A Journey Through Italy in Logan Square at Testaccio/Photo: Rachel Bires
Get daily culture news sent to your inbox every weekday morning. Subscribe to Newcity Today here.
ART
Dawoud Bey Works To “Deterritorialize” Art
Los Angeles is the site of concurrent shows by Dawoud Bey at Sean Kelly gallery in Hollywood and the Getty: “Starting in his native New York in the 1970s and, more recently, traveling to the Deep South, he has created a critically acclaimed body of work that both honors history and illuminates everyday life,” writes the Los Angeles Times. “One of the reasons I do the work I do is to try to deterritorialize these spaces. That’s very much a part of the ambition that drives my work. I’m acutely aware that when I’m in these spaces, it opens up space not only for other Black artists, but for the larger Black social community,” Bey tells the paper. “I still remember when I was young, I never encountered another Black person in most of the places that I was going to. Making my first trip to Marlborough Gallery on 57th Street and walking into that space, I knew they were aware of my Black presence and I assumed, ‘A lot of Black teenagers don’t come walking up in here to see Richard Avedon, but I don’t care—I’m here to see it.’ That was why it was so gratifying opening night at the Getty to see all of these young Black folks and for them to feel like they had a reason to be there and that this was a place that could be theirs as well.”
DESIGN
Graham Foundation Announces 2023 Grants To Individuals
The Graham Foundation has announced nearly $560,000 in 2023 grants to individuals—sixty-four projects by ninety-three individuals from around the world, including exhibitions opening at the Biennale Architettura 2023 in Venice. The list of grantees is here.
Jewelers Building Considered As Possible Residential Property
“The Canadian real estate investor that has owned the historic Jewelers Building on Wacker Drive for more than forty years is looking for a buyer as it stares down a deadline to pay off its mortgage. It’s playing up the landmark as a prime candidate to be turned into a residential tower,” reports Crain’s.
St. Regis Hotel Sold Day After Debut For Around $76 Million
“The first new luxury hotel to open in Chicago in a decade has announced new ownership just one day after its debut,” reports Crain’s. A joint venture of investors Gencom and GD Holdings acquired the 192-room hotel, “which opened yesterday on the lower floors of the city’s third-tallest skyscraper at 401 East Wacker… The purchase price was not disclosed, but real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle said in a statement that it helped arrange $76 million in acquisition financing… The $1 billion tower, originally billed as the Wanda Vista Tower when Magellan and Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda broke ground in 2016. The Wanda name was later removed after Dalian Wanda bowed out and later sold its 90% stake in the development to Magellan and partners Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. Magellan in 2020 struck a deal with St. Regis Hotels & Resorts to operate the hotel and gain naming rights to the tower.”
Adds the Sun-Times: “The St. Regis hotel brand is part of Marriott International. The Chicago hotel posts room rates of close to $1,000 per night, higher than other five-star properties here. The building has 393 condos, the first of which were sold in 2020. Architect Jeanne Gang designed the 101-story building, the third-tallest in Chicago and the tallest anywhere designed by a woman. The property will include five restaurants, two of them managed by Chicago’s Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises—Miru, a Japanese restaurant for all-day dining that just opened, and Tre Dita, a Tuscan steakhouse.”
DINING & DRINKING
Behind The Drama At The James Beard Foundation
“The James Beard awards are widely regarded as one of the most prestigious in the restaurant world. In a black-tie ceremony, the James Beard Foundation deems a number of chefs, restaurateurs, and bar owners across the country the best in their craft each year, per the organization’s criteria. It’s a highly coveted accolade that can fundamentally change a chef’s career. For diners, it’s a roadmap of some of the best restaurants across the country,” reports Bon Appétit in a timeline of troubles. “But over the years, the foundation has found itself at the center of myriad dramas. From issues of diversity in its pool of winners to internal and external critiques of disciplinary procedures, it’s been a rough few years …. From internal demands for more diversity to criticism for a lack of transparency in judging methods, here’s a timeline of Beard-related drama over the past three years. ”
Brewer’s Triangle Is Branded
“Crews at Metropolitan Brewing, Maplewood Brewing and Ravinia Brewing are rebranding to cement the area’s status as a destination for craft beer,” reports Block Club. The eastern pocket of Logan Square with the trio of craft breweries is now dubbed Brewer’s Triangle. “The breweries are within walking distance of each other, and the route to hit all three is in the shape of a triangle.”
