“They’re b-a-a-a-a-ack. Once again come nominations for the Emmys, television’s annual thundering belch of gaseous self-praise that matters to only the dolled-up, high-fiving industry and the critics writing about it. Like, yes, the one you’re reading right now. Thursday’s nominations set the stage for yet another feelgood pantheon of cosmic hair, high-wattage frozen smiles and red-carpeted designer name-dropping from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.”
Tag: 07.18.03
How Would You Clean The Last Supper?
Restoration of historic art treasures is in the news these days. The Guardian wonders how its readers might “restore” Leonardo’s “The Last Supper,” providing a digital picture for readers to play around with and submit. The painting was itself the subject of a controversial 22-year “cleaning” completed in 1999
Simplifying Historic Protections
The British government proposes to overhaul and simplify the complicated listings and protections of the nation’s historic buildings, sites and monuments. “A single list, maintained by English Heritage, covering everything from Victorian horse troughs to Stonehenge, is proposed to replace the present separate registers of buildings, sites, gardens and battlefields. Buildings are listed, monuments scheduled and gardens registered, each with different criteria and grading systems.”
Britten In Words
A trove of Benjamin Britten’s writings show how he tracked success through his career. “Although the sound and shape of Britten’s prose remained consistent throughout his life – a sturdy, knockabout style befitting an intelligent former public schoolboy – its function changed dramatically. Unlike his letters, which were never conceived as public proclamations, the tone of his published articles illustrates his evolving reputation.”