Peggy’s place
Art of This Century, view of the Abstract Gallery, New York, ca. 1943. Courtesy Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice. Left to right (paintings): Vasily Kandinsky, Landscape with Red Spots, No. 2, 1913; Kazimir Malevich, Untitled, ca. 1916; Francis Picabia, Very Rare Picture on Earth, 1915; Albert Gleizes, Woman with Animals (Madame Raymond Duchamp-Villon), 1914 (partially visible ...
Julie Christie, in message, remembers Omar Sharif, David Lean
Aug
21
2015
A highlight of Wednesday night’s wonderful Laemmle Theatres “Anniversary Classics” series screening of DR. ZHIVAGO (1964) had host Stephen Farber delivering a personal message from actress Julie Christie sent especially for the occasion. The note concerned her dashing leading man, Omar Sharif, whose death on July 10, 2015 the screening was dedicated to memorializing. Sharif ...
Meet Marilyn Meme•roe
From Wikipedia: Memetics is a theory of mental content based on an analogy with Darwinian evolution, originating from the popularization of Richard Dawkins’ 1976 book The Selfish Gene. Proponents describe memetics as an approach to evolutionary models of cultural information transfer. The choreographer Jack Cole, a creative genius, had the ability to perpetuate the meme ...
Miss Ruth strikes a Denishawn pose in “The Peacock” (1914)
A photographer’s dream model, the exotic Ruth St. Denis habitually struck a dramatic pose for the camera. Fifty years later, in the San Fernando Valley, she was doing the same thing. Ruth St. Denis, “The Peacock” 1914, photo by J.D. Toloff, Evanston, IL
Clarion voice of songbird Judy Collins fills L.A. night sky 8
Yes, a songbird, thrush, warbler, coloratura, balladeer … she self-describes as a ‘troubadour.’ But who knew that folk-rock legend Judy Collins is also supremely entertaining, a raconteur spieling salty, even ribald stories all while innocently strumming her guitar? Tonight in a delicious free concert at Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles, Collins lulled her audience like a ...
Being Judy Collins ~ at Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles
Jul
7
2015
Elizabeth Levitt Hirsch and her amazing team at Levitt Pavilions have outdone themselves. We so look forward to the free concert by folk-rock warbler Judy Collins in the shadow of the Los Angeles skyline. Bringing high-quality, family-friendly musical fare to our city park – Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles. Judy Collins | Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles ...
Bawdy, bodacious broads on parade
Author/radio host Sandra Tsing Loh presents her solo comedy act, The B**** is Back: An All-Too Intimate Conversation, inspired by her best-selling memoir The Madwoman in the Volvo: My Year of Raging Hormones. For mature audiences. From 1906 through the beginning of television, Sophie Tucker and her bawdy, brash, and risqué songs paved the way ...
arts•meme at seven: confident, independent
May
19
2015
Well wishes go to arts•meme, the fine arts blog, on her seventh birthday, May 24, 2015. The little mademoiselle is pictured on her tricycle-ramble ’round town, collecting memes to dispatch in the daily gazette. A special thank-you to our advertisers. Thank you for working with us! Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, Segerstrom ...
The great Graham’s California roots
Apr
15
2015
In my “pre-talk” prior to Martha Graham Dance Company‘s performance at Valley Performing Arts Center this Saturday night, I make the case that the impact and duration of Graham’s career start-up in Los Angeles has gone woefully under reported. Here Graham poses with her first partner, Ted Shawn, in “Malaguena” (1921) — in a California ...
How now, Shirley MacLaine @ TCM Fest 2015
Shirley MacLaine made a few appearances at this year’s TCM Classic Film Festival, and she enthralled audiences with her candor. She revealed that when she first received the script for the Oscar-winning film, The Apartment, it was only 29 pages long. Director Billy Wilder and his longtime writing partner, I.A.L. Diamond, continued writing as filming ...