#Illinois Shakespeare Festival

[kathylbrownwrites]

The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson: A Theater Review

New theater review at The Storytelling Blog. The Book of Will. Shakespeare's friends' battle to publish his collected plays and capture the words as he penned them.

The Book of Will. A play by Lauren Gunderson. Image courtesy Library of Congress. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.11290 I recently (July 29, 2023) attended a performance of The Book of Will at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Here are a few thoughts on this wonderful play. If your local theater company produces it, don’t miss it! The Book of Will That Almost Wasn’t Three years after William…

[anthonyjamessirk]

Some renderings for an upcoming show.

[lboogie1906]

Frankie Russel Faison (born June 10, 1949), often credited as Frankie R. Faison, is an actor known for his role as Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell in the series The Wire, as Barney Matthews in the Hannibal Lecter franchise, and as Sugar Bates in the Cinemax series Banshee.

He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University. He attended NYU’s Graduate Acting Program.

He started his acting career in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of King Lear. He would appear in the Broadway premiere of Fences, for which he received a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. His next role came on TV, in the short-lived series Hot Hero Sandwich. He did not make it to the big screen until he appeared in Permanent Vacation as “Man in Lobby”. A string of small roles followed when he played the part of Lt. Fisk in Manhunter. He appeared in the comedy The Money Pit, as an unruly construction worker, and in Maximum Overdrive. He appeared in Coming to America and won a minor role in the film Do the Right Thing. He appeared in The Rich Man’s Wife. He appeared in the remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”. He is notable for being the most frequent actor to appear in adaptations of Hannibal’s books: along with Manhunter, he appeared in The Silence of the Lambs, the sequel Hannibal, and the prequel Red Dragon. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[brookston]

Holidays 12.3

Holidays

Advocate's Day (India)

Alka Seltzer Day

Be a Blessing Day

Cedar Tree Day (French Republic)

Day of the Secretary (Chile)

Doctor’s Day (Cuba)

E-Discovery Day

Family & Consumer Sciences Day

Flag Day (Saba)

Flamenco Guitar Day

Heart Transplant Day

Inflatable Pig Day

International Baboon Day

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (UN)

International Day of the Basque Language

Jazz Day

King Tupou I Day (Tonga)

Let's Hug Day

Make a Gift Day

National Dorothy Day

National Harley Day

National Heather Day

National Isaac Day

National Lisa Day

National Phenylketonuria (PKU) Awareness Day

National Pig Tail Day

National Ronald Day

National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day

Reinvigorate Your Brain by Reading Something Day

Saba Day (Saba)

San Francisco Javier (Navarra, Spain)

Takata no Inoko (Peace & Good Harvest Festival; Japan)

Telescope Day

3D Printing Day

Tinsel Day

Tree Dressing Day (UK)

Walt Disney World Day

World No Pesticide Use Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Holiday Ale Festival begins (Portland, Oregon) [Begins in late Nov/early Dec] (Postponed for 2023)

International Trappist Beer Day

National Apple Pie Day [also 5.13]

National Green Bean Casserole Day

National Ice Cream Box Day

National Peppermint Latte Day

Roquefort Day

1st Sunday in December

1st Sunday in Advent [4th Sunday before Xmas] (a.k.a. ... 

Adventssonntag (Germany)

Advent Sunday

Hope Sunday

Midwinter Horn Blowing (Netherlands)

Good Neighborliness Day [1st Sunday]

World AIDS Sunday [1st Sunday]

World Ice Skating Day [1st Sunday]

Independence Days

Edenia (a.k.a. Imperial Union of Edenia; Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Illinois Statehood Day (#21; 1818)

Feast Days

Abbo of Auxerre (Christian; Saint)

Abraham of Alexandria, Pope (Coptic)

Adrian (a.k.a. Ethernan; Christian; Saint)

Birinus (Christian; Saint)

Bogatir Svatogor Day (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)

Bona Dea Festival (Roman Goddess of Good)

Cassian of Tangier (Christian; Saint)

Copernicus (Positivist; Saint)

Emma (of Lesum or of Bremen; Christian; Saint)

Festival for Serket/Selket (Scorpion Goddess; Ancient Egypt)

Francis Xavier (Christian; Saint)

Gilbert Stuart (Artology)

Godzilla Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

International Say No to Selfies Day (Pastafarian)

Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim (Christian; Blessed)

Lucius (Christian; Saint)

Max Meldrum (Artology)

Mengloth’s Day (Pagan)

Motorettes (Muppetism)

Pompaia (Procession to Zeus; Ancient Greece)

Sola (Christian; Saint)

Vibrator Day (Pastafarian)

Zephaniah (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Prime Number Day: 337 [68 of 72]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

