By Myles Ludwig Vlad the Impaler has struck once again. This time, however, instead of lining the roads of his rule with the corpses of his enemies, he’s impaled the foreign policy of America and that of our European friends – and possibly even himself – on the horns of a dilemma. What should be done about the Russian bear hug of Crimea? What can be done, without tiptoeing up … [Read more...]
News briefs: Arts Garage team to manage 2 Pompano venues
The Delray Beach-based cultural arts management group that opened the Arts Garage in 2011 and presented hundreds of events there has been tapped to develop programming and manage two new cultural venues in Pompano Beach. The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in Pompano approved a contract with Creative City Collaborative (CCC) to come up with cultural programming for … [Read more...]
Sundays: Magic carpet ride
By Myles Ludwig The red carpet has been a trope since the 5th century B.C., when the coy Clytemnestra welcomed home the wings beneath her feet from his travails in Troy. The not-always-humble monarch Agamemnon wisely demurred, according to Aeschylus. He was nervous about stepping onto the path reserved for the gods. Hey, he might have said, "I am a mortal, a man; I cannot … [Read more...]
Sundays: It’s always Media Time somewhere
By Myles Ludwig Consider time. Time, as in “Hey kids, what time is it?” If you are part of my generation, you most certainly know the answer to that question. It was lodged in our collective frontal lobes. Why, its Howdy Doody time, of course: 5:30 p.m. on Monday-Friday everywhere in our East Coast world. Glowing twilight, descending darkness, time to dismount and park our … [Read more...]
In the news: PB Opera plans world premiere in 2015; changes at Boca Museum, Norton Gardens
For the first time in its 53-year history, Palm Beach Opera next season will present a world premiere of an American opera. Enemies, A Love Story, with music by Ben Moore and a libretto by Nahma Sandrow, and based on the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer, was seen in abridged workshop form in the company’s One Opera in One Hour series last season. Set in New York in 1948, it … [Read more...]
Sundays: The normalizing power of the Xtreme
By Myles Ludwig These are the Xtreme Olympics. Xtreme in every way. The Xtremes of joy, passion and inspiration. The Xtremes of disappointment, but also of dignity. I think that spirit has been brought to the Winter Games by the young men and women who’ve made their mark in what has come to be called — and not only in the United States — as Xtreme sports. These eccentric … [Read more...]
Jewelry, Art and Antique Show deserves repeated visits
By Myles Ludwig Champagne flowed and a treasure chest of riches glowed at the vernissage of the 11th Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show. Charming beauties and sharp-eyed connoisseurs wandered the narrow alleys lined with the booths of some 180 international exhibitors in the Palm Beach County Convention Center. This show is a studied, lovingly curated collection of the … [Read more...]
Sundays: A much-needed shot in the psyche
By Myles Ludwig When the ancient gods descended from Mt. Olympus, it’s not likely they figured their progeny would be luging down the slick course of Sanki Sliding Center at 85-plus mph. Not likely Homer could evoke the heroism of snowboarders Sage Kotsenburg and Jamie Anderson, skater dudes on snow, leaping and twirling off the rails of Rosa Khutor, though there’s a bit of … [Read more...]
Commentary: A day for consumer sports
By Myles Ludwig What best defines an American Legend? Why, it’s Chrysler, of course. The car company (a division of Fiat, by the way) has now placed itself firmly in the pantheon of American idols — movie stars and musicians — with its Super Bowl commercials spieled by first Clint, now Dylan, people so famous they need be known by only one name, like Picasso or Madonna. Or … [Read more...]
Sundays: Other eyes are keeping score
By Myles Ludwig All Hail Snowdenia, as Groucho might have said. The Angry Birds have been de-flocked and added to the No Fly list. Just when we thought this tawdry, lingering spy story might be coming to an end — finally — we learned this week that you folks (and you know who you are) who’ve been playing Angry Birds to wipe away the previously unoccupied hours have been … [Read more...]