“AIDS made it impossible not to talk about gayness. The grave wasn’t even a closet anymore. Angels In America tied it into the huge arc of the American story; the gay community was no longer an isolated group. We needed a big play about this, and he gave us an epic – it was Brecht, it was Wagner. It was amazing.”
Tag: 11.10.12
The Man Who Invented Instant Photos And Changed The World
“A generation ago, people talked about [Edwin] Land in the same breath with Thomas Edison. In the digital age all pictures are instant pictures. But one of the most significant things Polaroid invented was not merely a camera-and-film system but a particular kind of casual documentary photography.”
Culture Transforms A Small Portuguese City (At Least For One Year)
While most of Portugal’s arts sector has been reeling from a 30% cut in government funding, Guimarães, one of two European Capitals of Culture for 2012, has used the special EU funding to develop a lively arts scene almost from scratch – and to renovate and repopulate shuttered industrial areas.
Wizard Of Oz’s Dorothy – A Serial Killer?
Alyssa Burger notes that this trend “has kind of taken YouTube by storm,” mentioning the posting of a re-edited trailer for Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining that makes the violent Jack Nicholson classic come across as a romantic comedy.
Culture Wars: Far From Over, Despite (Or Because Of) Election Results
“The American division is not essentially about partisan politics or ideological labels, and it can only sometimes be reduced to questions of economic policy. It is sometimes but not always about racial resentment, sometimes but not always about the contested public role of Christianity, and often but not always about big words that are inherently squashy and subjective.”
Oy, Book World! Wake Up And Toss The Prejudice Against E-Books
” A print publication remains the basic requirement for newspaper reviews, journals and major prize entries, despite the vast range of work available online and in ebooks. The whiff of vanity publishing still clings to independent publishing and the digital-only text.”
Another Dying Art: The Projectionist
“I can’t help but think of pesky little Salvatore in Cinema Paradiso, learning the ropes from Alfredo, the veteran projectionist — and I can’t help but get nostalgic.”
What Locked-Out Musicians Do In Their New Free Time
“A typical week for each of the Adamses — middle-class musicians who are stalwart section players rather than stars — includes 24 hours onstage, at least 12 hours of practice and perhaps an unpaid fundraising concert. Now, like any other out-of-work white-collar professional, they are looking for new gigs.”
Behind The Scenes, A Dramatic Power Struggle At The Studio
“Morale is low and anxiety is high on Warner’s Burbank lot. Some insiders describe an atmosphere in which executives are hesitant to extend contracts, staffers are afraid to cross department lines for fear of ‘taking sides’ and potential partners are wary of signing long-term deals without knowing who will be in charge.”
New Isn’t Exactly Best In London’s Explosion of War Memorials
“None of the modern memorials can match [the Cenotaph]. Walking around them this week, I was struck by how they divided between banal literalism and meaningless abstraction.”