“On Feb. 6, 2014, Takashi Niigaki faced a crowd of reporters … in Tokyo and took a deep and apologetic bow. He had just revealed that he was ghostwriter for Mamoru Samuragochi, who was celebrated as ‘Japan’s Beethoven’ before being exposed as a fraud. In Hiroshima on Aug. 15 of this year, Niigaki found himself again bowing before a crowd, but this time it was on a stage in acceptance of a warm shower of applause.”
Tag: 09.04.16
Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, 79, Author, NPR Commentator, Champion Of Gullah Culture
“Smart-Grosvenor first gained widespread attention in 1970 with the publication of her book Vibration Cooking or, The Travel Notes of Geechee Girl. Later she would gain even greater fame as a regular contributor to NPR and host of her own television cooking show.” (Among her many other gigs: backup singer for Sun Ra.)
Six Months On, Benjamin Millepied Talks About His Stormy Tenure At The Paris Opera Ballet
“I hadn’t accepted this assignment for the prestige, but to bring about long-term change. I realize that things could not happen as I envisaged. … Although I regret that the adventure did not last longer, it could not end otherwise.” In an extended Q&A, the now-former artistic director of the world’s oldest and most august ballet company talks about what he found frustrating – and what frustrated others about him. (in French; Google Translate version here)
Why We’re Fascinated By Debut Novels
“Ultimately, the most exciting part of reading a debut novelist isn’t wondering whether she deserved her seven-figure deal, or the rubbernecking pleasure of imagining how she probably won’t earn it back. It doesn’t have to do with hype or youth. It has to do with the possibility of imagining how a certain luminous talent will keep developing over the years, how this talent might expand beyond the horizon of our vision.”
Pittsburgh Symphony Musicians And Management Can’t Agree On Contract, Push Back Deadline
“The PSO’s management and musicians have agreed to a two-week extension on the musicians’ current contract, … [which] was to expire at midnight [Sunday night]. The extension ends on Sept. 18, allowing the PSO to go forward with its fundraising gala on Sept. 17.”
The Dreamscapes Of Book Lovers
“We’re in love with his bookish illustrations of charming scenes that incorporate actual books as playful visual metaphors and design elements. The fantastical drawings evoke that special, happy place that books inspire.”
How Do They Make Those Pies, And That Sex, On BBC Historical Dramas?
“I’ll use things like Old Bailey records to see what words should be said in a courtroom. I have advised on the content of letters, adverts on a wall and what a children’s book might look like.”
An Australian Premiere, And Arts Minister (!), Forgets Her City’s Most Famous Dance Troupe
“It’s difficult to see how anyone can have confidence in an arts minister who can’t even remember our own Queensland-based contemporary arts companies.”
The 100 Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy
“With apologies to Monty Python, whose influence on contemporary comedy is tremendous and undeniable, we focused only on American humor.”
Scotland Must Stem The Tide Of Barbarians At Its (Beautifully Built) Gates
“It would take a few volumes to explain the chicanery and sheer, unadulterated vandalism.”