Esmé Partners With JP Graziano For Giardinera-Dusted Flamin’ Hot Cheetos & Specialty Sandwich
Michelin-starred Esmé is partnering with Italian deli JP Graziano for a week of specials starting Tuesday, May 23, with Giardinera-dusted Flamin’ Hot Cheetos served in oversized packs. Made in-house with a custom machine, “the dish is indicative of chef Jenner Tomaska’s fun and whimsical approach to fine dining.” They will be available for $15 per bag at both JP Graziano and Esmé until Saturday, May 27. On May 27 only, Tomaska and JP Graziano’s will teamed for a signature sandwich prepared by Tomaska featuring braised beef tongue, slaw, cilantro ramp mayo, pickled ramps, annatto seed, and brown spiced muffuletta served on JP Graziano’s signature bread. The sandwich will be available for $15 starting at 11am and until they sell out. More Esmé here.
Logan Square Goes Mediterranean This Summer At Testaccio
Testaccio has announced a summer dinner series that celebrates a different unique region of Italy each month, bringing a taste of the Mediterranean to the Midwest. Each month, the Logan Square neighborhood locale will offer dishes that encapsulate the culinary culture of each. Proceeds from each regional dish will be donated to a charitable cause, with proceeds from May’s dishes benefiting Hope for the Day. For May, culinary director Michael Lanzerotte is treating guests to the cuisine of Campania, the home of the lively Coast, serving Gnocchi alla Sorrentina made with tomato, basil and stracciatella, and Maccaronara alla Puttanesca made with tomato, capers, olives, and artichokes. Other regions coming to Testaccio and its sidewalk patio will include Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia and Toscana. Reservations here.
Modern Mediterranean Elia Opens In Wicker Park
Elia at 1938 West Division is the newest restaurant “from lawyer and entrepreneur Metin Serbest, who also owns Turquoise and Bordeaux—a restaurant and wine and jazz bar—in the same Roscoe Village building,” reports Block Club. “Serbest has overhauled the former home of restaurant Sea & Olive, which he opened in 2019 just before the pandemic.” Elia’s “menu emphasizes hot and cold appetizers ranging from hummus options to grilled squid, grape leaves and an updated take on potato salad… Entrees include rack of lamb and several risottos.”
What A Kroger-Albertsons Merger Would Mean To Workers
“Most of the regulatory scrutiny has focused on the possibility that reduced competition would mean higher grocery prices for shoppers,” reports Judd Legum at Popular Information of the planned $25 billion deal for Kroger (owner of Mariano’s) to absorb Albertsons (Jewel-Osco). “But a report released this month by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reveals that the deal could have a major impact on the wages of grocery store workers. According to the EPI report, the proposed merger would ‘reduce the number of outside employment options available to workers, lowering grocery store workers’ annual wages by a total of $334 million.’ That works out to about $450 less annually per worker, which is a significant reduction for a workforce already hovering at or below the poverty line.”
FILM & TELEVISION
Chicago Tonight Moves Time Slot Again
“After just a few months of broadcasting live at 10pm, WTTW’s ‘Chicago Tonight’ has switched time slots, instead broadcasting live at 5:30pm and rerunning the program at 10pm,” reports Axios Chicago. “I wouldn’t say it didn’t work,” said “Chicago Tonight” executive producer Jay Smith. “But after doing that for three months, we decided to move the live broadcast to 5:30 and continue to build that audience at ten o’clock.”
“The Chi” On Strike Pause For Foreseeable Future After Picketing
Showtime’s “The Chi,” “which films entirely in Chicago, has paused production on its upcoming sixth season,” reports Deadline. “The decision was made Monday after a second day of picketing.” Eight episodes from Season 6 were shot before the strike.” The series had intended “to shoot for another couple of weeks from finished scripts.”
