Tag Archives: arts

Legendary playwright, poet and actor William Shakespeare is believed to have been born on this day in history, April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare’s exact date of birth was not recorded, says the website for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust — but his baptism at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon was documented as taking place on April 26, 1564. “No …

Asmik Grigorian laughs when she recalls that she had been singing professionally for more than a decade when the International Opera Awards proclaimed her the “best young female singer” of 2016. “So for 12 years I was nothing, and then I immediately became the best!” the Lithuanian soprano joked in an interview. Now at the peak of her career and …

One of the country’s leading artist residency programs, MacDowell, has awarded a lifetime achievement prize to Yoko Ono. The groundbreaking artist, filmmaker and musician is this year’s recipient of the Edward MacDowell Medal, an honor previously given to Stephen Sondheim and Toni Morrison among others. “There has never been anyone like her; there has never been work like hers,” MacDowell …

Why do we say “elephant in the room”? Why do we say “dog and pony show”? And why do we say “sly as a fox”? These and many other popular expressions are part of everyday life in the English language — yet most of us don’t really know their interesting origin stories. WHY DO WE SAY ‘BREAK A LEG’ AND …

Jeffrey Gibson’s takeover of the U.S. pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale contemporary art show is a celebration of color, pattern and craft, which is immediately evident on approaching the bright red facade decorated by a colorful clash of geometry and a foreground dominated by a riot of gigantic red podiums. Gibson, a Mississippi Choctaw with Cherokee descent, is the …

Popular sayings in the English language often have multiple meanings —such as “a heart of gold” and “time is money.” Some expressions are also clever metaphors for deeper meanings. But where did they come from? Who started saying these popular phrases — and why are they so familiar today? WHY DO WE SAY ‘BREAK A LEG’ AND OTHER POPULAR EXPRESSIONS? …

LONDON (AP) — A portrait of Winston Churchill by an artist whose work the British leader loathed went on display Tuesday at Churchill’s birthplace ahead of an auction in June. The painting by modernist artist Graham Sutherland was made in preparation for a larger portrait that Churchill hated and which was later destroyed — an episode recounted in the TV …

The circus is full of compelling acts, dangerous stunts and entertaining performers. One performer who is part of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is Skyler Miser, who stars as the Ringling Rocket. During the show, in some cases three times a day, Miser acts as a human cannonball — she’s blasted through the air out of a rocket. Even …

The giant stuffed bear, its face a twisted smile, lumbers across the screen. Menacing music swells. Shadows mask unknown threats. Christopher Robin begs for his life. And is that a sledgehammer about to pulverize a minor character’s head? Thus unfolds the trailer for the 2023 movie “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,” a slasher-film riff on A.A. Milne’s beloved characters, …

On this day in history, April 16, 1889, future Hollywood legend Charlie Chaplin — full name Charles Spencer Chaplin — is born in London, England. Chaplin would go on to become one of the most financially successful stars of early Hollywood, according to History.com. At the tender age of five, he was introduced to the stage as the son of …