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Love Classical Music? Anthony Tommasini Recommends Modern Composers

Gilbert asks: I have to say when I hear you describe these performances I miss the size of a concert hall as much as I miss the size of a movie screen. Part of experiencing art outside of my home is the potential to be overwhelmed, and as many speakers I have or as big as my TV, it obviously doesn’t feel that way. I’ve only really started watching live classical music in the last three or four years. You have been doing this for much longer and I have to imagine that the longing is deeper.

You recently wrote a wonderful piece, Notes Toward Reinventing the American Orchestra, which is full of clever suggestions on how classical music organizations could change after the pandemic. What don’t you want to change

Tony replies: Ah, what I don’t want to change about classical music, which in my opinion will never change, is the pure sensual pleasure, even ecstasy, in the sound of a large orchestra, a fine string quartet, a radiant soprano. And to experience that you have to experience this art form live.

As a child I got to know countless pieces through recordings. And during the pandemic, it often feels like we just have recordings. When I was growing up, I was enthusiastic about the pianist Rudolf Serkin and the New York Philharmonic under Bernstein in the Carnegie Hall in Beethoven’s mighty “Emperor” concert. and as a young teenager having a standing ticket to hear the famous soprano Renata Tebaldi in her voluptuous voice as Desdemona in Verdi’s “Otello” at the Metropolitan Opera; or a little later, when I hear Leontyne Price’s soft, sustained high notes rise up in “Aida” and surround me on a balcony seat in the Met. I only vaguely knew what these operas were about. I didn’t care.

And what I say also applies to more intimate music. Only when you hear a great string quartet performing works by Haydn, Shostakovich or Bartok in a hall with only a few hundred seats do you really understand what makes “chamber music” so overwhelming. But hearing a symphony by Mozart or Messiaen in a lively, inviting concert hall makes a big difference.

Gilbert asks: You’ve proven this to me several times over the past three years – I think about the time it took you to listen to “The Rite of Spring” at Carnegie Hall and I walked out amazed. (I know, such a newbie.) Or when my eyes flashed at the end of Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville Summer 1915” at David Geffen Hall. I just don’t think I would have had the same feelings if I’d heard these pieces at home.

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The Golden Globes’ Greatest Winner Could Be the Group That Fingers Them Out

Die Hollywood Foreign Press Association wurde allgemein als farbenfroh, im Allgemeinen harmlos, vielleicht venal und nicht unbedingt journalistisch produktiv angesehen. Aber weil die Gruppe die Golden Globes anlegt, ist die Werbung für die Gunst ihrer Mitglieder – es gibt nur 87 – zu einer ritualisierten Verfolgung in Tinseltown geworden.

Prominente schicken ihnen handgeschriebene Weihnachtskarten. Die Studios haben sie in Fünf-Sterne-Hotels untergebracht. Champagner, teurer Wein, signierte Kunst, Kaschmirdecken, Hausschuhe, Plattenspieler, Kuchen, Kopfhörer und Lautsprecher gehören zu den Geschenken, die vor der Haustür angekommen sind, sagen die Empfänger.

Die Bewerber – Studios, Produktionsfirmen, Strategen und Publizisten – verfolgen alle dasselbe: die Stimmen der Mitglieder. Jeder zählt. Eine Golden Globe-Nominierung und sicherlich ein Gewinn ist ein Werbegag, der Karrieren ankurbeln, die Einnahmen an den Abendkassen steigern und einen Oscar vorwegnehmen kann.

Die Globes sind die dritthäufigste Preisverleihung nach den Grammys und den viel ruhigeren Oscar-Verleihungen. Die Show nimmt einen merkwürdigen Platz in der Unterhaltungsindustrie ein. Das Verspotten der Globen und ihre gelegentlichen Nominierungen und Auswahlmöglichkeiten, die irrelevant sind, sind in der Hollywood-Presse zu einem jährlichen Blutsport geworden, der sie sowieso abdeckt, und die Mitglieder des Verbandes, von denen viele für obskure Outlets arbeiten, werden regelmäßig gemalt als zwielichtig, berührungslos und leicht korrupt.

“Die Golden Globes sind für die Oscars das, was Kim Kardashian für Kate Middleton ist”, sagte Ricky Gervais, der sie mehrfach gehostet hat, bei der Zeremonie im Jahr 2012. “Etwas lauter. Etwas trashiger. Etwas betrunkener. Und angeblich leichter zu kaufen. Nichts wurde bewiesen. “

Aber am Vorabend der Show am 28. Februar bieten eine kürzlich durchgeführte Klage und eine Reihe von Interviews und Finanzberichten einen schonungsloseren Blick auf die Gruppe, die ihre Liste nicht öffentlich auflistet, nur sehr wenige Bewerber zulässt und obwohl sie eine ist Medienverband, hat einige Mitglieder, die sagen, sie haben Angst, mit der Presse zu sprechen. Die Gruppe wird auch von Nachrichtenorganisationen, darunter der Los Angeles Times, die sich kürzlich mit ihren Finanzen befasst haben, eingehender untersucht. Eine seiner Erkenntnisse, dass die Gruppe keine schwarzen Mitglieder hat, machte Schlagzeilen.

Die letzte Überprüfung begann letztes Jahr, als Kjersti Flaa, eine norwegische Reporterin, der dreimal die Aufnahme in die Gruppe verweigert wurde und deren romantischer Partner Mitglied ist, die Organisation verklagte und erklärte, dass sie als Monopol fungiere und wertvolle Interviews verhöhne relativ wenige seiner Mitglieder arbeiteten aktiv als Journalisten. Die Studios gingen mit, um sich selbst einzuschmeicheln, sagte sie, wegen des Wertes der Stimmen der Mitglieder.

“Es ist sehr offensichtlich, wer für die Studios wichtig ist und wer nicht”, sagte Flaa in einem Interview. „Und die Sache ist, niemand hat zuvor etwas darüber gesagt. Es wurde einfach akzeptiert. “

Die Mitglieder seien territorial und nicht bereit, Wettbewerber willkommen zu heißen, behauptete sie und forderten sich gegenseitig auf, neue Bewerber zu akzeptieren oder zu verweigern, ohne dabei journalistische Verdienste zu berücksichtigen. Flaa wies auf einen Streit mit einem russischen Mitglied hin, dem 2015 vorgeworfen wurde, von einem ukrainischen Antragsteller verlangt zu haben, dass er nicht für russische Verkaufsstellen schreibt und ihre zusätzlichen Golden Globes-Tickets übergibt – und ihr Versprechen in einem notariell beglaubigten Brief garantiert -, um dafür in Betracht gezogen zu werden Eintritt.

Flaa sagte, Außenstehende hätten einen Spitznamen für den Verein: “Das Kartell”.

Der Verband wollte sich nicht speziell zu dem Vorfall von 2015 äußern, aber Gregory Goeckner, Chief Operating Officer und General Counsel der Organisation, sagte, dass solche Handlungen verboten seien und dass sein Vorstand 2018 eine Richtlinie genehmigte, in der solche Briefe als „nichtig und nicht durchsetzbar“ bestätigt würden. ” Goeckner beschrieb Flaas Anschuldigungen auch als “gewalttätig” und sagte, es seien die Studios, nicht der Verein, die Entscheidungen über den Zugang zur Presse getroffen hätten.

