The Broadway Myth

“To the outsider, Broadway is the unquestionable theater-career apex–it bestows “authenticity” on the actor or playwright due to some hazy myth of glamour and tradition. The rest is just the minor leagues, or worse–the amateur fringe. For insiders, though, the perception is just that: perception. And how much artists care about that perception defines their success.”

The Movie Mogul Fights Back

“To a man who in his prime won Academy Award after Academy Award, and whose CV includes such modern classics as Shakespeare In Love, The English Patient and Pulp Fiction, that is quite a comedown. Yet Harvey Weinstein is no ordinary film mogul. This week, in defiant mode, he went on a PR offensive, claiming that malicious rumours about the alleged demise of his Weinstein Company were being gleefully exaggerated by jealous former rivals.”

Guardian Arts Writer Abandons Print For A Blog

Everyone can offer a response to an artwork; real criticism requires knowledge, experience, time, literary skill and insight. I see no signs that criticism is under threat in the UK, and if ever it were I would be the first to the battle line. For now, though, I am very happy to be breaking down boundaries, stepping on toes, genre-bending and throwing everything up in the air – all in a blog.

Why Musicians Are So Appealing

“Why do we find musicians and singers so attractive? Looking at things from a biological point of view, we would normally expect women to be attracted to men with qualities that indicate good genes that can be passed on to her children or those that show he can look after a family, like a wad of cash for instance. Music doesn’t seem to serve any practical purpose.”