“The myth of Santa and the North Pole is one of a morally tone-deaf autocrat who delivers toys to the children of well-off parents rather than life-saving basic goods to the most needy. But, when you think about it, the Santa myth is far worse than even that.”
Tag: 12.12.11
Cute Little Psychokillers: Why We Love ‘Bad Seed’ Movies
“What if a parasitic creature is squatting in one’s womb? What if, once born, the baby is a monster – alien and unlovable? What exactly does one do if the darkest and most unspeakable of parental fears come to terrifying fruition? These questions drive one of the classic tropes of horror: the bad seed film.”
Should England’s National Theatre Begin Hosting Foreign Companies And Productions?
Matt Trueman: “There’s no doubting the influence and importance of international work. The question is: does it fall within the National’s remit? I’d say yes.”
Utah’s Ballet West Loses Its Ballet Master To Cancer
Mark Goldweber, a former stalwart of the Joffrey Ballet who became ballet master at the Salt Lake City company and directed its young-dancer troupe, died last week of cancer at the age of 53.
Money, Lawyers, and (Non-Existent) Sex Abuse: Battle Over Malcolm Arnold’s Estate
The English composer, known for his symphonies and film scores (Bridge on the River Kwai), left much of his estate to his caregiver of 22 years. Arnold’s two children (who abandoned him when he hit an alcoholic bottom) are battling to get that inheritance, and they’ve gone to eyebrow-raising lengths in the process.
Troubled Virginia Quarterly Review Gets New Publisher, Deputy Editor
Having gathered plaudits, subscribes and National Magazine Awards over the previous seven years, VQR was sent reeling in 2010 by the suicide of a longtime deputy editor and the resignation of two staffers following accusations of bullying by the top editor. Now the University of Virginia has hired two new officers to help stabilize the journal.
How To (Safely) Do Sarcasm Online? Well, Duh! A Typeface!
“Since the dawn of the postmodern age, ironical writers have struggled to imbue the printed word with the nuances of sarcasm.” So an enterprising typesetter has invented a special sarcasm font.
Painting Life Models (No, We Mean Literally)
“Bringing his models onto the canvas, Ben Heine covers them in acrylic paint, turning them into living works of art. The 28-year-old spends more than three hours on each piece for his series called Flesh and Acrylic.”
Why Not Publish A Play Script As A Comic Book? (Robert Lepage Did)
“Instead of publishing the script of his recent play, The Blue Dragon, Lepage’s theatre company Ex Machina decided to take an entirely different route, commissioning Quebec City-based artist Fred Jourdain to transform it into a graphic novel.”
US Movie Box Office Hits Three-Year Low
“The poor weekend leaves total box office revenues for 2011 about four percent down compared to last year. The last two weeks have been the lowest-performing at the US box office for the entire year. Cinema-goers spent $77.4m (£49.5m) on tickets over the weekend, down from $81m (£52m) the previous week.”