Flagler Museum director Blades retiring after 21 years PALM BEACH — John Blades, executive director of the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, will retire at the end of this month, the museum said. Blades has been the museum’s executive director since June 1995, and is credited with overseeing the revitalization of the museum, which began life as Henry Flagler’s Whitehall mansion. … [Read more...]
Sundays: The mother of us all
By Myles Ludwig I’m musing about motherhood. The great Momenator hovers above us all like a sacred but impenetrable meme: Mother Russia, mama grizzly, mother of all battles, mothers who eat their young, mother of dragons, Mother Teresa, tiger mom, Monica Lewinsky’s mom, the anguished mothers of the stolen Nigerian schoolgirls and, of course, the heroic American mom and her … [Read more...]
Sundays: Ukrainian basketball
By Myles Ludwig Ukraine and basketball were the stories dominating the mainstream media this week, elbowing aside the tragedies of the sinking ferry in South Korea (“This is the end of me” was the heart-rending headline in the New York Times); the so-far failed search for the lost Malaysian airplane and apparent callousness of expelling the grieving families of those lost … [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...]
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...]
In the news: PB Symphony does ‘Carnival’ for kids; Maltz records ‘Looking Glass’ score
PALM BEACH GARDENS — The Palm Beach Symphony offers its second-ever children’s concert Thursday with a morning performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’ classic Carnival of the Animals. Conducted by the young Greek-born pianist and conductor Zoe Zeniodi, the orchestra will present Saint-Saëns’ zoological spoof to the accompaniment of choreography by Jerry Opdenaker’s Gardens-based O … [Read more...]
Sundays: The sound and the fury
By Myles Ludwig Ladies and gentlemen, the government has left the building. Thank you and good night. It’s times like these that make us glad to see a punky Miley Cyrus embarrass herself on the VMA, then make an amusing, self-conscious effort to redeem herself on SNL by slutting up Michele Bachmann, wearing an ironic throwback jersey and a lacy transparent hoodie jumpsuit … [Read more...]
Sundays: The sign of the Stone
By Myles Ludwig I happened to be thinking about semiotics this week — what signs mean, stand for, whether they’re iconic or indexical or just plain cigars — when the new Rolling Stone magazine cover slams into the bandwidth with the angry splat of a Siberian meteor. This must be some kind of cosmic synchronicity, I thought. Here I am trying to get my mind around a rather … [Read more...]
Sundays: No license, no art
By Myles Ludwig This year’s crop of Oscar contenders has stirred a media tantrum. The controversy appears to be about artistic license. The list is dominated by three films ― Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Argo ― based on, inspired by or, to use that TV trope, ripped (not torn or copied like a computer file) from the headlines. Another – Django Unchained – skirts the issue by … [Read more...]
Calendar of events: February 2013
(Note: Events are listed through Feb. 28 and were current as of Jan. 21. Please check with the presenting agency for any changes. Ticket prices are single sales. Most of the presenting organizations offer subscription plans. Entries will be updated and added as need be over the month.) Art Exhibits Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens: Through Feb. 10: Ben Aronson: The artist’s … [Read more...]