Pay-TV Subscribers At Lowest Since 1992
“U.S. pay-TV subscribers are down to their lowest levels since 1992—that’s before DirecTV even existed,” reports Ars Technica. “First quarter 2023 reportedly saw 2.3 million households cut the cord, making it the biggest drop on record… Pay TV is now only in 58.5 percent of US households. Cable TV subscribers dropped 9.9 percent year over year, while satellite is down 13.4 percent.”
Why Studios Want A Minimal Number Of Writers On Series
“When you look at the AMPTP’s (non) response to WGA proposals, you see that the studios want to dismantle the WGA. How?” asks Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman. “For more than seventy years, television was produced in assembly line fashion. A pilot was shot. A series ordered. A premiere date set for the fall, the schedule. That meant DEADLINES. With writing happening DURING production, studios needed a writers room to write scripts quickly. Streaming has blown up that model. There is no fall schedule. There are no deadlines. What even is TV anymore? TV is now the movie business. I wrote a movie five years ago. It’s still in development. No one needs to make a movie. If it gets made, it’s a miracle. Studios have no deadline pressure to release a TV series. So what does that mean for the WGA?”
“In a future imagined by the studios, one writer can take time to write an eight-episode season. The studio will assess all the scripts before greenlighting production. As the studios see it, there is no more need for a writers room. A streaming series is just an eight-hour movie. Studios want an industry that supported ten writing jobs PER show to be reduced to one job. This isn’t hyperbole. It’s math. What do we lose? So much. The TV that we all love was created in the creative ferment of a writers room. TV brings diverse voices to life. If streamers reduce TV to one or two writers, it will homogenize the voices and characters we experience. This strike is about protecting TV writing as a cherished American art form that has existed separately from the movie business.”
LIT
Salman Rushdie Speaks
Salman Rushdie delivered a video message to the British Book Awards, reports AP, where he was awarded the Freedom to Publish award nine months after the seventy-five-year-old writer was attacked onstage, “warning that freedom of expression in the West is under its most severe threat in his lifetime.” Rushdie said, “Now I am sitting here in the U.S., I have to look at the extraordinary attack on libraries, and books for children in schools. The attack on the idea of libraries themselves. It is quite remarkably alarming, and we need to be very aware of it, and to fight against it very hard.”
Springfield Public Library Director Fired
“Lincoln Library director Summer Beck-Griffith was fired Monday, after serving a little less than a year as director,” reports the Springfield State Journal-Register. “She replaced Rochelle Hartman as acting director then director after Hartman was fired by Mayor Jim Langfelder in January 2022… While she was unanimously confirmed by the city council on July 5, there were some members who brought up the fact that she did not have a library science degree.”
MEDIA
Studs Terkel At 111: Here’s Thousands Of His Interviews
“Studs Terkel was born 111 years ago,” posts WFMT. “You can listen to thousands of his conversations conducted over forty-five years as a broadcaster on our website for free. Here are just a few of those fascinating conversations: A two-part conversation with Harry Belafonte about music, recorded in 1955 (Part one; part two); a two-part conversation with critic Pauline Kael from 1966 (Part one; part two); and one of the few great interviews with Buster Keaton (1960).”
Wall Street Journal Drops Courtesy Titles
The Wall Street Journal is eliminating the routine use of honorifics, or courtesy titles, in its news pages, writes Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker in the paper. “The Journal has been one of the few news organizations to continue to use the titles, under our long-held belief that Mr., Ms. and so forth help us to maintain a polite tone. However, the trend among almost all news organizations and magazines has been to go without, as editors have concluded that the titles in news articles are becoming a vestige of a more-formal past, and that the flood of Mr., Ms., Mx. or Mrs. in sentences can slow down readers’ enjoyment of our writing… We decided that dropping those titles is more in line with the way people communicate. It puts everyone on a more-equal footing and will help make our writing livelier and more approachable.”
