“We make a Big Deal about young people, but in reality we create structures that ensure that the talents of the vast majority will go wasted and unused.”
Tag: 09.10.13
The Dallas Morning News Hires An Art Critic
“Rick Brettell, an internationally respected art historian, curator and educator, has been named art critic of The Dallas Morning News. Brettell, a former director of the Dallas Museum of Art, will continue as Margaret McDermott distinguished chair of art and aesthetics at the University of Texas at Dallas, a position he has held since 1998.”
Joan Rivers Faces Expulsion From Writers Guild
“The Writers Guild of America East has set an Oct. 14 date for its trial board to examine charges filed against Joan Rivers – which could lead to Rivers becoming the first member ever expelled from the WGA East.”
What Exactly Is A Symphony?
Tom Service: “A symphony isn’t just a structure, a musical formula, or a set of containers – three or four movements of contrasting speeds and characters – that composers merely had to fill in to qualify as ‘symphonic’ writers. The symphony is really a way of thinking about what music actually is, what it’s really for.”
So Right Brain/Left Brain Is Wrong?
“So, how did that erroneous story become entrenched as conventional wisdom in the first place? Did our scientists lie to us? Or is the lay audience just so sheeply that we’ll run with any easy explanation we’re fed, without question?”
Language Is Getting Worse On Our TVs
“Everything remotely like a swear word is tracked on every show by every cable network. But the rules around language are constantly tested and redefined, says NPR’s pop-culture blogger, Linda Holmes.”
How Did Our Brains GetTo Be So Flexible?
“When we learn to read, our brain creates new connections between specialized neural modules for vision, hearing, and language. These specialized modules evolved long before the availability of reading material, but our flexible brains rig up connections between them to build a new and cognitively sophisticated function.”
Nigeria’s Pop Media Falls Ever Further Afoul Of Censors
“There is growing discontent among religious figures and in the media in Nigeria – which has one of the most influential entertainment industries in Africa – with content from some of the country’s most popular artists frequently banned by censors.”
RSC To Return To The Barbican, A Decade After Ugly Divorce
“The Royal Shakespeare Company’s artistic director Gregory Doran has announced the organisation is entering into a three-year relationship with the Barbican more than 10 years since it ‘walked out’ on the London venue in 2002. … He warned that the two theatres were ‘dating’ and ‘not announcing wedding plans’.”
So How Good Is That New Van Gogh, Really?
Christopher Knight: “Of course I’ve only seen the 1888 painting in photographs, where it appears to be blandly pretty. … It’s also useful to be reminded that even the greatest artist doesn’t always perform at his peak. … I’m also happy to defer to the artist, who seems to have been less than thrilled with the results himself.”