The BBC Television Shakespeare (UK TV Series; 1978)

Black Swan (Film; 2010)

Brown Sugar, recorded by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1969)

Bullwinkle Cleans Up or The Desperate Showers (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 236; 1963)

Camelot (Broadway Musical; 1960)

The Chanukah Song, by Adam Sandler (Song; 1994)

Concerto in F, by George Gershwin (Piano Concerto; 1925)

Confess, by Patti Page (Song; 1947) [1st Recording with Overdubbed Vocals]

Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground, recorded by Blind Willie Johnson (Song; 1927)

Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Charity Song; 1984)

Elvis (Comeback TV Special; 1968)

High Note (WB LT Cartoon; 1960)

House of Flying Daggers (Film; 2004)

A Leak in the Lake or The Drain Maker (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 235; 1963)

I Love You Phillip Morris (Film; 2010)

Justify My Love, by Madonna (Music Video; 1990)

Machine Head, recorded by Deep Purple (Album; 1971)

My Generation, by The Who (Album; 1965)

The Oregon Trail (Video Game; 1971)

The Power of the Dog, by Thomas Savage (Novel; 1967)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Christmas TV Special; 1964)

Rubber Soul, by The Beatles (Album; 1965)

Spud (Film; 2010)

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams (Play; 1947)

Symphony #1 in A, by Edward Elgar (Symphony; 1908)

A Taste of Catnip (WB MM Cartoon; 1966)

Thanks to the Saint, by Leslie Charteris (Short Stories 1957) [Saint #33]

Unknown Soldiers, by Väinö Linna (Novel; 1954)

The Weapon Shops of Isher, by A.E. van Vogt (Novel; 1951)

Wild (Film; 2014)

You’re Sixteen, by Ringo Starr (Song; 1973)

Today’s Name Days

Emma, Franz Xaver, Jason (Austria)

Franjo, Lucije, Sofonija (Croatia)

Svatoslav (Czech Republic)

Svend (Denmark)

Leiger, Leino (Estonia)

Meri, Vellamo (Finland)

François-Xavier, Xavier (France)

Franz Xaver, Jason (Germany)

Glykerios (Greece)

Ferenc, Olívia (Hungary)

Francesco, Saverio (Italy)

Daile, Evija, Jogita, Raita (Latvia)

Atalija, Audinga, Gailintas, Ksaveras (Lithuania)

Svein, Sveinung (Norway)

Franciszek, Kasjan, Ksawery, Lucjusz, Unimir (Poland)

Gheorghe (România)

Oldrich (Slovakia)

Francisco, Javier (Spain)

Lydia (Sweden)

Javier, Malcolm, Malcom, Malik, Xavier, Xaviera (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 337 of 2024; 28 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 48 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 6 of 28]

Chinese: Month 10 (Gui-Hai), Day 21 (Yi-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 20 Kislev 5784

Islamic: 20 Jumada I 1445

J Cal: 7 Zima; Sevenday [7 of 30]

Julian: 20 November 2023

Moon: 65%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 1 Bichat (13th Month) [Copernicus]

Runic Half Month: Is (Stasis) [Day 8 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 71 of 89)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 12 of 30)

Calendar Changes

Bichat (Modern Science) [Month 13 of 13; Positivist]

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.3

Holidays

Advocate's Day (India)

Alka Seltzer Day

Be a Blessing Day

Cedar Tree Day (French Republic)

Day of the Secretary (Chile)

Doctor’s Day (Cuba)

E-Discovery Day

Family & Consumer Sciences Day

Flag Day (Saba)

Flamenco Guitar Day

Heart Transplant Day

Inflatable Pig Day

International Baboon Day

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (UN)

International Day of the Basque Language

Jazz Day

King Tupou I Day (Tonga)

Let's Hug Day

Make a Gift Day

National Dorothy Day

National Harley Day

National Heather Day

National Isaac Day

National Lisa Day

National Phenylketonuria (PKU) Awareness Day

National Pig Tail Day

National Ronald Day

National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day

Reinvigorate Your Brain by Reading Something Day

Saba Day (Saba)

San Francisco Javier (Navarra, Spain)

Takata no Inoko (Peace & Good Harvest Festival; Japan)

Telescope Day

3D Printing Day

Tinsel Day

Tree Dressing Day (UK)

Walt Disney World Day

World No Pesticide Use Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Holiday Ale Festival begins (Portland, Oregon) [Begins in late Nov/early Dec] (Postponed for 2023)

International Trappist Beer Day

National Apple Pie Day [also 5.13]

National Green Bean Casserole Day

National Ice Cream Box Day

National Peppermint Latte Day

Roquefort Day

1st Sunday in December

1st Sunday in Advent [4th Sunday before Xmas] (a.k.a. ... 