Ein Richter warf den größten Teil von Flaas Klage zurück, aber sie hat sie kürzlich geändert, und eine andere Journalistin, der ebenfalls die Einreise in den Verein verweigert wurde, hat sich ihrer Beschwerde angeschlossen.

Mehrere aktuelle und ehemalige Verbandsmitglieder sagten, Flaas Berichte über die inneren Machenschaften seien korrekt, baten jedoch um Anonymität, weil sie Vergeltungsmaßnahmen der Gruppe befürchteten.

Die Hollywood Foreign Press Association wurde in den 40er Jahren geboren, als sich ausländische Korrespondenten über Hollywood zusammenschlossen, um Zugang zu Filmstars zu erhalten. The Globes erkennen Filme und Fernsehen und sind voller Stars, mit keiner Snoozy-Kategorie – hier gibt es keinen Preis für Tonbearbeitung. Als der Branchenkomplex für Auszeichnungen in die Höhe schoss – es ist jetzt ein fast ganzjähriges Unternehmen, das von Strategen geprägt und von Reportern genau verfolgt wird -, wuchs auch die relative Macht der Mitglieder.

Nachdem die Show vom Fernsehen aufgenommen wurde, wurde sie zu einer goldenen Gans. Im Jahr 2018 erklärte sich NBC bereit, 60 Millionen US-Dollar pro Jahr für Übertragungsrechte zu zahlen, was etwa dem Dreifachen der vorherigen Lizenzgebühr entspricht. Während die Oscar-Verleihung und die Emmys in den letzten Jahren Millionen von Zuschauern verloren haben, hat sich das Publikum der Golden Globes konstant auf 18 bis 20 Millionen gehalten, weshalb NBC bereit war, sich zu verbessern.

“Es ist eine Fernsehshow eines großen Zeltnetzwerks und als solche von unschätzbarem Wert für Filmkampagnen, die darauf hoffen, um Oscar-Nominierungen und Siege zu kämpfen”, sagte Tony Angellotti, ein Publizist, der Preiskampagnen durchführt, in einer E-Mail. „Und die HFPA-Erfolgsbilanz bei der Identifizierung würdiger Filme ist unbestritten. Das ist nicht nichts. “

Um für einen Globus stimmen zu können, müssen Mitglieder mindestens sechsmal im Jahr veröffentlichen und an 25 Pressekonferenzen des Verbandes teilnehmen, zu denen Prominente und Nachrichtenmacher eingeladen sind, bestätigten mehrere Mitglieder. Wenn Mitglieder zum Zeitpunkt des Vereins zu Filmfestivals reisen möchten, müssen sie laut einer Kopie der von der New York Times überprüften Reiserichtlinien an noch mehr Pressekonferenzen teilnehmen. Die Regeln besagen, dass sie keine Presseausschnitte im Zusammenhang mit ihren Reisen erstellen müssen, wenn sie fünf oder weniger Reisen unternehmen.

Da die Organisation gemeinnützig ist, ist auch die Hollywood Foreign Press Association steuerfrei. Die Einreichung des im Juni 2019 endenden Steuerjahres ergab, dass die Gruppe auf rund 55 Millionen US-Dollar in bar saß. Es spendete etwa 5 Millionen US-Dollar für verschiedene Zwecke, darunter 500.000 US-Dollar für das Reporter-Komitee für Pressefreiheit und 500.000 US-Dollar für die Umwelt-Website Inside Climate News.

“Die Finanzierung war enorm wichtig”, sagte David Sassoon, der Gründer und Herausgeber von Inside Climate News, in einer E-Mail. “Es hat unsere Finanzen gefestigt und uns geholfen, die Albträume von 2020 zu überstehen.”

Den Steuererklärungen zufolge zahlte die steuerbefreite gemeinnützige Organisation mehr als 3 Millionen US-Dollar an Gehältern und anderen Entschädigungen an Mitglieder und Mitarbeiter. Die Steuererklärung ergab auch Reisekosten in Höhe von 1,3 Mio. USD für dieses Jahr. Der Verein hat angegeben, dass er in der Regel die Kosten für Mitglieder übernimmt, die zu Filmfestivals und dergleichen reisen möchten.

Es gibt auch eine Entschädigung für die Erfüllung von Aufgaben, von denen mehrere Mitglieder sagen, dass sie früher kostenlos erledigt wurden. Laut dem Bericht des Schatzmeisters von der Januar-Generalversammlung des Verbandes zahlt die Mitgliedschaft im TV Viewing Committee des Vereins monatlich 1.000 US-Dollar. Mitglieder des Foreign Film Watching Committee stecken pro Stück 3.465 US-Dollar ein. Laut Protokoll sitzen zwei Dutzend Personen in diesem Ausschuss, was bedeutete, dass die Anforderungen an das Ansehen internationaler Filme den Verband in einem Monat 83.160 USD kosteten.

Der Verein hat auch einen beratenden Ausschuss, einen Geschichtsausschuss, einen Wohlfahrtsausschuss, einen Reiseausschuss, einen Filmfestivalausschuss, einen Finanzausschuss und einen Veranstaltungsausschuss, die laut Bericht des Schatzmeisters alle mit Stipendien ausgestattet sind.

Einige Mitglieder gaben an, dass die Zahl der zahlenden Ausschüsse in den letzten Jahren explodiert ist. Die Mitglieder kämpfen um mehrere Positionen und die Loyalität wird durch die Ernennung von Ausschüssen belohnt. Dies hat einige beunruhigt, die wollen, dass der Verein in der Stadt weniger zur Pointe wird. Ein Mitglied befürchtete, dass die Gruppe von Mitgliedern überrannt wird, die den größten Teil ihres Einkommens aus der Organisation und nicht aus dem Journalismus beziehen.

Goeckner sagte, der Verein entschädige die Mitglieder nur, wenn sie zusätzliche Arbeit verrichten und im Grunde genommen als Angestellte fungieren, um Aufgaben zu erledigen, die eine bezahlte Arbeit der Mitarbeiter an anderer Stelle darstellen würden. Die Entschädigung sei “um Größenordnungen geringer” als die, die ähnliche Organisationen zahlen. Und er bemerkte, dass die Gruppe „keine Wohltätigkeitsorganisation“ sei und dass das angesammelte Kapital für eine geplante Modernisierung des Hauptsitzes in West Hollywood vorgesehen sei.

Dennoch gibt es Debatten darüber, wie viel von seinen Einnahmen der Verein für sich behalten sollte.

Der Anwalt von Flaa, David Quinto, sagte, dass der Verband aufgrund seines Steuerbefreiungsstatus ausländischen Kunstjournalisten im weiteren Sinne zugute kommen sollte, nicht nur denjenigen in der Gruppe. Er sagte, der Verband “glaubt, dass er über dem Gesetz steht” und nannte sein Verhalten “offensichtlich unangemessen”.