LoganSquarist Moves To Shut Down
There are a few neighborhood news sources staying online, but LoganSquarist is going to close. “More than a decade ago, LoganSquarist launched as a Twitter account to fill a need for local news and bring neighbors together [and] evolved into a vibrant, volunteer-run news website with an active events program… LoganSquarist leadership has thus made the difficult decision to bring the organization to a close. We did not feel that continuing as a much-diminished version of its former self would do justice to LoganSquarist’s legacy or, more importantly, the incredible work you all put in… By the end of 2023, LoganSquarist will end as an active organization.”
MUSIC
Lyric And Chicago Federation Of Musicians Reach Five-Year Labor Agreement
Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local #10-208 have reached a five-year contractual labor agreement, the groups announce. This is prior to the June 30 expiration of the current agreement. The Lyric continues conversations with its IATSE groups that represent Theatrical Stage Employees and artists along with the American Guild of Musical Artists.
Fall Tour Of Romeo Santos, “The King of Bachata,” Comes To Rosemont
Romeo Santos, known as “The King of Bachata,” announced additional Fall tour dates to his “Formula Vol. 3” Tour in North America, including Allstate Arena in Rosemont on October 24. Santos kicked off his tour, “Formula Vol. 3 – The Tour” in Europe and South America. He broke record sales in Lima, Peru with four sold out stadium dates for 80,000 people. In Chile, Romeo Santos sold out nine stadium dates in Arena de Santiago for a total of 120,000 fans. More here.
STAGE
Annoyance Theatre Opens Hitchcock Hotel
The Annoyance Theatre is turning into the Hitchcock Hotel for two nights as an immersive pop-up that will highlight the late filmmaker’s movies. The pop-up will feature craft cocktails, movie rooms, and a meet-and-greet with iconic movie characters. Hotel visitors will also have access to “Hitch*Cocktails,” a fully improvised ninety-minute comedic thriller in Alfred Hitchcock’s style. The pop-up observes ten years of Hitch*Cocktails, an improvisational show made more challenging by the real cocktails that, in true 1950s fashion, actors are required to drink in every scene. The pop-up is part of a weekend takeover including additional Hitch*Cocktails performances and improv workshops. Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20. Details and tickets here.
ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.
Remote Work “Morally Wrong,” Says Billionaire Musk; JP Morgan Worker Surveillance Revealed
“The laptop class is living in La-La Land,” federally subsidized Tesla and SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk has said in an odd CNBC interview. “Look at the cars. Are people working from home here? Of course not. The people [that are] building the cars, servicing the cars, building houses, fixing houses, or making the food, making all the things that people consume—it’s messed up to assume that they have to go to work but you don’t. [Why] is that? It’s not just a productivity thing. I think it’s morally wrong.”
Meanwhile, reports Insider, employees at America’s largest bank by assets fear of constant monitoring “have stoked rumors and suspicion within the firm… From the moment they log into JPMorgan Chase’s workplace portal on their computers each day, a powerful system begins pulling in data points about what hundreds of thousands of the bank’s employees are doing—from how long they spend on Zoom calls to writing emails to talking on the phone… The data filters into a proprietary system called the ‘Workforce Activity Data Utility,’ or WADU for short.”
Lake Geneva Estate Of Former Chairman Of Illinois Republican Party On Market For $35 Million
“A majestic Lake Geneva estate, built twelve decades ago by one of the original owners and namesakes of the Drake Hotel and extensively updated and expanded by owners of the past twenty-five years, is coming on the market at $35 million—just under the record sale for the area,” peeps Crain’s. The parcel is “a twelve-acre south shore estate dubbed Aloha Lodge by the Drakes, in part to honor their friend, the deposed Hawaiian Queen Lili’uokalani.” The sale is by the estate of Harold Byron Smith, who died in October. “Smith was a member of the Chicago family that founded both Northern Trust bank and the Illinois Tool Works conglomerate. He was a former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.”