Adventssonntag (Germany)

Advent Sunday

Hope Sunday

Midwinter Horn Blowing (Netherlands)

Good Neighborliness Day [1st Sunday]

World AIDS Sunday [1st Sunday]

World Ice Skating Day [1st Sunday]

Independence Days

Edenia (a.k.a. Imperial Union of Edenia; Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Illinois Statehood Day (#21; 1818)

Feast Days

Abbo of Auxerre (Christian; Saint)

Abraham of Alexandria, Pope (Coptic)

Adrian (a.k.a. Ethernan; Christian; Saint)

Birinus (Christian; Saint)

Bogatir Svatogor Day (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)

Bona Dea Festival (Roman Goddess of Good)

Cassian of Tangier (Christian; Saint)

Copernicus (Positivist; Saint)

Emma (of Lesum or of Bremen; Christian; Saint)

Festival for Serket/Selket (Scorpion Goddess; Ancient Egypt)

Francis Xavier (Christian; Saint)

Gilbert Stuart (Artology)

Godzilla Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

International Say No to Selfies Day (Pastafarian)

Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim (Christian; Blessed)

Lucius (Christian; Saint)

Max Meldrum (Artology)

Mengloth’s Day (Pagan)

Motorettes (Muppetism)

Pompaia (Procession to Zeus; Ancient Greece)

Sola (Christian; Saint)

Vibrator Day (Pastafarian)

Zephaniah (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Prime Number Day: 337 [68 of 72]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

The BBC Television Shakespeare (UK TV Series; 1978)

Black Swan (Film; 2010)

Brown Sugar, recorded by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1969)

Bullwinkle Cleans Up or The Desperate Showers (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 236; 1963)

Camelot (Broadway Musical; 1960)

The Chanukah Song, by Adam Sandler (Song; 1994)

Concerto in F, by George Gershwin (Piano Concerto; 1925)

Confess, by Patti Page (Song; 1947) [1st Recording with Overdubbed Vocals]

Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground, recorded by Blind Willie Johnson (Song; 1927)

Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Charity Song; 1984)

Elvis (Comeback TV Special; 1968)

High Note (WB LT Cartoon; 1960)

House of Flying Daggers (Film; 2004)

A Leak in the Lake or The Drain Maker (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 235; 1963)

I Love You Phillip Morris (Film; 2010)

Justify My Love, by Madonna (Music Video; 1990)

Machine Head, recorded by Deep Purple (Album; 1971)

My Generation, by The Who (Album; 1965)

The Oregon Trail (Video Game; 1971)

The Power of the Dog, by Thomas Savage (Novel; 1967)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Christmas TV Special; 1964)

Rubber Soul, by The Beatles (Album; 1965)

Spud (Film; 2010)

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams (Play; 1947)

Symphony #1 in A, by Edward Elgar (Symphony; 1908)

A Taste of Catnip (WB MM Cartoon; 1966)

Thanks to the Saint, by Leslie Charteris (Short Stories 1957) [Saint #33]

Unknown Soldiers, by Väinö Linna (Novel; 1954)

The Weapon Shops of Isher, by A.E. van Vogt (Novel; 1951)

Wild (Film; 2014)

You’re Sixteen, by Ringo Starr (Song; 1973)

Today’s Name Days

Emma, Franz Xaver, Jason (Austria)

Franjo, Lucije, Sofonija (Croatia)

Svatoslav (Czech Republic)

Svend (Denmark)

Leiger, Leino (Estonia)

Meri, Vellamo (Finland)

François-Xavier, Xavier (France)

Franz Xaver, Jason (Germany)

Glykerios (Greece)

Ferenc, Olívia (Hungary)

Francesco, Saverio (Italy)

Daile, Evija, Jogita, Raita (Latvia)

Atalija, Audinga, Gailintas, Ksaveras (Lithuania)

Svein, Sveinung (Norway)

Franciszek, Kasjan, Ksawery, Lucjusz, Unimir (Poland)

Gheorghe (România)

Oldrich (Slovakia)

Francisco, Javier (Spain)

Lydia (Sweden)

Javier, Malcolm, Malcom, Malik, Xavier, Xaviera (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 337 of 2024; 28 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 48 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 6 of 28]

Chinese: Month 10 (Gui-Hai), Day 21 (Yi-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 20 Kislev 5784

Islamic: 20 Jumada I 1445

J Cal: 7 Zima; Sevenday [7 of 30]

Julian: 20 November 2023

Moon: 65%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 1 Bichat (13th Month) [Copernicus]

Runic Half Month: Is (Stasis) [Day 8 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 71 of 89)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 12 of 30)

Calendar Changes

Bichat (Modern Science) [Month 13 of 13; Positivist]

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Oscar Trivia 2021

A few days late, but here we are!