Ofer Lion, ein Anwalt in Los Angeles mit Fachkenntnissen in steuerbefreiten Organisationen, sagte jedoch, dass Unternehmen mit gegenseitigem Nutzen wie der Verband nur einem gemeinsamen Zweck ihrer Mitglieder zugute kommen müssen und dies als steuerbefreite Organisation nach 501 (c) (6) tun müssen Stellen Sie nur sicher, dass sie in irgendeiner Weise ihrer Branche insgesamt zugute kommen. Zahlungen an Mitglieder für ihre Arbeit für die Organisation seien legal, solange sie als angemessen angesehen würden.

“Dort gibt es einige gesunde Zahlen”, sagte Lion, nachdem er die Steuererklärung der Organisation überprüft hatte, “aber nicht wirklich blass.”

Die erklärte Mission der Gruppe besteht im Wesentlichen darin, die Beziehungen zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und dem Ausland zu stärken, indem sie ihre Kultur- und Unterhaltungsindustrie abdeckt. Aber es wurde immer wieder unter die Lupe genommen, als rätselhafte Preisentscheidungen getroffen wurden, am bekanntesten 1982, als Pia Zadora über Kathleen Turner und Elizabeth McGovern zum besten neuen Star gekürt wurde. Später wurde bekannt, dass Zadoras Produzent, der zufällig auch ihr Ehemann war, die Gruppe vor der Abstimmung nach Las Vegas geflogen hatte. CBS, die die Sendung ausgestrahlt hatte, stellte ihre Sendung ein, und es würde Jahre dauern, bis sie zum Netzwerkfernsehen zurückkehrte.

Im Jahr 2014 veröffentlichte ein ehemaliger Verbandspräsident eine Abhandlung, in der er vorschlug, dass seine Kollegen durch den Bevorzugungshandel beeinflusst werden könnten.

Der Verein hat in den letzten Jahren versucht, sein Image zu verbessern. 1999 schickte sie 400 US-Dollar Coach-Uhren zurück, die von einer Filmfirma an Mitglieder ausgegeben wurden, und forderte die Mitglieder 2016 auf, einen Teil des Duftgeschenks der Marke Tom Ford zurückzugeben, das jeder von ihnen von den Herstellern von „Nocturnal Animals“ erhalten hatte.

Heutzutage dürfen Mitglieder keine Geschenke über 125 USD annehmen. (Die Gruppe sagt, sie habe eine „robustere“ Geschenkpolitik eingeführt.) Dennoch können sie umworben werden. Für einige war es keine Überraschung, als die schaumige Serie „Emily in Paris“, die von Kritikern ausgesprochen gemischte Kritiken erhielt, dieses Jahr zwei Golden Globe-Nominierungen erhielt. Im September 2019 flogen Dutzende von Verbandsmitgliedern nach Paris, um das „Emily“ -Set zu besuchen, und wurden vom Paramount Network im Fünf-Sterne-Hotel Peninsula eingerichtet.

Und obwohl es angeblich eine Welle von Reformen gegeben hat, ist die eklektische Mitgliederliste der Gruppe seit Jahren weitgehend gleich geblieben.

Eine Überprüfung eines Dienstplans für 2020 zeigt, dass zu seinen Mitgliedern Yola Czaderska-Hayek gehört, eine Frau, die als „polnische First Lady von Hollywood“ bekannt ist; Alexander Newski, ein ehemaliger Mr. Universe und Bodybuilder, der in Filmen wie „Moscow Heat“ mitgespielt hat; und Judy Solomon, eine Veteranin der Organisation von mehr als 60 Jahren, die auf ihre Rolle als “The Golden Beast” aufmerksam gemacht hat, eine Aufgabe von nicht geringer Bedeutung, wenn es darum geht, Prominente bei der Zeremonie ohne Rüschen zu setzen Gefieder.

In Erklärungen gegenüber der New York Times zeigten sich zwei langjährige Mitglieder der Organisation stolz auf die Hollywood Foreign Press Association und ihre Arbeit. Eines der Mitglieder, Meher Tatna, der derzeitige Vorstandsvorsitzende, wies auf die philanthropischen Initiativen der Gruppe hin und sagte, sie habe das ganze Jahr über Dankesbriefe erhalten.

Czaderska-Hayek wiederholte diesen Stolz in einem Video, das die polnische Regierung 2010 auf YouTube gepostet hatte, stellte jedoch auch fest, dass die Forderung nach einer Mitgliedschaft eine Belastung darstellen könnte.

“Es ist unglaublich harte Arbeit”, sagte Czaderska-Hayek laut den englischen Untertiteln des Videos. “Wir müssen jedes Jahr mindestens 300 US-Filme sehen.”

Alain Delaquérière und Kitty Bennett haben Forschung betrieben.

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Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling Anticipating First Youngster

Ellie Goulding and husband Caspar Jopling will be parents! After a charming weekend wedding in summer 2019, the singer announced her pregnancy in an exclusive interview on February 23 Fashion.

Ellie admitted Fashion that she was actually pregnant during her live streaming performance at the V&A Museum in August 2020, but even she was unaware at the time. “We did the one show. I was pregnant and I had no idea,” said Ellie. “That was [around] The time when Caspar and I went away for a moment, when we were allowed to celebrate our one-year anniversary, and that was basically when we found out. It was crazy because it was our one year anniversary. That wasn’t the plan. The thought of getting pregnant didn’t seem to be a reality. When I got pregnant I felt human. I want a better word than female [but] – I have curves that I’ve never had. I enjoy it. My husband enjoys it. “

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Jay-Z Sells Half of Ace of Spades Champagne Model to LVMH

When Jay-Z got on a video call last week with Philippe Schaus, the executive director of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s beverage business, the Zoom backgrounds told the story.

Jay-Z spoke of a partially covered patio of his Los Angeles home wearing a casual sweater that was outfitted by the outdoor living room and the greenery around him. Mr Schaus was in his office in Paris, wearing a suit with shelves of ornate beverage bottles behind it.

The subject: the news that LVMH would take over half of Armand de Brignac, Jay-Z’s bubbly brand. (Most people call it the ace of spades, after the bottle is branded.)

The deal gives Jay-Z the organizational support and sales force of what Mr Schaus put on a global beverage machine, while LVMH gains the cool clout and lifestyle marketing expertise of a black culture pacemaker at a time when the racism of the The luxury sector is particularly closely examined.

Neither side would disclose the financial terms of the transaction. But if Jay-Z’s writing can be viewed as adequate journalistic sourcing (it’s very likely it shouldn’t), Armand de Brignac valued half of it at $ 250 million in 2018. “I’m 50 percent from D’Ussé and it’s debt free, 100 percent from the ace of spades, worth half a B,” knocked Jay-Z on What’s Free, the Meek Mill route. (D’Ussé is the brand of cognac that Jay-Z owns with Bacardi.)

However, they were more than happy to talk about their new relationship.

“We’ve always tried to grow this brand,” said Jay-Z, “and it came naturally.”

