Geoffrey Holder, 84, Director, Actor, Painter, Dancer and Choreographer

“The 6-foot-6 Mr. Holder gained early renown as a dancer, leading a folk-dance troupe in his native Trinidad before moving to New York in the 1950s. He soon became a fixture in the city’s theatrical and artistic worlds, known for his rich, Caribbean-accented voice and the almost limitless range of his cultural interests.” He became a genuine celebrity thanks to a series of commercials for 7Up, “the Uncola”.

Met Museum Rescues Ancient Egyptian Collection From Auctioneer’s Bench

“The Metropolitan Museum of Art played the role of deus ex machina late last week, agreeing to purchase a trove of Egyptian antiquities that were about to go on the block at Bonhams in London, consigned by a St. Louis archaeological society. Archaeologists and historians alike had assailed the auction, fearing that the nearly 4,000-year-old artifacts would disappear into the hands of private collectors.”

Lots Of Cities Have Historic And Cultural Districts, But Who Else Has A Literary District?

Boston hopes that its newly-designated literary mecca – which features everything from the homes of Thoreau, the Jameses, and Plath to the hotel where Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh once worked to menu items like “Mel-Ville Chowder” and the “Poe-Boy Sandwich” (really?) – will “promote business and job growth and enhance property values in [its] own eclectic, well-educated way.”

Protests Disrupt St. Louis Symphony Concert

“The orchestra and chorus were preparing to perform Johannes Brahms’ Requiem just after intermission when two audience members in the middle aisle on the main floor began singing an old civil rights tune, “Which Side are You on?” They soon were joined, in harmony, by other protesters, who stood at seats in various locations on the main floor and in the balcony.”

Russia’s Latest Refusenik Writer/Heroine (It’s Just Like Old Times)

“In recent years, as Russia has grown politically repressive and culturally conservative, [Lyudmila] Ulitskaya’s fiction, which addresses both religion and politics, has moved in for a confrontation. Increasingly, Ulitskaya has also become a public intellectual. … She has amassed many of Europe’s most prestigious literary prizes, even as she has come under attack at home.”