The elephant in the room is that for the first time in Oscar history, there is more than one woman nominated in Best Director: Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman). As part of their unique roads to their nominations, Zhao is the first Asian woman nominated for the award, while Fennell is both the first British woman nominated and the first woman to be nominated for her directorial debut. If either of them win (which looks incredibly likely for Zhao), they will be only the second woman to win Best Director, joining Kathryn Bigelow who won for The Hurt Locker (2009).

The late Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) has become the eighth actor to be nominated posthumously and the first in the Best Actor category since Massimo Troisi in 1995 (Il Postino). If/when he wins, he’ll be the third actor to win after their death, joining Peter Finch (Best Actor 1976, Network) and Heath Ledger (Best Supporting Actor 2008, The Dark Knight). 

In a continuation of the weirdest streak possible, Leslie Odom, Jr. (One Night in Miami) is the fourth artist in a row to be nominated for both acting and songwriting. For over 40 years, Barbra Streisand had the distinction of being the only person nominated for both acting and songwriting. Mary J. Blige one-upped her in 2017 when she was nominated in both categories in the same year (Mudbound), and then Lady Gaga (A Star is Born) and Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) managed to do the same in the following years. Odom is now the fifth person to achieve this distinction in Oscar history and the first man to do so. Barbra still has the last laugh, though: she’s still the only person to win both categories (albeit in different years). 

Steven Yeun (Minari) is the first Asian-American actor ever nominated in the Best Actor category and the third male Asian-American actor nominated ever, joining the ranks of former Supporting Actor nominees Mako and Pat Morita. 

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s Maria Bakalova is the first Bulgarian actor nominated for an Oscar. 

With her Best Actress nomination for Nomdland, Frances McDormand has joined Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Laurence Olivier, and Michael Caine as actors nominated in five consecutive decades. Additionally, as one of the producers of Nomadland, McDormand is the first woman nominated in acting and producing in the same year and the third overall (the other two being Barbra Streisand and Oprah Winfrey). 

Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy) received her eighth nomination, extending her own record as the most nominated living actor without a win. She is also the third actor to be nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie for the same performance, and the first since 1983. 

Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) is the first Black British actor to receive more than one Oscar nomination. If he wins (which looks incredibly likely), he’ll be the first ever Black British actor to win an Oscar.

With her nomination for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Viola Davis is now the most nominated Black actress in Oscar history, with four nominations and one win. If she wins, she’ll be only the second Black woman to win a Leading Actress Oscar and the first since Halle Berry, who won for 2001′s Monster’s Ball. 

Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) is the first actor to Pakistani descent to be nominated in any acting category and the first Muslim actor nominated in Best Actor. His performance is also the first one primarily in American Sign Language (ASL) nominated in this category since Alan Arkin in 1968′s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Additionally, Ahmed is one of the only actors of color in Oscar history to be nominated for a role in which his race has no bearing on the story. 

Youn Yuh-jung (Minari) is the first Korean actor nominated for an acting Oscar and the third East Asian woman nominated (the others being Japanese actresses Rinko Kikuchi and Miyoshi Umeki). 

This year also marks the second time ever with more than one Black nominee in Best Actress, with both Viola Davis (Ma Rainey) and Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday). The only other time this happened was in 1972 when both Cicely Tyson (Sounder) and Diana Ross (Lady Sings the Blues) were nominated. In an incredible coincidence, both Ross and Day are nominated for playing the same role: Billie Holiday. 

Between the five of them, the films nominated in Best Visual Effects have a total of seven nominations, the lowest for that category since 2007, when there were only three films nominated. 

On that same note, Billie Holiday is now the sixth historical figure to earn multiple actors Oscar nominations in different films. The others are King Henry VIII (Charles Laughton in 1933′s The Private Life of Henry VIII, Robert Shaw in 1966′s A Man for All Seasons, and Richard Burton in 1969′s Anne of the Thousand Days), Queen Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett in 1998′s Elizabeth and 2007′s Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Judi Dench in 1998′s Shakespeare in Love), Abraham Lincoln (Raymond Massey in 1940′s Abe Lincoln in Illinois and Daniel Day-Lewis in 2012′s Lincoln), Howard Hughes (Jason Robards in 1980′s Melvin and Howard and Leonardo DiCaprio in 2004′s The Aviator), and Richard Nixon (Anthony Hopkins in 1995′s Nixon and Frank Langella in 2008′s Frost/Nixon). Holiday is the first Black person to receive this distinction.