Mr Schaus, who manages a champagne portfolio for Moët Hennessy, which includes Dom Pérignon and Krug, raved right back. “From your understanding of tomorrow’s world, you believe you have created a new champagne consumer,” he said, beaming at Jay-Z over the computer.

It’s not the most obvious time to invest in champagne amid a health pandemic that has kept bottle-service dance club partying to a minimum in a world with little to party. But then LVMH doesn’t just buy a new beverage brand: it buys cultural know-how and enters markets traditionally not served by some of its brands.

“We have to catch up somehow,” said Mr Schaus when he called Zoom. “This relationship will give us a better understanding of tomorrow’s market.”

LVMH first attempted access to “Tomorrow’s Market” in 2019 when it teamed up with Rihanna to create the high fashion line Fenty – and that happened also when it first met Jay-Z. (Rihanna is represented by the management of Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment and sports company.) Though the Rihanna line ceased operations less than two weeks ago, the champagne partnership signals a strengthening of larger ties with the larger Jay-Z -Universe.

The ace of spades deal was originally discussed in the summer of 2019 when Jay-Z hosted lunch at his home for Bernard Arnault, founder and chairman of LVMH, and Alexandre Arnault.

The younger Mr. Arnault is the third of five children of Bernard Arnault. At 28 he is an increasingly visible force at LVMH. In 2017, when he was only 24 years old, he became managing director of Rimowa, LVMH’s German luggage brand. was the family member who accompanied his father when President Trump severed the ribbon on a new Louis Vuitton factory in Texas; and was recently named executive vice president of product and communications for Tiffany, which LVMH acquired in a $ 15.8 billion deal last year.

He and Jay-Z are good friends who talk on the phone once a month or more. “I’ll send him a photo of something that’s wrong with me or he’ll send me a photo,” Jay-Z said. “It’s super natural, super chill. I consider him a person of great integrity. Always keeps his word, very punctual. These are some of the qualities that I myself have. “

LVMH’s investment, which has an all-white executive team, gives Jay-Z a heightened presence in an old European elite industry.

“The very idea of ​​this partnership is a signal for a more diverse perspective,” Jay-Z said of LVMH.

“We still have a long way to go,” said Mr Schaus.

Jay-Z’s cultural and business association with Champagne has been around for a long time. He had been a fan of Cristal and had helped make it an emerging brand among hip hop fans. But then, in 2006, an executive at Cristal’s parent company told The Economist about patronizing the rap world: “We can’t stop people from buying them. I’m sure Dom Pérignon or Krug would be happy with their deal, ”he said.

Jay-Z called for a boycott of Cristal and that same year bought Armand de Brignac with a partner. He renamed the Ace of Spades product, redesigned the bottles, and marketed it as a key element of the Jay-Z lifestyle with a reveal in the video “Show Me What You Got”. He kept the brand names alive in “We Made It Freestyle” from 2014, the year he bought the rest of the line.

Although Champagne as a company suffered during the pandemic, Jay-Z said the market has recovered from its initial sharp drop in revenue and shipments in 2020 and settled for a 20 percent deficit.

Both businessmen hope that the “super luxury” sector will be the first to recover, said Schaus. A bottle of Ace of Spades can save you anywhere from $ 300 to $ 64,999 on a 30-liter Midas bottle.

Wealthy people are least affected in the current climate, said Schaus, and “will enjoy their pride again and show what they are and what they have achieved.”

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Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Quickly-Yi Previn, Dylan Farrow: A Timeline

For years, the account given by Woody Allen’s then-7-year-old adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in the days following Aug. 4, 1992, when she says he sexually assaulted her, has been central to her case against him.

The specialists who heard the child’s account then and in later years have been divided on whether it was credible or whether it was coerced by her adoptive mother, Mia Farrow. But the public has only heard Dylan, as an adult, recount what she told her mother nearly 30 years ago.

Now Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick’s four-part documentary, “Allen v. Farrow,” which premieres on HBO on Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern (and streams on HBO Max), will for the first time include video footage of Dylan, recorded by her mother, describing what happened to her just days after she said Mr. Allen molested her.

The film is the latest development in a case that has been debated for nearly 30 years. It made headlines again in 2014 when Mr. Allen received a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes — and Dylan Farrow wrote an open letter, posted by the New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, recounting her story in detail in response.

Then, in September 2018, New York magazine published a lengthy interview with Soon-Yi Previn, her first extended remarks on her relationship with Mr. Allen, who began to date her mother, Mia, when Ms. Previn was a young girl. Mr. Allen and Ms. Previn began a romantic relationship in 1991, when Ms. Previn was 21.

Mr. Allen has long denied assaulting his daughter and argued that Mia Farrow coached Dylan to say she had been assaulted after discovering that Ms. Previn and Mr. Allen were having an affair.

This timeline highlights important dates and developments in the narrative that has its roots in the 1970s. Based on New York Times articles and other news reports, it is a guide, not a comprehensive accounting, and will be updated periodically.

Mia Farrow and her husband, André Previn, adopt Soon-Yi Previn, from Korea; she is believed to be about 7 years old.

Woody Allen and Ms. Farrow are introduced at Elaine’s, the Manhattan restaurant, and later begin a relationship.

The couple’s first movie together, “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy,” is released. They would collaborate on 12 more films, including “The Purple Rose of Cairo” and “Hannah and Her Sisters.”

Ms. Farrow adopts a baby girl, Dylan, who was born in Texas.

Ms. Farrow and Mr. Allen have a son, Ronan. Ms. Farrow would later suggest in a 2013 Vanity Fair interview that Frank Sinatra may have been his father.

Mr. Allen adopts Dylan and Moses Farrow, one of Ms. Farrow’s sons, whom she adopted in 1980. Mr. Allen, who is 56, begins an affair with Ms. Farrow’s 21-year-old daughter, Ms. Previn, around this time.

Ms. Farrow discovers nude photographs of Ms. Previn in Mr. Allen’s apartment. He later testifies in court that he thought the affair would remain secret.

With the affair between Mr. Allen and Ms. Previn continuing, Ms. Farrow calls Susan Coates, a psychologist who had been helping the family, and describes Mr. Allen as “satanic and evil” and begs her to “find a way to stop him.”

According to Dylan Farrow, Mr. Allen abused her that day, touching her genitalia. She was 7 at the time. She detailed her accusation in January 2018 on “CBS This Morning”:

DYLAN FARROW: I was taken to a small attic crawl space in my mother’s country house in Connecticut by my father. He instructed me to lay down on my stomach and play with my brother’s toy train that was set up. And he sat behind me in the doorway, and as I played with the toy train, I was sexually assaulted … As a 7-year-old I would say, I would have said he touched my private parts.

GAYLE KING: Mmhmm. OK.

FARROW: Which I did say.

KING: All right. All right.

FARROW: As a 32-year-old, he touched my labia and my vulva with his finger.

Casey Pascal, a friend of Ms. Farrow’s, tells her that Dylan’s babysitter described observing Mr. Allen in a position with Dylan that seemed inappropriate. According to Vanity Fair, Ms. Farrow immediately asked Dylan about it, and she gave her account to her mother.