Send culture news and tips to [email protected]
Source: newcity.com
A Journey Through Italy in Logan Square at Testaccio/Photo: Rachel Bires
Get daily culture news sent to your inbox every weekday morning. Subscribe to Newcity Today here.
ART
Dawoud Bey Works To “Deterritorialize” Art
Los Angeles is the site of concurrent shows by Dawoud Bey at Sean Kelly gallery in Hollywood and the Getty: “Starting in his native New York in the 1970s and, more recently, traveling to the Deep South, he has created a critically acclaimed body of work that both honors history and illuminates everyday life,” writes the Los Angeles Times. “One of the reasons I do the work I do is to try to deterritorialize these spaces. That’s very much a part of the ambition that drives my work. I’m acutely aware that when I’m in these spaces, it opens up space not only for other Black artists, but for the larger Black social community,” Bey tells the paper. “I still remember when I was young, I never encountered another Black person in most of the places that I was going to. Making my first trip to Marlborough Gallery on 57th Street and walking into that space, I knew they were aware of my Black presence and I assumed, ‘A lot of Black teenagers don’t come walking up in here to see Richard Avedon, but I don’t care—I’m here to see it.’ That was why it was so gratifying opening night at the Getty to see all of these young Black folks and for them to feel like they had a reason to be there and that this was a place that could be theirs as well.”
DESIGN
Graham Foundation Announces 2023 Grants To Individuals
The Graham Foundation has announced nearly $560,000 in 2023 grants to individuals—sixty-four projects by ninety-three individuals from around the world, including exhibitions opening at the Biennale Architettura 2023 in Venice. The list of grantees is here.
Jewelers Building Considered As Possible Residential Property
“The Canadian real estate investor that has owned the historic Jewelers Building on Wacker Drive for more than forty years is looking for a buyer as it stares down a deadline to pay off its mortgage. It’s playing up the landmark as a prime candidate to be turned into a residential tower,” reports Crain’s.
St. Regis Hotel Sold Day After Debut For Around $76 Million
“The first new luxury hotel to open in Chicago in a decade has announced new ownership just one day after its debut,” reports Crain’s. A joint venture of investors Gencom and GD Holdings acquired the 192-room hotel, “which opened yesterday on the lower floors of the city’s third-tallest skyscraper at 401 East Wacker… The purchase price was not disclosed, but real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle said in a statement that it helped arrange $76 million in acquisition financing… The $1 billion tower, originally billed as the Wanda Vista Tower when Magellan and Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda broke ground in 2016. The Wanda name was later removed after Dalian Wanda bowed out and later sold its 90% stake in the development to Magellan and partners Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. Magellan in 2020 struck a deal with St. Regis Hotels & Resorts to operate the hotel and gain naming rights to the tower.”
Adds the Sun-Times: “The St. Regis hotel brand is part of Marriott International. The Chicago hotel posts room rates of close to $1,000 per night, higher than other five-star properties here. The building has 393 condos, the first of which were sold in 2020. Architect Jeanne Gang designed the 101-story building, the third-tallest in Chicago and the tallest anywhere designed by a woman. The property will include five restaurants, two of them managed by Chicago’s Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises—Miru, a Japanese restaurant for all-day dining that just opened, and Tre Dita, a Tuscan steakhouse.”
DINING & DRINKING
Behind The Drama At The James Beard Foundation
“The James Beard awards are widely regarded as one of the most prestigious in the restaurant world. In a black-tie ceremony, the James Beard Foundation deems a number of chefs, restaurateurs, and bar owners across the country the best in their craft each year, per the organization’s criteria. It’s a highly coveted accolade that can fundamentally change a chef’s career. For diners, it’s a roadmap of some of the best restaurants across the country,” reports Bon Appétit in a timeline of troubles. “But over the years, the foundation has found itself at the center of myriad dramas. From issues of diversity in its pool of winners to internal and external critiques of disciplinary procedures, it’s been a rough few years …. From internal demands for more diversity to criticism for a lack of transparency in judging methods, here’s a timeline of Beard-related drama over the past three years. ”
Brewer’s Triangle Is Branded
“Crews at Metropolitan Brewing, Maplewood Brewing and Ravinia Brewing are rebranding to cement the area’s status as a destination for craft beer,” reports Block Club. The eastern pocket of Logan Square with the trio of craft breweries is now dubbed Brewer’s Triangle. “The breweries are within walking distance of each other, and the route to hit all three is in the shape of a triangle.”
