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Behind the Scenes With Singer-Songwriter, Macy Gray
When I sat down with singer-songwriter Macy Gray in the private Barrel Room of City Winery just before her performance there, I was reminded of what it means to be a one-of-a-kind. From the moment she...
View ArticleTheater: 'Can-Can' Can; Familiar 'Country;' Sweet 'Cinderella'
CAN-CAN ** 1/2 out of **** THE COUNTRY HOUSE ** 1/2 out of **** CINDERELLA ** 1/2 out of **** CAN-CAN ** 1/2 out of **** PAPERMILL PLAYHOUSE Emmy winner David Lee -- who was a writer-producer on Cheers...
View ArticleFirst Nighter: Marcus's 'Killing of Sister George,' McPherson's 'Port Authority'
Context is everything. At least that's the impression I had on leaving The Actors Company Theatre revival of Frank Marcus's 1965 multiple prize-winning play, The Killing of Sister George, at the...
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It's Pink Martini and Balanchine for Oregon Ballet Theatre at 25
Ballet to the People meant to show up at Oregon Ballet Theatre in Portland on Saturday in time to gatecrash company class. But on the way to the studio she succumbed to the siren song of Mother...
View Article3 Secrets To Writing Great Pop Songs
How does one explain a creative process that is unexplainable, and largely intuitive? How does one create original work which is both 'art' and product in a multi-billion dollar industry where among...
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The Psychodelic: Phong Bui Discusses What He Curated and How He Curated It
Narration by Daniel Maidman Text in quotation marks by Phong Bui Although I have done a bit of curating myself, I've never given much thought to what curators do. I haven't read any curating analysis...
View ArticleThe Rumors of Opera's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated (Pt. 2)
A couple of weeks ago while I was admiring all the work The Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago has been doing, I was simultaneously following another project that I found especially intriguing and...
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Mark Rothko in the Hague
Holland might seem an unlikely place to go to see the art of a great American artist, but I am here to tell you it is worth the trip. A retrospective exhibition of the art of Mark Rothko will be on...
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A Life in Stop Motion: A Journey From Benefits to Award-Winning Young Filmmaker
A tale of existential questioning captured in the medium of stop motion, Hendrikus De Vaan's short 4-minute film "Disappear", single-handedly made while on benefit checks, has received acclaim at film...
View ArticleGone Girl's Rape Problem
Gone Girl is one of the most perplexing books -- and now films -- about gender roles and stereotypes to come around in a long while. It's written by a woman and features a complex female protagonist...
View ArticleThe Running Picador
It is unfortunately no longer possible to take bullfighting as an order of romance any more serious than say, the return of the player piano or the raccoon coat. Like the new bar that just opened on...
View ArticleAll You Need Is Love
I spent this past weekend in Las Vegas. I like Vegas; it makes no bones about being a garish, sordid playground for adults. If you're in the right mood, it's hard not to have fun there. The high point...
View ArticleSuffering Optional: Walking Into the Wild Is a Quest of Privilege
If you're thinking of walkIng by yourself into the desert for three years, by all means, do so. I wish you safe passage. Just don't expect me to applaud when you get back. On Sunday, The New York Times...
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Eric Zammitt : Unprecedented Insight into Process (video)
Los Angeles native, Eric Zammitt, in his Altadena studio near Pasadena. Photo by EMS. Start the Hanz Zimmer soundtrack... In my latest documentary film, Breaking Beautiful , Los Angeles based artist,...
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(R)evolution from Berlin: BONAPARTE Aims to Conquer the World
First there was Bowie, then there was Klaus Nomi, and now there is BONAPARTE, who by his own admission is: "LIVING IN THE EYE OF THE STORM! The heart of Bonaparte's neo-modernist spirit of quantum...
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What You Might Not Know About Auditions (But Should)
Careful what you wish for - you might just get it. Most talent, when they are just starting out, wish for "just one audition," or "just one job," or even "just one talent agent." And they end up...
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Into the Woods... With Giuseppe Penone
To be completely honest, the main reason for my attending last week's performance by Garth Fagan Dance Company at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center was the fact that well-known Los Angeles artist...
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Why the 'Finesse of the Avenue' Is What Cities Need
Fourth in an illustrated series about place-decoding from the South of France. The Finesse of the Avenue Last month in Cassis, the Avenue Victor Hugo told the stories surrounding its pavement and...
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Lee Wilson on Memoir, Ballet, Broadway, Editors and Choreaographers
The Book Doctors met Lee Wilson at a Pitchapalooza (think American Idol for books) at a fantastic bookstore called pages: a book store, in Manhattan Beach, California. She was so warm, funny,...
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