Hal Prince Is Turning 90, And He's Serving Up Broadway Dish For His Birthday

Michael Paulson picks out some choice tidbits from a series of conversations Prince recorded with producer Jeffrey Seller (Hamilton, Rent). For instance, the M.C. in Cabaret was Prince's idea.

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How Live Music Shaped Silent Movies

The soundtrack for any given showing depended, in large part, on the setting. At deluxe movie palaces, films were often accompanied by entire symphony orchestras. “A medium-sized neighborhood theater might carry between five and ten musicians,” writes Scott Eyman in The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution, 1926–1930. “Even the meanest fleapit in the sticks had a piano player.”

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A Science Fiction Genre That's Not Dystopian (Or Even Depressing!)

"Imagine a scene, set in the future, where a child in Burning Man-style punk clothing is standing in front of a yurt powered by solar panels. ... Welcome to solarpunk, a new genre within science fiction that is a reaction against the perceived pessimism of present-day sci-fi and hopes to bring optimistic stories about the future with the aim of encouraging people to change the present."

Article source here:Arts Journal

Why Dealers Are Better Judges Of Authenticity Than Academics

"Many of the paintings I decline are accompanied by 'certificates of expertise', signed by certain academics who, unlike myself as a seller, are not financially liable. When I have crossed swords with such figures over the years, they have frequently been amazed that I would quibble with their learned opinions. Perhaps they would like to explain to buyers who have bought paintings with their certificates why these have been rejected for resale and not accepted for any major museum show?"

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Black British Actors Are Having Such Success In America Because They Can't Get Work In Britain

Daniel Kaluuya, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba, David Oyelowo, Naomie Harris, Thandie Newton, and on and on. Why do they have to leave home, where film and television thrive, just to get cast in decent roles? All those period drama, for one thing.

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Meet The First, And Greatest, All-Women Afro Drum Band In Brazil

Traditionally, the Afro-Brazilian drum bands of Bahia state were strictly male affairs. Then, in 1993, Neguinho do Samba - considered the father of the current drumming style in Bahia and former head of the standard-bearer of the form, the group Olodum - founded Banda Didá specifically for females. Reporter Shannon Sims goes to Salvador do Bahia to see and hear them. (includes video)

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Is It Time To Just Stop Giving The Razzie Awards?

"The annual ceremony, deliberately scheduled near the Oscars, is designed to celebrate the very worst that Hollywood has to offer but for many years now, it's felt more vendetta-led, focusing on easy targets regardless of their suitability."

Article source here:Arts Journal