“There’s a sense that prominent black voices are always sending dispatches from within the storm. Simone’s performance seems to capture a woman standing on the edge of it. Hill is a performer gently trying to come out of it, while Chappelle is a man shocked to find himself still right in its eye. By contrast, West is the storm itself.”
Tag: 09.07.15
How Technology Has Disrupted The Voice-Over Business
“The ability to create a home studio has put voice-over work within reach of more than just professional actors, opening up the industry to anyone who thinks they can make money off their vocal cords. And it’s led to the proliferation of websites and apps such as Voices.com, Voicebunny.com and Voice123.com that can find actors work.”
ANDY: A Warhol Approach To Opera And Pop Culture
“What I think is great about ANDY and cabaret is exploring the appropriation of existing products—soup cans, but also popular music, and then marrying that with the virtuosity of opera and these parallel worlds is kinetically interesting.”
How Litefeet Went From Subway Nuisance To Mainstream Dance
“Whereas break-dancing is about getting down on the floor, litefeet is all jumps and fast floaty footwork performed to dance music and chants. Joyful to some commuters, irritating to others, it now gets performers arrested. But the creators have moved on.”
Museums Are Plunging Into Digital Enhancements (But Do They Enhance?)
“Having recently explored the digital prestidigitations of several pioneering art museums, I have arrived at one firm conclusion: I have seen the future and we’re not there yet.”
Strike Causes Cancellation Of Season Openers At Paris Opera
Stéphane Lissner’s first season at the helm of the Opéra is not beginning auspiciously: Opening night of Madama Butterfly on Saturday was called off, as was Monday night’s performance of Rameau’s Platée. (in French; Google Translate version in English here)
‘Archaeology On Steroids’: Huge Ritual Arena Discovered Near Stonehenge
“Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a massive stone monument buried under a thick, grassy bank only two miles from Stonehenge. The hidden arrangement of up to 90 huge standing stones formed part of a C-shaped Neolithic arena that bordered a dry valley and faced directly towards the river Avon.”
Judy Carne, ‘Sock It To Me’ Girl On ‘Laugh-In’, Dead At 76
“A fairly successful television actress when she joined the cast of Laugh-In in 1968, as the Sock It To Me girl Judy Carne became the most popular person on the show for her zany, daffy, mini-skirted comic persona, continually getting doused with a bucket of water, or subjected to some other humiliation, every time she uttered the words ‘Sock it to me!'”
Sergei Polunin Stars In New Documentary
Producer Gabriella Tana: “What started out as a documentary and seeing where it went, has evolved, and changed and grown. It’s become much more about making something together (with Polunin) and more of a collaboration. And when David LaChapelle (who contributed several clips) got involved it became more exciting, and it wasn’t just about documenting a life, but about creating something.” (includes video clip)
How Ballet Turned A Profoundly Autistic Boy Into An Independent, Functional Young Man
At age 3, Philip Martin-Nielson couldn’t communicate in any way, make eye contact or concentrate on a task; doctors said he’d never be able to live on his own. Now, at age 21, he’s a full-time member of the Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo troupe – and a genuinely cheerful, chatty person.