At 83, Anthony Hopkins (The Father) is the oldest Best Actor nominee in Oscar history. He is also the first person to get back-to-back acting nominations in his 80s and only the third actor in history to receive more than one acting nomination in his 80s, joining the likes of Jessica Tandy and Christopher Plummer. 

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom marks the third time ever that Best Actor and Best Actress both have Black nominees from the same film. The other two are Sounder (1972, with Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson) and What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993, with Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett). Of the three films, only Sounder made it into the Best Picture category.

Judas and the Black Messiah is the first Best Picture nominee with an all-Black producing team. 

Thomas Vinterberg scored a surprise Best Director nomination for Another Round, which makes him the first Danish filmmaker to receive an Oscar nomination. Another Round is now only the third film in history to be nominated for Best DIrector and no other non-Foreign Language Film categories, along with Hiroshi Teshigahara’s Woman in the Dunes (1965) and Federico Fellini’s Fellini Satyricon (1970).  

Amanda Seyfried (Mank) is the second Mean Girl to be nominated for an Oscar, joining Rachel McAdams. None for Gretchen Weiners, indeed.

With the nominations for Maria Bakalova and for Adapted Screenplay, Borat becomes the eighth film franchise to ever receive multiple nominations in above-the-line Oscar categories, joining The Godfather series, the Toy Story series, the Before... series, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Rocky/Creed series, and the pairs of Going My Way/The Bells of St. Mary’s and Elizabeth/Elizabeth: The Golden Age. 

After the Macedonian film Honeyland became the first film in Oscar history to be nominated in both Best International Feature and Best Documentary Feature, the Romanian documentary Collective became the second film to earn this distinction this year. 

The White Tiger continues the 20-year-old trend of there being at least one film that receives a screenplay nomination and nothing else.

Terence Blanchard (Da 5 Bloods) is the first Black composer to receive multiple nominations. 

Sound of Metal is the third Best Picture nominee in the last 20 years to have its world premiere the year before its American Oscar-qualifying release. The other two are Best Picture winners The Hurt Locker (which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2008) and Crash (which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2004). 

Mank is the third black-and-white film to be nominated in Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and the first since Ed Wood in 1994. 

This is only the third time that all five of the Best Actor nominees were nominated alongside co-stars. This previously happened in 1991 and 2013.

[hms-chill]

RWRB Study Guide: Chapter 7

Hi y’all! I’m going through Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and defining/explaining references! Feel free to follow along, or block the tag #rwrbStudyGuide if you’re not interested!

Crêpe-eating tourists (157): Crepes are a thin, flat pancake traditionally filled with sugar, but commonly filled with other toppings. They are an iconic French dish and are popular with tourists both for this reason and because they are typically inexpensive.

Place du Tertre (157): A square in Paris, it is in the Montmarte district, which is known for its art history.

Crusty baguettes (157): Baguettes are a French bread that is meant to be crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

Le Monde (158): The most popular French newspaper.

Fromagerie Nicole Barthélémy (158): A famously wonderful cheese shop in Paris.

Parisian cheese shop (158): French cheese are known for being fancy and especially good.

Pisces (159): A zodiac sign known for being compassionate, artistic, and intuitive. (more)

NYU (159): New York University.

The Met (159): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a famous art museum in New York.

Joanne (160): JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter books, and has been pretty consistently homophobic and transphobic on twitter. 

Freddie Mercury (161): Lead singer of the band Queen, Mercury never officially came out, but he had long-term relationships with both men and women and was known for his camp performances, and there are claims that he was “openly gay”. His flamboyance and camp performances, as well as his relationship with partner Jim Hutton, essentially demanded that people simply take him as he was. He died of complications from AIDS in 1991, one day after admitting openly that he had been diagnosed four years earlier. (More)

For context within the book, he wrote “Don’t Stop Me Now”

Elton John (161): A famous British musician. He came out as bisexual in 1976, then as gay in 1992. He and his husband, David Furnish, became civil partners in 2005, the day they became legal in the UK. They were officially married on the ninth anniversary of their civil partnership, the year that gay marriage was legalized within the UK. (More)

Bowie (161): David Bowie, who was a bi British musician and actor who, in 1976, described his bisexuality as “the best thing that ever happened to me”. His wife (who was also bi, and with whom he often shared partners) claimed that he had a relationship with Mick Jagger, though his bisexuality has been consistently erased, both during his life and since his death. (More)

Again for book context, Henry’s dog is named for David Bowie

Jagger (161): Mick Jagger, an English singer/songwriter and member of the Rolling Stones, known for his promiscuity. As mentioned above, he and Bowie pretty clearly had a relationship, though his Wikipedia makes no mention of queerness. (More)

Oakley Street (161): A street that runs through an affluent borough of London.