Ms. Farrow calls Dr. Coates, the psychologist, and says Dylan has complained that Mr. Allen has abused her. A major question later considered in court was whether Ms. Farrow had coached her daughter during this period. According to later court testimony by Dr. Coates, she is struck by Ms. Farrow’s calm during the call, as opposed to her agitated state in the Aug. 1 call.

Mr. Allen sues Ms. Farrow in New York State Court for custody of Ronan, Dylan and Moses Farrow.

Mr. Allen releases a statement confirming his relationship with Ms. Previn, saying it is “real and happily all true.” The same day, the Connecticut State Police announce they are investigating Mr. Allen. The focus: the allegations that he molested Dylan.

Mr. Allen makes a public appearance to say he is “saddened” by the child abuse allegations and calls them “false” and “outrageous.”

Vanity Fair publishes “Mia’s Story,” a lengthy reported piece about Ms. Farrow, her family, the abuse allegations and her history with Mr. Allen.

Mr. Allen speaks on “60 Minutes” and defends himself against the molestation allegations.

After a seven-month inquiry by a team of child-abuse investigators at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Mr. Allen’s lawyers say he has been cleared of molesting Dylan Farrow. Ms. Farrow’s legal team calls the confidential report “incomplete and inaccurate.” The report, which was commissioned by Connecticut law enforcement, was never officially released, but media outlets reported some of its contents.

The custody trial begins. Mr. Allen takes the stand and describes the disintegration of his relationship with Ms. Farrow. He testifies that Ms. Farrow threatened him in phone calls and flew into rages in front of the children after the two started falling out.

Ms. Farrow takes the stand. She goes into detail about what Dylan told her the previous summer. She says she worried that Mr. Allen had a sexual attraction to Dylan from when she was 2 years old.

Dr. Coates testifies that she told Mr. Allen she feared for his safety because of threats made by Ms. Farrow. She says that she considered Mr. Allen’s relationship with Dylan to be “inappropriately intense,” but not sexual. The next day, Ms. Farrow’s lawyer portrayed Dr. Coates as “mesmerized” by Mr. Allen.

A child psychiatrist testifies that the report from Yale-New Haven Hospital is “seriously flawed.”

A sworn statement from John M. Leventhal, the doctor who led the Yale-New Haven team, is released to the public. It theorizes that Dylan was emotionally unstable and coached by Ms. Farrow to accuse Mr. Allen. The Yale-New Haven team interviewed Dylan nine times and said she changed details throughout the interviews; Dr. Leventhal said in his statement that he had interviewed her, but Vanity Fair reported years later that he had not.

Mr. Allen loses the custody battle. Acting Justice Elliott Wilk of the State Supreme Court said Mr. Allen is “self-absorbed, untrustworthy and insensitive.” He denies Mr. Allen visitation rights with Dylan.

Frank Maco, a state’s attorney in Connecticut, announces that while he has “probable cause” to prosecute Mr. Allen, he would decline to press charges to spare Dylan the trauma of a trial. Mr. Maco says he believed that Dylan had been molested.

Mr. Allen marries Ms. Previn.

Mr. Allen gives a long interview to Time magazine’s Walter Isaacson recounting his relationship with Soon-Yi — “The heart wants what it wants,” he says — and again denies the allegations by Dylan and Mia Farrow.

After years of relatively little news coverage of Mr. Allen and Mia and Dylan Farrow, Ronan Farrow posts on Twitter: “Happy father’s day — or as they call it in my family, happy brother-in-law’s day.”

Dylan Farrow goes on the record for the first time in an interview with Vanity Fair. She is 28 now and describes receiving entreaties from Mr. Allen from when she was 18. She says of the alleged abuse by Mr. Allen: “There’s a lot I don’t remember, but what happened in the attic I remember. I remember what I was wearing and what I wasn’t wearing.”

In response to Mr. Allen receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes, which Diane Keaton accepted on his behalf, Ronan Farrow posts on Twitter: “Missed the Woody Allen tribute — did they put the part where a woman publicly confirmed he molested her at age 7 before or after Annie Hall?”

Dylan Farrow writes an open letter recounting her story in detail, posted by the Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.

After the letter, Mia Farrow posts on Twitter: “I love my daughter. I will always protect her. A lot of ugliness is going to be aimed at me. But this is not about me, it’s about her truth.”

In response to Dylan’s open letter, Moses Farrow defends Mr. Allen in an interview with People Magazine, saying Mia Farrow coached the children to hate Mr. Allen. He says that Dylan was never molested and that Ms. Farrow was a bully.

Mr. Allen, writing in the Opinion section of The Times, denies the allegations again.

Ms. Keaton and Alec Baldwin, two friends and stars in Allen films, defend him in the face of Dylan Farrow’s accusations. Cate Blanchett, the star of Mr. Allen’s “Blue Jasmine,” is more circumspect, saying she hopes Mr. Allen and the family “find some sort of resolution and peace.” Lena Dunham calls Dylan “courageous” and urges people to read her open letter.

In a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, Ronan Farrow writes about the struggles that Dylan faced in getting her story out and says he believes Dylan’s account.

The New York Times, and then Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker, publish articles about sexual harassment, abuse and rape allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

Mr. Allen says he feels “sad for Harvey” and warns against “a witch hunt atmosphere.” He later calls Mr. Weinstein “a sad, sick man.”

Kate Winslet, the star of Mr. Allen’s film “Wonder Wheel,” demurs when asked about the accusations against Mr. Allen: “It’s just a difficult discussion. I’d rather respectfully not enter it today.” Griffin Newman, an actor in Mr. Allen’s next film, “A Rainy Day in New York,” expresses regret for working with him and pledges to donate his salary to an organization that fights sexual violence.

The actor Elliot Page says that working with Mr. Allen on the film “To Rome With Love” was “the biggest regret of my career” and expresses sympathy for women and minors who have suffered sexual abuse.

Dylan Farrow writes an op-ed for The Los Angeles Times: “Why has the #MeToo revolution spared Woody Allen?”

Colin Firth and Greta Gerwig say they would not work with Mr. Allen again. Mira Sorvino, who won an Oscar for Mr. Allen’s “Mighty Aphrodite,” rebukes him and expresses support for Dylan. Rebecca Hall and Timothée Chalamet, two stars of “A Rainy Day in New York,” also criticize him and donate their salaries from the film to charity. Ms. Winslet, alluding to Mr. Allen, expresses “bitter regrets that I have about poor decisions to work with individuals with whom I wish I had not.”

“CBS This Morning” airs the first television interview with Dylan Farrow, where she recounts the allegations. Mr. Allen again denies them.

The actor Peter Sarsgaard, in an interview with Chuck Todd on “MTP Daily,” says he would not do another Allen movie. As for Jeff Daniels, who was also asked in the interview whether he would work with Mr. Allen again, he says, “He will always be a great American filmmaker and I got to work with him at the age of 30 and it changed my life.” Mr. Daniels adds: “I believe Dylan Farrow. So now, would I do another one with Woody? The difficult decision would be to — turn him down. Because of ‘Purple Rose.’”