Esmé Partners With JP Graziano For Giardinera-Dusted Flamin’ Hot Cheetos & Specialty Sandwich
Michelin-starred Esmé is partnering with Italian deli JP Graziano for a week of specials starting Tuesday, May 23, with Giardinera-dusted Flamin’ Hot Cheetos served in oversized packs. Made in-house with a custom machine, “the dish is indicative of chef Jenner Tomaska’s fun and whimsical approach to fine dining.” They will be available for $15 per bag at both JP Graziano and Esmé until Saturday, May 27. On May 27 only, Tomaska and JP Graziano’s will teamed for a signature sandwich prepared by Tomaska featuring braised beef tongue, slaw, cilantro ramp mayo, pickled ramps, annatto seed, and brown spiced muffuletta served on JP Graziano’s signature bread. The sandwich will be available for $15 starting at 11am and until they sell out. More Esmé here.
Logan Square Goes Mediterranean This Summer At Testaccio
Testaccio has announced a summer dinner series that celebrates a different unique region of Italy each month, bringing a taste of the Mediterranean to the Midwest. Each month, the Logan Square neighborhood locale will offer dishes that encapsulate the culinary culture of each. Proceeds from each regional dish will be donated to a charitable cause, with proceeds from May’s dishes benefiting Hope for the Day. For May, culinary director Michael Lanzerotte is treating guests to the cuisine of Campania, the home of the lively Coast, serving Gnocchi alla Sorrentina made with tomato, basil and stracciatella, and Maccaronara alla Puttanesca made with tomato, capers, olives, and artichokes. Other regions coming to Testaccio and its sidewalk patio will include Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia and Toscana. Reservations here.
Modern Mediterranean Elia Opens In Wicker Park
Elia at 1938 West Division is the newest restaurant “from lawyer and entrepreneur Metin Serbest, who also owns Turquoise and Bordeaux—a restaurant and wine and jazz bar—in the same Roscoe Village building,” reports Block Club. “Serbest has overhauled the former home of restaurant Sea & Olive, which he opened in 2019 just before the pandemic.” Elia’s “menu emphasizes hot and cold appetizers ranging from hummus options to grilled squid, grape leaves and an updated take on potato salad… Entrees include rack of lamb and several risottos.”
What A Kroger-Albertsons Merger Would Mean To Workers
“Most of the regulatory scrutiny has focused on the possibility that reduced competition would mean higher grocery prices for shoppers,” reports Judd Legum at Popular Information of the planned $25 billion deal for Kroger (owner of Mariano’s) to absorb Albertsons (Jewel-Osco). “But a report released this month by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reveals that the deal could have a major impact on the wages of grocery store workers. According to the EPI report, the proposed merger would ‘reduce the number of outside employment options available to workers, lowering grocery store workers’ annual wages by a total of $334 million.’ That works out to about $450 less annually per worker, which is a significant reduction for a workforce already hovering at or below the poverty line.”
FILM & TELEVISION
Chicago Tonight Moves Time Slot Again
“After just a few months of broadcasting live at 10pm, WTTW’s ‘Chicago Tonight’ has switched time slots, instead broadcasting live at 5:30pm and rerunning the program at 10pm,” reports Axios Chicago. “I wouldn’t say it didn’t work,” said “Chicago Tonight” executive producer Jay Smith. “But after doing that for three months, we decided to move the live broadcast to 5:30 and continue to build that audience at ten o’clock.”
“The Chi” On Strike Pause For Foreseeable Future After Picketing
Showtime’s “The Chi,” “which films entirely in Chicago, has paused production on its upcoming sixth season,” reports Deadline. “The decision was made Monday after a second day of picketing.” Eight episodes from Season 6 were shot before the strike.” The series had intended “to shoot for another couple of weeks from finished scripts.”