Stonewall (161): The Stonewall Inn in New York City is a gay bar. The riots against police brutality there in July of 1969 are heralded as the beginning of the gay rights movement.

SCOTUS decision in 2015 (161): The Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage across the US.

Walt Whitman (161): An American poet who wanted to become The American Poet and saw himself as the quintessential American. His poetry often deals with his queerness, and he absolutely slept with Oscar Wilde in the late 1800s. 

Fun fact; he is celebrated in the movie The Dead Poets Society, which is incredibly popular with Sad Gay English Majors and which Henry would definitely have seen.

Laws of Illinois 1961 (161): In 1961, Illinois became the first state in the US to repeal its sodomy laws.

White Night Riot (161): A series of riots in San Francisco protesting the lenient sentencing of the man who killed Harvey Milk, the first openly queer politician. The riots were the most violent queer uprising since the events at the Stonewall.

Paris is Burning (161): A 1990s movie celebrating drag ball culture in New York. It celebrates in particular queer communities of color in the late 1980s, when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak.

“If I die of AIDS...” (161): This is a real photo; you can find it here. The man’s jacket could refer to a form of protest called “die-ins”, where people with AIDS would go to a homophobic politician’s office or another public place where they were refused treatment and simply not leave until after they died. (see it here)

Chop my own tit off (162): Fun mythology fact; the Amazons (warrior women from Greek mythology) actually did this to make themselves better archers.

H fucking W (162): George HW Bush, a former US president.

George (163): George Villers was the boyfriend of King James the I/VI, and Prince George, Duke of Kent, was rumored to be in a polyamorous relationship in the 1920s. 

Edward (162): Edward II was a famously gay king. He was may have been "wedded brothers" with Piers Gaveston and may have also had a relationship with Hugh le Despenser the younger following Gaveston's death. (More)

James (162): The British king known for translating the Bible and being just... indescribably gay and very deeply horny. He promoted his boyfriend, George Villers, to the highest non-royal position in the UK within a few years of starting to date him. James’s friends actively tried to set him up with hot guys for their own political gain.

Alexander (163): Alexander Hamilton was an incredibly bi founding father. He’s remembered for founding our current national banking system, having the first ever American sex scandal, and for literally never shutting up or knowing how to stop being A Lot All The Time. 

Catalina (164): Catalina is an island near Los Angeles. On a more meta level, St. Catalina was a respected writer.

June (164): June Carter Cash was an American singer/songwriter/director/comedian.

Tricky Dick (164): Richard Nixon, a president remembered for wiretapping his opponent.

Taft (165): 27th president of the United States.

Eisenhower (165): 34th president of the US.

Baby (166): this is what Henry’s mom calls him; I wrote a thing about it here.

Daily Mail (166): A trashy British tabloid.

Lollapalooza (167): A music festival in Chicago known for setting fashion trends and having lots of drugs.

Joni Mitchell (167): A singer/songwriter known for her innovative use of the guitar, including unique tunings, chords, and a unique fingerpicking/strumming style. (Listen here)

Cocaine (168): A highly addictive drug. It is snorted, smoked, or injected, and while it makes people feel more confident or forget their problems, the highs from it last only up to about 30 minutes, which often drives people to take it more frequently. Side effects (aside from addiction) include a loss of appetite, irritability, and increased mental health issues. 

Spitfire (168): Someone with a quick temper or willingness to fight.

High as a kite (169): Someone who’s “high as a kite” is on a lot of drugs and is still enjoying the high.

Clean (169): Drug/alcohol free.

Stiff upper lip (170): Ability to seem determined or hold it together in the face of hard times.

A levels (170): A UK test taken for admittance to college, similar to the ACT/SAT in the US

Henry V at RSC (171): Henry V is a Shakespearean history play about the life of Henry V, especially focused on the events of the Hundred Years’ War. RSC, or the Royal Shakespeare Company, is a Shakespeare theater company in London.

Travis County (171): The Texan county where Austin is located.

Surfside (171): A beach in Texas.

Adderall (172): A prescription drug taken for ADHD but commonly abused by students to help them stay awake for all-nighters or focused for unhealthily long study sessions. However, given McQuinston’s claim that Alex has undiagnosed ADHD, it likely helped him to be able to focus and helped his brain work the way it was expected to.

Almond milk (vs. dairy) (173): Texas has a huge dairy industry, and almond milk is not great for the environment.

The Gun File (173): American gun law is so deeply broken.

WASPy Hunter’s Harvard pencil cup (175): Harvard is a prestigious college in Boston; it has a reputation for being mostly rich white folks.