New York magazine publishes a long interview with Ms. Previn in which she accuses Ms. Farrow of harsh parenting and defends Mr. Allen, who sits in on parts of the conversation.

The Times publishes an interview with the actor Jude Law, who worked with Mr. Allen on “A Rainy Day in New York,” in which he says the shelving of the film by the distributor, Amazon Studios, was a “terrible shame.”

When asked about the accusations against Mr. Allen, Mr. Law said he did not want to get involved in the conversation: “I just don’t feel like it was my place to comment, and it’s too delicate a situation. I feel like enough has been said about it. It’s a private affair.”

Mr. Allen sues Amazon for canceling a $68 million movie deal. (Amazon had backed out amid renewed focus on Dylan’s allegations.) Weeks later, The Times reports that Mr. Allen is shooting a new movie in Spain, backed by the Barcelona-based conglomerate Mediapro.

When asked why it was working with Mr. Allen after Amazon had stopped doing so, Mediapro said in a statement, “We have a 10-year relationship with Mr. Allen and, like all projects we produce, we judge the creator by its work.”

Mr. Allen and Amazon settle; terms are not disclosed.

Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, announces that it will publish Mr. Allen’s memoir, “Apropos of Nothing,” on April 7. The book is described as a comprehensive account of his life, “both personal and professional,” including details about his relationships with “family, friends and the loves of his life.”

In a statement on Twitter, Dylan Farrow harshly criticizes Hachette, which had previously published Ronan Farrow’s book “Catch and Kill,” which recounts how he reported sexual assault allegations against the producer Harvey Weinstein. She calls the decision to publish Mr. Allen’s memoir “an utter betrayal.”

Dozens of Hachette employees stage a walkout in protest. The next day, Hachette announces it will no longer publish “Apropos of Nothing.”

Mr. Allen’s book is published by Arcade Publishing. In the book, he again denies that he sexually abused Dylan and calls the allegations “a total fabrication from start to finish.”

The HBO documentary “Allen v. Farrow” makes public for the first time the video footage from 1992 when Mia Farrow recorded Dylan, at age 7, reporting that Mr. Allen had sexually assaulted her. Mr. Allen and Soon-Yi Previn release a statement shortly after the episode airs, which denies the allegations and calls the series a “shoddy hit piece.”

The publisher of Mr. Allen’s memoir says the filmmakers used snippets from the audiobook without his permission. The filmmakers say they used “legally limited audio excerpts” under the Fair Use doctrine, which has been invoked to allow artists and journalists — including documentary filmmakers — to use limited amounts of copyrighted works in certain circumstances.

Sara Aridi contributed reporting.

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Meghan and Harry Help Girls’s Shelter Broken Texas Storm

It was announced just last week that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are officially stepping down from their royal duties for good, but that doesn’t mean they are stepping back from the causes that mean most to them. On February 21, Harry and Meghan surprised Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support in Dallas, TX, assisting them with repairs caused by the winter storm that devastated the state.

“Today news of our damage reached Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex!” Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support – an organization dedicated to providing protection, safety, and advice to women and children who have experienced domestic violence – wrote on their Twitter page. “Through your non-profit organization [Archewell Foundation]They support us by replacing the roof of our temporary shelter and helping us meet our immediate needs. ”

Although Meghan and Harry are forced to give up various royal patrons and honorary appointments by stepping down as high-ranking working members of the royal family, they can retain their private patronages, including charities and projects like Smart Works, Mayhew, The Invictus Games, and of course their Archewell Foundation . This under-the-radar couple’s recent help shows that the Duke and Duchess will always be people of action, regardless of royal patronage.

Genesis has set up an Amazon wish list to help with donations.

Today the news of our damage reached Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex! Through their non-profit organization, they support us by replacing the roof of our transitional shelter and helping us meet our immediate needs. THANK YOU, ARCHEWELL FOUNDATION! pic.twitter.com/rFtxzvtFRo

– Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support (@GenesisShelter) February 22, 2021

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New York’s Pop-Up Live shows Kick Off With Jazz at a Vaccination Web site

At first it seemed like a small, no-frills concert in a carefully controlled environment: Jazz musician Jon Batiste sat at a piano in an auditorium in the Javits Center on Manhattan’s West Side, performing in front of about 50 seated health care workers in evenly spaced rows – some wear scrubs, other army clothes.

The dancer Ayodele Casel began to knock, with no musical accompaniment other than a recording of her own voice, and her increased convulsive roles filled the room. And the opera singer Anthony Roth Costanzo played “Ave Maria” in the angelic tones of a countertenor.

But about half an hour later, the performers stepped off the stage and left the room. What began as a formal concert turned into a boisterous procession of music and dance that ran through the sterile building – the convention center was turned into a field hospital early in the pandemic and is now a mass vaccination site – where hundreds of hopeful people are had come on Saturday afternoon to get their shots.

Batiste switched to the melodica, a stylish, hand-held reed instrument with keyboard, and the band of musicians, which had been expanded to include a horn section and drummer, marched up the escalator and through the convention center, finally reaching a climax. Ceiling room where dozens of people quietly waited 15 minutes after the vaccination for the required waiting times.

This concert roaming party was the first in a series of “pop-up” shows in New York designed to give the arts a jolt by giving artists paid work and audiences the chance to perform live after nearly a year see darkened theaters and concert halls. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo last month announced plans for the “NY PopsUp” series in which he stated “we need to bring art and culture back to life,” adding that their revitalization is essential for the economic revitalization of New York the city is of decisive importance. The shows begin as he comes under fire for the government’s handling of Covid-19 deaths of nursing home residents.

Since the program doesn’t attract crowds, most of the performances will be unannounced and suddenly pop up in parks, museums, parking lots and street corners. The idea is to bring a dose of inspiration into the lives of New Yorkers – a moment when they can disrupt their planned lives and experience art during a pandemic year when human contact is limited and people’s activities are severely restricted.

“We need more spontaneity; That’s the beauty of it, ”said Batiste in an interview. “You don’t know what’s around the corner.”

As the band of musicians roamed the Javits Center, the audience of healthcare workers followed them, clapping to the beat, and recording the spectacle on their cell phones. Batiste, the bandleader on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” drove his musicians around the room (most of whom played with the show’s house band, including Endea Owens on bass, Tivon Pennicott on saxophone, and Joe Saylor and Nêgah Santos on drums).

Bre Williams, a 35-year-old blue scrub nurse who had come from Savannah, Georgia to help out in New York, watched wide-eyed.

“You guys do all that stuff up here?” she said with a laugh.

Just before the music ended, some of the health workers rushed off to continue their work day (this concert, after all, took place during their breaks).

The series is being created by a public-private partnership led by producers Scott Rudin and Jane Rosenthal along with the New York State Council for Art and Empire State Development. Zack Winokur, the director and interdisciplinary artist in charge of the program, said the group intends to have more than 300 pop-up performances in all counties and across the state by Labor Day. The performers are selected by an artists’ council – including Batiste, Casel and Costanzo – who are each asked to use their own networks to find participants.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a live performance,” said Winokur in an interview. “It’s a much needed experience right now.”

