“[The city’s] sense of itself, its urbanism and its collective spirit, can also be a trap. There’s always the rest of the world to think about. A living culture has always depended on openness, reciprocity and exchange. The almost shocking individuality … of Gaudí’s architecture … was also only possible because of a wider international culture.”
Tag: 11.20.12
That Guilt You Feel? It Only Makes Transgressing Sweeter
“According to newly published research, the guilt we feel may make that decadent treat taste even more delicious than it otherwise would.”
NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman Announces Retirement
“My intention has always been to serve one term … The time has come for me to become a cliché: I turned 65, am going to retire, and cannot wait to spend more time in Miami Beach.”
Costa Book Award Shortlists Include Graphic Works For First Time
“Days of the Bagnold Summer by Joff Winterhart will compete with works by Hilary Mantel, James Meek and Stephen May for the Costa novel of the year, while a biography-cum-memoir by Mary Talbot, drawn by her husband Bryan Talbot who also worked on Judge Dredd and Batman, is one of four books in the best biography shortlist.”
Vancouver’s MusicFest Cancels 2013 Edition
The ten-day August event, which features jazz, folk, classical and world music at numerous venues, has an accumulated deficit of more than $150,000. The financial troubles are attributed to insufficient ticket income, corporate and government support.
Iranian Rock Star Defies Triple Fatwa
“His name is Shahin Najafi. Last May, at least three ayatollahs called for his execution after he released a song they interpreted as insulting to Shia Islam’s 10th Imam. … Najafi is probably the most incendiary Iranian musician there is. His songs take on issues like sexual freedom, women’s rights, the sanctity of virginity, government corruption, rape in prison, and the rule of mullahs.”
Is British Theatre Really Being Destroyed By The Disappearance Of Repertory Companies? (No.)
Lyn Gardner: “But most regional theatres couldn’t afford to operate in that way and neither would they want to: programmers and audiences want a far broader range of work that would have been seen in the rep-style theatres of 73-year-old [Ian] McKellen’s youth.”
The Movie That’s Cheering Up The Troubled Greeks
“But heroes have been in short supply in the country’s hour of need, which could explain the rush to cinemas to spend time in the company of an 18th-century pirate turned luxury foodstuffs tycoon.” The film’s title: God Loves Caviar.
Jackie Chan Will Be Making No More Action Movies
“Chan, 58, says at his age he can no longer continue doing the stunts that have made his movies famous. The star, who is known for his innovative moves, said he doesn’t want to end his life in a wheelchair.”
CBC Asks Regulators For Less Regulation
“The strict regulatory shackles of the past don’t work in today’s fast-moving environment, CBC president Hubert Lacroix told a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission hearing Monday.”