Iron curtains of gerrymandering (175): Gerrymandering is a form of drawing lines for voting districts to disenfranchise marginalized voters. It is a form of skewing elections to keep power in the hands of the powerful that divides marginalized votes, making people of color or poor folks the minority in their districts, therefore erasing their votes on a broader scale.

Vision-boarding his funeral (175): a vision board is typically made to inspire someone to pursue a goal.

Parks & Recreation (175): A popular American sit-com focused on the parks and recreation department in a small town in Indiana. 

Leslie Knope (176): a Parks & Rec character. One of her defining traits is an aggressive, overwhelming love for the people in her life.

Mid-century rug (177): Mid-century furniture and style is characterized by lots of color and playful patterns (following the more reserved WWII period in the 1940s); it is rising in popularity again as a classy yet fashionable look.

J14 (178): A teen fashion/celebrity magazine.

Sacramento Bee (178): The largest newspaper in Sacramento, CA.

Southerness (180): In positive lights, the American South is known for its genuine, warm, unselfish hospitality.

Jane Austen my life (180): Jane Austen is a British author whose novels star lower/middle class women who fall in love with rich men. They typically try to avoid these men for large portions of the book, or at least have rather negative feelings about them due to a misunderstanding or other failure to communicate.

LSAT (181): the test taken for admittance to law school.

Carmarthenshire (183): A largely agricultural county in South Wales. As a tourist destination, it is known for its wide range of outdoor activities.

Llwynywermod (184): A royal estate in Carmarthenshire, the biggest building of which is a renovated three-bedroom farmhouse. It is surrounded by the rolling green hills common to south Wales.

Finals (in the US) (185): At US colleges, a semester’s final tests (typically worth up to 30-40% of a final grade) take place the week after classes end.

Stamp on his forehead at The Tombs (185): Tombs is a bar near Georgetown. According to reviews, and “Tombs Night” parties, where students celebrate their 21st birthday and get their foreheads stamped at the end of the night, are a Georgetown tradition.

Jumped in Dalhgren Fountain (185): Dalhgren Fountain is in the center of Georgetown’s campus. Swimming in it is a Georgetown tradition.

Summa cum laude (186): “with greatest honor”.

Ceviche (186): A seafood dish native to Peru that spread to Mexico, where it contains lime, avocado, chili peppers, onions, and cilantro.

Palm Room (187): The gateway to the West Wing, the area of the White House where most politics happen.

Hoe Dameron (190): A reference to Star Wars character Poe Dameron, a rebel pilot and the first Latino main character in the series.

Prince Buttercup (190): Princess Buttercup is the heroine/love interest in The Princess Bride, 

West Hollywood (190): One of the most prominent gay neighborhoods in the US.

“Call Me” (191): The most popular song of 1980; it was originally written for the film American Gigolo and inspired by the film’s opening sequence of a character driving along the coast of California. (Listen here)

“So Emotional” (191): An absolute bop about enjoying being in love. (Listen here)

“Don’t Stop Me Now” (193): A Queen song where Mercury sings to both a man and a woman; it’s a huge bop. (Listen here)

In-N-Out (194): A fast food restaurant/burger chain native to California and unavailable in other states.

Animal style (195): Animal style burgers are an In-N-Out staple; it includes the typical burger toppings, along with mustard fried into the patty, pickles, onions, and extra spread.

French-fries-dipped-in-milkshake (195): a truly god-tier American dessert tradition.

“O captain, my captain” (196): A reference both to the idea of a lacrosse team captain and to Whitman’s poem, “O Captain, My Captain” (as mentioned above, Whitman was a deeply gay American poet).

Burberry (200): A posh British brand of clothing known for its classy, traditional pieces.

Cats that caught the canaries (200): A cat that caught a canary is a person who looks smug or satisfied.

Mother hen (201): A “mom friend” or someone who will do everything they can to look out for people they care about, sometimes to the point of it being annoying.

—-

If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like more on, please let me know! And if you’d like to/are able, please consider buying me a ko-fi? I know not everyone can, and that’s fine, but these things take a lot of time/work and I’d really appreciate it!

—–

Chapter 1 // Chapter 6 // Chapter 8 

[edicion4]

Deirdre McCloskey: "La pugna entre capitalismo y socialismo ha llegado a su fin: el capitalismo ha ganado"

Por Irene Hernández Velasco dinero.com, 02/01/2019

Hay autos, fertilizantes artificiales, antibióticos, contenedores, cajas de cartón, pasta de dientes, computadoras, universidades, votaciones secretas, la liberación de la mujer, la píldora, ferrocarriles, asfalto, cemento estructural, radio, acero barato, keroseno, la venta a plazos, tractores, semáforos, generación de electricidad, internet, aviones, periódicos realizados en prensas de vapor y con papel barato y millones de otras ideas, para las cuales el capital a veces es necesario, y a veces no mucho...  

