“Women are driving in Saudi Arabia. Not on the streets. That would be illegal. But on a recent episode of Hush Hush, a new comedy on Saudi state television, a lilac sedan comes to a halt and a woman climbs out of the driver’s seat.”
Tag: 08.20.12
Petition Delivered Asking To Halt Corcoran Gallery Sale
“Opponents of the Corcoran Gallery’s decision to sell its historic Beaux-Arts building at 17th Street and New York Avenue NW in Washington delivered a 3,200-signature petition to the gallery’s Board of Trustees on Monday, urging the panel to reconsider.”
Raul Ruiz’s Widow Finishes His Final Film
“You wouldn’t have put it past Raul Ruiz to direct a film from beyond the grave. The Chilean master was hard at work on a new feature, The Lines of Wellington, at the time of his death last August, aged 70. … Rather than abandon the project, … Ruiz’s editor and widow Valeria Sarmiento took over directorial duties.”
The People Who Can Remember Everything
“Some people can recall what happened on almost every day of their lives. Unlocking their secrets could shed light on the way all our memories work.”
Opera Singers Don’t Need To Be Good Actors – They Just Need Charisma
Anne Midgette: “It’s perfectly true that a number of great stars of the past were not great actors (though some were very great actors) … Montserrat Caballé and Victoria de los Angeles, to name two. However: Caballé was an absolutely compelling presence on stage. She had personality in spades. She offered something that you wanted to see, hear, experience.”
Comedienne Phyllis Diller, 95
“Diller worked steadily for decades, in nightclubs and on television. She built her stand-up act around the persona of the corner-cutting housewife (‘I bury a lot of my ironing in the backyard’) with bizarre looks, a wardrobe to match (by ‘Omar of Omaha’) and the faithful [husband] ‘Fang’.”
Russian Conservatives Sue Madonna For Promoting Gay Rights
“A group of right-wing activists in St. Petersburg has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Madonna, claiming that the pop star’s Aug. 9 concert promoted homosexuality and offended Orthodox believers.”
How Color Print-On-Demand Will Transform The Graphic Novel Business
“This means you no longer have to have material out of print. It means you have access to the bookstore market, especially the online bookstore market. You can turn a profit on shorter print runs through Diamond Comics Distributors than you previously could.”
“Tonight” Show Lays Off Workers, Host Jay Leno Takes Pay Cut
Despite its solid ratings, “The Tonight Show” hasn’t been a big moneymaker. That prompted the cuts Friday, which are expected to trim the program’s weekly budget by about $600,000, or 25 percent, to $1.7 million. That’s back to its levels of a few years ago.
eBay Bans Sale Of Curses, Spells And Advice
“Presumably a few angry customers unable to get a love spell working have caused eBay strife over the years.”