The Week in Review: August 19
ART & THE MIND
A Canadian study released this week demonstrated that artists are better protected against Dementia. Coming out of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, the report’s findings have far reaching implications for preventing cognitive decline and are a strong endorsement for the importance of arts education.
ART IN THE PARK
Vancouver’s beloved Stanley Park turns 125 years old this year and the city is throwing a massive celebration of art, history, and music to mark the occasion. Taking place Saturday and Sunday at various sites throughout the park, the largely free event includes an enormously diverse array of artists, including Boca del Lupo, You Say Party, Bobs & Lolo, and City Opera Vancouver.
The Vancouver Aquarium opted to join in on the fun by preparing a very special cake for one of its residents…
LEONARD GOES TO HIS BIG SLEEP
Crime fiction lost one of its truly great authors this week, with the passing of Elmore Leonard. The prolific author penned 45 novels, including Get Shorty, Freaky Deaky, and Glitz, which were renowned for their off-beat characters, dead pan humour, and well-crafted writing.
SHAKESPEARE SHAKE-UPS
A pair of milestone firsts pertaining to the Bard were announced this week. The first came from the Stratford Festival who revealed there would be not one, but two productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in their 2013/14 season. One of the productions will be an innovative, four-person chamber adaptation under the direction of legendary theatre artist Peter Sellars.
South of the border, it was announced that luminary actor Kenneth Branagh would make his long anticipated New York stage debut in a production of Macbeth. The staging had its world premiere at the Manchester Festival this past July, where it was performed in and around a deconsecrated church.
BEN AFFLECK NEXT TO DON BATMAN’S COWL
Variety broke the news that Ben Affleck would play Batman in Zack Snyder’s upcoming, untitled Superman-Batman film. A sequel to this summer’s Man of Steel, the film represents a step toward a DC Comics film canon, culminating in a Justice League movie, similar to what Marvel Comics have created with their Avengers franchise.
Online backlash was immediate, ranging in tone from confusion to mockery to genuine upset.
Categories: MPMG