Pay-TV Subscribers At Lowest Since 1992
“U.S. pay-TV subscribers are down to their lowest levels since 1992—that’s before DirecTV even existed,” reports Ars Technica. “First quarter 2023 reportedly saw 2.3 million households cut the cord, making it the biggest drop on record… Pay TV is now only in 58.5 percent of US households. Cable TV subscribers dropped 9.9 percent year over year, while satellite is down 13.4 percent.”
Why Studios Want A Minimal Number Of Writers On Series
“When you look at the AMPTP’s (non) response to WGA proposals, you see that the studios want to dismantle the WGA. How?” asks Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman. “For more than seventy years, television was produced in assembly line fashion. A pilot was shot. A series ordered. A premiere date set for the fall, the schedule. That meant DEADLINES. With writing happening DURING production, studios needed a writers room to write scripts quickly. Streaming has blown up that model. There is no fall schedule. There are no deadlines. What even is TV anymore? TV is now the movie business. I wrote a movie five years ago. It’s still in development. No one needs to make a movie. If it gets made, it’s a miracle. Studios have no deadline pressure to release a TV series. So what does that mean for the WGA?”
“In a future imagined by the studios, one writer can take time to write an eight-episode season. The studio will assess all the scripts before greenlighting production. As the studios see it, there is no more need for a writers room. A streaming series is just an eight-hour movie. Studios want an industry that supported ten writing jobs PER show to be reduced to one job. This isn’t hyperbole. It’s math. What do we lose? So much. The TV that we all love was created in the creative ferment of a writers room. TV brings diverse voices to life. If streamers reduce TV to one or two writers, it will homogenize the voices and characters we experience. This strike is about protecting TV writing as a cherished American art form that has existed separately from the movie business.”
LIT
Salman Rushdie Speaks
Salman Rushdie delivered a video message to the British Book Awards, reports AP, where he was awarded the Freedom to Publish award nine months after the seventy-five-year-old writer was attacked onstage, “warning that freedom of expression in the West is under its most severe threat in his lifetime.” Rushdie said, “Now I am sitting here in the U.S., I have to look at the extraordinary attack on libraries, and books for children in schools. The attack on the idea of libraries themselves. It is quite remarkably alarming, and we need to be very aware of it, and to fight against it very hard.”
Springfield Public Library Director Fired
“Lincoln Library director Summer Beck-Griffith was fired Monday, after serving a little less than a year as director,” reports the Springfield State Journal-Register. “She replaced Rochelle Hartman as acting director then director after Hartman was fired by Mayor Jim Langfelder in January 2022… While she was unanimously confirmed by the city council on July 5, there were some members who brought up the fact that she did not have a library science degree.”
MEDIA
Studs Terkel At 111: Here’s Thousands Of His Interviews
“Studs Terkel was born 111 years ago,” posts WFMT. “You can listen to thousands of his conversations conducted over forty-five years as a broadcaster on our website for free. Here are just a few of those fascinating conversations: A two-part conversation with Harry Belafonte about music, recorded in 1955 (Part one; part two); a two-part conversation with critic Pauline Kael from 1966 (Part one; part two); and one of the few great interviews with Buster Keaton (1960).”
Wall Street Journal Drops Courtesy Titles
The Wall Street Journal is eliminating the routine use of honorifics, or courtesy titles, in its news pages, writes Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker in the paper. “The Journal has been one of the few news organizations to continue to use the titles, under our long-held belief that Mr., Ms. and so forth help us to maintain a polite tone. However, the trend among almost all news organizations and magazines has been to go without, as editors have concluded that the titles in news articles are becoming a vestige of a more-formal past, and that the flood of Mr., Ms., Mx. or Mrs. in sentences can slow down readers’ enjoyment of our writing… We decided that dropping those titles is more in line with the way people communicate. It puts everyone on a more-equal footing and will help make our writing livelier and more approachable.”
