Syria’s Treasures: A Plan
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-07-18

Summer books: Brad Stone’s ‘The Everything Store’
AJBlog: For What it’s Worth | Published 2014-07-18

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The American Who’s Dancing With The Bolshoi

“For the past three years, since he made headlines by becoming the first American — and first foreigner — to be named a principal dancer at the storied Bolshoi Ballet, Hallberg, a blond, elegant dancer from the American heartland, has lived what he calls two separate lives — his American life, in New York, and his Russian life, in Moscow.”

Actress Elaine Stritch, 89

“Ms. Stritch’s career began in the 1940s and spanned almost 70 years. She made her fair share of appearances in movies, including Woody Allen’s “September” (1987) and “Small Time Crooks” (2000), and on television; well into her 80s, she had a recurring role on the NBC comedy “30 Rock” as the domineering mother of the television executive played by Alec Baldwin.”