“Davis became known as the songwriter behind the Elvis Presley hits ‘In the Ghetto,’ ‘A Little Less Conversation’ and ‘Memories’ before reaching No. 1 himself on the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me’ in 1971. He soon parlayed his pop success into a [larger] career … with his own NBC variety series, The Mac Davis Show, from 1974-76, followed by … a brief span as a leading man in feature films, [starting with] the 1979 football drama North Dallas Forty.” – Variety
Tag: 09.29.20
The Met Opera Shutdown – Time For A Needed Reset
“If this devastating shutdown forces the Met to grapple with its role in American society and to shift the overwhelmingly traditional template of its programming, then there will have been an important upside to the crisis. The prestigious, gilded Met has hardly been a trailblazer in this regard, but it could set an example for other American opera companies and orchestras to use this time to think about — and rethink — their offerings.” – The New York Times
Bad Sign For London’s West End: ‘The Mousetrap’ Calls Off Reopening
“Agatha Christie’s whodunnit, the longest-running play in the world, had been due to welcome socially distanced audiences at St Martin’s theatre from 23 October onwards. However, its producer Adam Spiegel announced on Tuesday that it would now be postponed ‘in view of the current uncertainty and with greater restrictions looming for London’.” – The Guardian
On Aesthetics, Ethics, Economics, and Consequential Decisions of Cultural Leaders in the Long Now
Missions are squishy; buildings and bottom lines are not. Judgments about art are subjective. Human beings are often self-interested. The nonprofit form lends itself to manipulation and to serving the interests of a few rather than the general public. Arts organizations need to be aware of these dynamics and can’t hang their hats on mission statements and values statements as enough to keep them moored to their purposes. – Diane Ragsdale