After performing at the Javits Center for the first time, the musicians made their way to Brooklyn, where they began another flash mob style street jam that started from Cadman Plaza Park and snaked through Dumbo to land at a skate park where teenagers stared at them curiously before hopping back on their skateboards. The free, mobile concerts are described by Batiste, who previously planned them on social media, as “love riots”. This drove over sidewalks and slushy snow and sometimes slowed down traffic.

Casel was prevented from tap dancing in the street and beat out rhythms by clapping her hands on the metal plates of her tap shoes. Costanzo danced with the band and at one point grabbed the megaphone to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.

While the music was meant to offer passers-by a spontaneous display, the march itself was as strictly regulated as any event from the time of the pandemic. Security guards guided members of the musical entourage through rough terrain and dog litter. Another employee asked viewers to spread out when they started violating social distancing guidelines.

Despite the logistics, the plan managed to arouse a spontaneous curiosity for dozens of people who unexpectedly came across the music. The band moved through narrow streets and shopping streets, making people stop, stare and sometimes groove a bit. Children peered through windows along Washington Street; A doorman shot out of an apartment building to see what all the noise was about. Pharmacy workers leaned out the door to film the procession on the sidewalk.

However, not everyone seemed to appreciate the music. At one point, someone in a residential building threw objects from several floors at the protesters (one of the security officers said he saw an orange juice container and a trophy in the snow).

The band, used to improvising, simply avoided the flying objects and marched a little faster, the music never stopped.

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Zendaya on ‘Malcolm & Marie’ and That Poisonous Relationship

When Zendaya began producing Malcolm & Marie, the Netflix drama she starred in with John David Washington, she never thought it would generate both strong criticism and enthusiasm for the awards season.

The widespread interest shouldn’t come as a surprise: last year, the 24-year-old became the youngest ever winner of an Emmy for Best Actress for her gripping performance as Rue, a struggling teen addict on HBO’s drama series Euphoria. She is now ready for a Critics Choice Award for Malcolm & Marie.

After production of the second season of “Euphoria” was suspended because of the pandemic, Zendaya and the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, wanted to see if they could make a film while the quarantine was in last year. The result was “Malcolm & Marie,” which was filmed in just two weeks by a 22-strong cast and crew (most of whom were working on “Euphoria”) in a house in Northern California that was doubled for Malibu.

“You know, it’s funny if you told us there was going to be a conversation, you know, awards or whatever, that’s crazy! We only found out together, “said Zendaya.

In the film, written and directed by Levinson, a filmmaker named Malcolm (Washington) and his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya) get into a nightly argument after its premiere. Her sometimes abusive, monologue-heavy back and forth includes, among other things, that he forgets to thank her for her contributions to his project, which is about a recovering addict like Marie.

The film’s script was largely postponed, sparking multiple discussions on social media about the age gap between the stars (Washington is 36), a black character story written by a white filmmaker, and the characters’ toxic romance .

“None of us who made the film think they’re in a healthy relationship, you know what I mean?” Zendaya said. “I think it was to explore these insecurities and these dark things about ourselves that I think relationships can get out of us at times.”

The actress, who also produced the film, spoke via video from Atlanta, where she is filming the next “Spider-Man,” about reactions to the film and her hopes of becoming a filmmaker who creates more roles for black women. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

What was the driving force that ultimately motivated you to produce and star in a film during the pandemic?

I think it’s often forgotten because we obviously got to sell it to Netflix, but it really started out as this very, very little thing that we did.

And it was my first time not really having my 9 through 5 [consistent schedule]I’ve had since I was 13 years old. The last project I technically did before “Euphoria” was “KC Undercover”. [that Disney Channel series ended a few months before the HBO show was given the green light]. It was my first time without being – because I never had to know who I am without my job.

I would talk to Sam a lot, and I itched to be creative in any way and get my purpose back. And I thought: what if we just shoot something, you, me and Marcell? [Rév, the cinematographer who worked on the movie and also on “Euphoria”]? And if there was a world where we could do something that we were proud of and that we could sell and hopefully all pay and in that way take care of our crew, that would be the ultimate success goal for all of us.

The film has been criticized for depicting toxic relationships and Sam Levinson writes about a black couple as white men. Was there room for you and John David Washington to work together and make contributions on various aspects of the Black experience?

Yes of course. What is interesting is that I think our agency has been removed a bit. As if this were just some kind of Sam spitting things through us without realizing that we’re not just actors, we’re PGA-marked co-funders and producers. You can only get these if you actually do the job.

I think it also mirrors a bit of Marie’s plight strangely enough, doesn’t it? It’s like Marie saying the whole movie [Malcolm’s film] is mine too. But in real life we ​​have the credit, that’s ours, and John David, me and Sam all own this movie. It’s not like it belongs to anyone else and I was just poured into it. He wrote it for us too, and I think if you want to write something you have to have the experience of [Black] Character you write. I thought a lot of conversations with Sam came through.

There has also been a lot of debate about the age difference. But it feels like the difference fits the context of the film. How do you deal with certain expectations that are placed on you as a former child actor?

It’s interesting that something like this happened because my parents are about 13 years apart. But I also try to look at myself from the outside and I realize that I’ve been playing a teenager since I was a teenager. I still play a 17 year old on TV and in movies. I’m grateful my black isn’t cracking so I can keep doing this.

Some people grew up with me, they see me on Disney Channel, I’m like their little sister or their best friend. And I’m grateful for that. I’m Marie’s age and I think the dynamic, her age difference, is part of her story: she met him when she was in recovery [at] 20 years old. She never really loved anyone or thought someone loved her the way he did. And that plays into their frustrations [about] She’s not getting the approval she deserves, and she may unwrap something [about] She is young and vulnerable. From the outside I totally understood because I play teenagers, but I’m an adult.

Is there something that you hope people referring to parts of the movie will take away?

There is no specific message. It’s more of a piece to open a dialogue. You are the fly on the wall. You observe the code dependency, narcissism, the ups and downs of something that has a lot of toxicity in it. It triggers in different ways for different people because they are connected to different parts of the characters. If there is anything to be changed, it is this idea of ​​gratitude [for] People in our lives who make it possible to do what we do. For any young person who has any kind of relationship and something like toxicity or whatever may be the case, I think understanding your worth is a big deal.

Whose idea was it to pick wrapped macaroni and cheese as a nighttime snack that Marie cooks when they get home?

She has an immense amount of control and a need for control. And I think she knows that she’ll just stall. I will make [him] some mild mac and cheese. And I’m not doing it because I love him. I do it because I’m upset and waiting for him to ask me why. Mac and cheese were just the classic thing that is in every pantry. So yeah, Sam wrote that in there.

I noticed on your social networks that you are posting some photos that you have taken. Are you professionally interested in photography or cinematography?