LoganSquarist Moves To Shut Down
There are a few neighborhood news sources staying online, but LoganSquarist is going to close. “More than a decade ago, LoganSquarist launched as a Twitter account to fill a need for local news and bring neighbors together [and] evolved into a vibrant, volunteer-run news website with an active events program… LoganSquarist leadership has thus made the difficult decision to bring the organization to a close. We did not feel that continuing as a much-diminished version of its former self would do justice to LoganSquarist’s legacy or, more importantly, the incredible work you all put in… By the end of 2023, LoganSquarist will end as an active organization.”
MUSIC
Lyric And Chicago Federation Of Musicians Reach Five-Year Labor Agreement
Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local #10-208 have reached a five-year contractual labor agreement, the groups announce. This is prior to the June 30 expiration of the current agreement. The Lyric continues conversations with its IATSE groups that represent Theatrical Stage Employees and artists along with the American Guild of Musical Artists.
Fall Tour Of Romeo Santos, “The King of Bachata,” Comes To Rosemont
Romeo Santos, known as “The King of Bachata,” announced additional Fall tour dates to his “Formula Vol. 3” Tour in North America, including Allstate Arena in Rosemont on October 24. Santos kicked off his tour, “Formula Vol. 3 – The Tour” in Europe and South America. He broke record sales in Lima, Peru with four sold out stadium dates for 80,000 people. In Chile, Romeo Santos sold out nine stadium dates in Arena de Santiago for a total of 120,000 fans. More here.
STAGE
Annoyance Theatre Opens Hitchcock Hotel
The Annoyance Theatre is turning into the Hitchcock Hotel for two nights as an immersive pop-up that will highlight the late filmmaker’s movies. The pop-up will feature craft cocktails, movie rooms, and a meet-and-greet with iconic movie characters. Hotel visitors will also have access to “Hitch*Cocktails,” a fully improvised ninety-minute comedic thriller in Alfred Hitchcock’s style. The pop-up observes ten years of Hitch*Cocktails, an improvisational show made more challenging by the real cocktails that, in true 1950s fashion, actors are required to drink in every scene. The pop-up is part of a weekend takeover including additional Hitch*Cocktails performances and improv workshops. Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20. Details and tickets here.
ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.
Remote Work “Morally Wrong,” Says Billionaire Musk; JP Morgan Worker Surveillance Revealed
“The laptop class is living in La-La Land,” federally subsidized Tesla and SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk has said in an odd CNBC interview. “Look at the cars. Are people working from home here? Of course not. The people [that are] building the cars, servicing the cars, building houses, fixing houses, or making the food, making all the things that people consume—it’s messed up to assume that they have to go to work but you don’t. [Why] is that? It’s not just a productivity thing. I think it’s morally wrong.”
Meanwhile, reports Insider, employees at America’s largest bank by assets fear of constant monitoring “have stoked rumors and suspicion within the firm… From the moment they log into JPMorgan Chase’s workplace portal on their computers each day, a powerful system begins pulling in data points about what hundreds of thousands of the bank’s employees are doing—from how long they spend on Zoom calls to writing emails to talking on the phone… The data filters into a proprietary system called the ‘Workforce Activity Data Utility,’ or WADU for short.”
Lake Geneva Estate Of Former Chairman Of Illinois Republican Party On Market For $35 Million
“A majestic Lake Geneva estate, built twelve decades ago by one of the original owners and namesakes of the Drake Hotel and extensively updated and expanded by owners of the past twenty-five years, is coming on the market at $35 million—just under the record sale for the area,” peeps Crain’s. The parcel is “a twelve-acre south shore estate dubbed Aloha Lodge by the Drakes, in part to honor their friend, the deposed Hawaiian Queen Lili’uokalani.” The sale is by the estate of Harold Byron Smith, who died in October. “Smith was a member of the Chicago family that founded both Northern Trust bank and the Illinois Tool Works conglomerate. He was a former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.”
Send culture news and tips to [email protected]
Source: newcity.com