Very. I would like to be able to become a filmmaker. I don’t know when that will happen. Sam always says I’ll give you a year until you stage something, and I mean, all right, that means you have a year to teach me. So I don’t know what that looks like personally, but I really enjoyed being a producer. And I enjoy the idea of ​​hopefully one day being able to do the things that I want to see, the roles that I want to see for black women. That would be exciting and one of my goals.

Do you have interesting habits or new activities that you developed or started during the pandemic?

I got a piano so I could teach myself. Sometimes I still sit down, not home right now, but I’ll try to look up the YouTube video of a song I like and see if I can learn. Hunter [Schafer, her “Euphoria” castmate]who is closest to me is an amazing artist. Before I went to Atlanta, she bought me a sketchbook and a watercolor paint. I’ll feel if it’s not like the Mona Lisa I’m going down on myself. So the whole thing with this slash sketchbook is doing something. Don’t try to control it.

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Watch Regé-Jean Web page’s “Drivers License” Skit on SNL

This is all of us when the driver’s license appears on pic.twitter.com/kwFzd6Vgsp

– Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) February 21, 2021

It was only a matter of time before Saturday night live parodied Olivia Rodrigo’s hit “Drivers License” and we’re so glad they chose it when Regé-Jean Page made his hosting debut on February 20th. Not only did the Duke of Hastings bless us by breaking into songs (TBH, we could listen to him sing forever) but the best part of it could have been when he and that SNL The cast took turns analyzing the lyrics. In fact, the sketch was so good that Rodrigo himself couldn’t help but tweet: “DRIVERS LICENSE SNL SKETCH IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY THAT IS SHAKING EVERY TIME.” Rodrigo celebrated her 18th birthday on Saturday. What could be nicer than singing Page with the title “Drivers License”?

DRIVERS LICENSE SNL SKETCH IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY I ALWAYS SHAKE

– Olivia Rodrigo (@Olivia_Rodrigo) February 21, 2021

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Peter G. Davis, Music Critic of Vast Data and Wit, Dies at 84

Peter G. Davis, who was considered one of the leading critics of American classical music for over 30 years with crisp, witty prose and an encyclopedic memory of countless performances and performers, died on February 13th. He was 84 years old.

His death was confirmed by his husband, Scott Parris.

First as a critic for the New York Times and later for New York Magazine, Mr. Davis wrote precise, astute reviews of all forms of classical music, though his great love was opera and the voice, a bond he developed in his early teenage years .

He presided over the field during New York’s blessing years of the 1960s and 1970s, when gigs were plentiful, tickets were relatively cheap, and when the ups and downs of a performer’s career were the fodder for cocktail parties and post-concert dinners to mention the notebooks of writers like Mr. Davis, which often got five or more reviews a week.

He wrote these reviews with a knowing, dead, sometimes world-weary tone. During a concert by Russian violinist Vladimir Spivakov in 1976, an activist protesting the treatment of Jews in the Soviet Union threw a paint bomb on the stage and splashed Mr. Spivakov and his companion. Mr Davis wrote, “Terrorists need to be extremely insensitive to music because throwing color to a violinist playing Bach’s ‘Chaconne’ is simply bad timing.”

He held onto the traditions of classical music not to keep the past alive but to keep its inner strength, and looked askance at those who tried to update it just to be trendy.

In a nineteenth-century review by French composer Daniel Francois Auber of the Bronx Opera’s 1977 production of Fra Diavolo, he condemned what he saw as “a refusal to believe in the piece by doing it treated as an embarrassment, a work that needs a maximum of directing gimmicks if the audience is to stay interested. “

He might equally disapprove of new music and composers whom he thought were overly hyped. Minimalist composers Philip Glass and Beverly Sills (early “a reliable, hardworking, but not particularly notable soprano” who only became a star after her talents peaked) were regular targets.

Looking back at a performance of Mr. Glass’s work at Carnegie Hall in 2002, he wrote, “It was pretty much the same as usual: the same silly syncopation and jigging ostinatas, the same crazy little tunes on their way to nowhere. the same awkward orchestral climaxes. “

That’s not to say that Mr. Davis was a reactionary – he advocated for young composers and emerging regional opera companies. His great strength as a critic was his pragmatism, his commitment to assessing the performance before him on his own terms and at the same time keeping a skeptical eye on gimmicks.

“He was a vocalist with unquestionable authority,” said Justin Davidson, a former Newsday classical music critic who now writes on classical music and architecture for New York magazine. “He felt that the things that were important to him were important, that they weren’t a niche, not just entertainment, but that they were at the heart of American culture.”

Peter Graffam Davis was born on May 3, 1936 in Concord, Massachusetts, outside of Boston, and grew up in nearby Lincoln. His father, E. Russell Davis, was a vice president at the Bank of Boston. His mother Susan (Graffam) Davis was a housewife.

Mr. Parris, whom he married in 2009, is his only immediate survivor.

Mr. Davis fell in love with the opera as a teenager, built a record collection at home, and attended performances in Boston. In the months leading up to his junior year at Harvard, he toured European summer music festivals – Strauss in Munich, Mozart in Salzburg, Wagner in Bayreuth.

He encountered European opera at a hinge point. It was still shaped by longstanding traditions and had yet to emerge fully from the destruction of World War II, but a new generation of performers emerged from the rubble: the French soprano Régine Crespin, the Austrian soprano Leonie Rysanek, the Italian tenor Franco Corelli and Giuseppe di Stefano. Mr. Davis needed to see her up close.

He graduated from Harvard in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in music. After spending a year at a Stuttgart Conservatory, he moved to New York to do a Masters in Composition from Columbia University.

Mr. Davis wrote a number of his own musical works in the early 1960s, including the opera “Zoe” and two operettas in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan. But he decided that his future was not to write music, but to write about it. He has become a classical music editor for both High Fidelity and Musical America magazines and a New York music correspondent for The Times of London.

He began writing freelance articles for the New York Times in 1967 and was hired as Sunday’s music editor in 1974, a job that enabled him to add articles to his almost daily edition of reviews – whether it be recordings, concerts, or countless debut evenings which he commissioned from other authors. “He had a great memory,” said Alex Ross, the classical music critic for The New Yorker. “Everything you threw at him he could discuss precisely and intelligently.”

Mr. Davis moved to New York Magazine in 1981. There he could select his reviews and occasionally step back to survey the classical music landscape.

Increasingly, he didn’t like what he saw.

As early as 1980, Mr. Davis lamented the future of opera singing, blaming talent and hard work as well as a star system that pushed promising but immature singers to their physical limits for “good looks and easy adaptability.”

The diminished position of classical music in American culture he documented spared no critics, and in 2007 New York magazine let him go. He returned to freelance work for The Times, writing regularly for Opera News and Musical America.

Despite all of his thousands of reviews, Mr. Davis seemed most proud of his 1997 book, The American Opera Singer, an exhaustive, exciting, and often withered story in which he praised the versatility of contemporary American artists while recording many of them Task of being superficial workhorses.

“I can’t think of a music critic who cares more about the state of opera in America,” wrote critic Terry Teachout in his review of the book for The Times. “If you want to know what’s wrong with American singing, you’ll find the answers here.”