"Soy economista, pero también enseño y escribo sobre historia, inglés, comunicación, filosofía, arte y estudios culturales. Como diría May West: ‘Yo era Blancanieves... ¡pero me desvié!‘. Hasta 1995 me llamaba -y era- ‘Donald‘. Criada en Boston, trabajé siempre en el Medio Oeste (de Estados Unidos). Casado durante 30 años felices, con dos hijos mayores (que no me hablan desde 1995), vivo en Printer‘s Row, Chicago, con mi Norwich terrier llamado Will Shakespeare y mi iglesia episcopal al otro lado de la calle, razón por la cual siempre llego tarde a misa".

Así se presenta a sí misma Deirdre McCloskey (1942) en su página web. Deirdre McCloskey se encuentra en el Hay Festival. Tiene poco en común con Donald Trump. Tal vez apenas el nombre de pila, que compartían antes de que ella se cambiara de sexo con 53 años. BBC Mundo conversó con ella sobre liberalismo y otras cuestiones.

La prestigiosa y aclamada economista e historiadora estadounidense, tiene un currículo impresionante. Y único: autora de 17 libros y de alrededor de 400 artículos académicos, estudió en la Universidad de Harvard, dio clases durante 12 años en la Universidad de Chicago y enseñó durante casi dos décadas en la Universidad de Iowa. Ahora es profesora en Illinois, en Chicago.

Sus posiciones económicas conservadoras y su firme, inmovible y apasionada defensa del libre mercado ha hecho alzar las cejas a más de un colega. Pero lo que a muchos dejó directamente boquiabiertos fue la operación de cambio de sexo a la que se sometió a los 53 años, y gracias a la cual pasó de ser Donald McCloskey a la flamante Deirdre McCloskey. BBC Mundo habló con ella en el marco del HAY Festival Cartagena.

- Si no me equivoco, de joven usted era anarco-comunista, pero posteriormente se convirtió en una gran defensora del libre mercado. ¿Qué le hizo cambiar de postura?

- La evidencia. Robert Heilbroner (1919-2005), durante décadas socialista y profesor en la New School for Social Research (de tendencia marxista), escribió en 1989, justo antes del repentino e impredecible colapso de la Unión Soviética:

Menos de 75 años después de su inicio oficial, la pugna entre capitalismo y socialismo ha llegado a su fin: el capitalismo ha ganado… El capitalismo organiza los asuntos materiales de la humanidad de manera más satisfactoria que el socialismo.

Actualmente puede ver un ejemplo de ello en Cuba o en Venezuela, en contraste con Chile o Colombia. Y en 1992 el mismo Heilbroner escribió: "El capitalismo ha sido un éxito tan incuestionable como fracaso ha sido el socialismo".

Alabó a los liberales Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek y Ludwig von Mises por su defensa de la libertad, destacando que "las libertades democráticas no aparecen, excepto fugazmente, en ninguna nación que se haya declarado fundamentalmente anti-capitalista".

Piense de nuevo en Venezuela. Junto con miles de exsocialistas y excomunistas, mi lema es que cuando tengo nueva información -los desastres de la URSS, de la China de Mao, de Cuba- cambio de postura. Yo les pregunto a sus lectores: ¿ellos qué hacen?

- ¿Cuáles son en su opinión los principales beneficios del libre mercado?

- El ejercicio de la libertad por parte de individuos adultos, a los que proporciona la dignidad de cuidar de sí mismos y de sus familias. El gigantesco enriquecimiento de los pobres, que han pasado de disponer de US$2 al día a US$50 o US$100, como ha ocurrido en todas las economías que se han guiado por un liberalismo real. El desplome de la tiranía. El enriquecimiento cultural de todos los países ricos.

- Entonces, ¿por qué el capitalismo concentra tantas críticas? Usted habla de un clima de pesimismo cultural, ¿no es así?

- El gran y ya desaparecido Hans Rosling trata de explicar ese pesimismo en su libro póstumo "Factfulness" (2018). Rosling pensaba que ese pesimismo se debe a que la gente no conoce los hechos, como por ejemplo que desde los años 60 la renta per cápita ha crecido más rápidamente que en cualquier otro momento en la historia, sacando a los más pobres de entre los pobres (en China, en India o en Latinoamérica, por ejemplo) de la peor de las miserias.

También destaca que la gente tiende a asumir que los ricos actuales lo son porque les viene dado de manera natural, lo que les lleva a ignorar qué los hizo ricos. Personalmente, también creo que el anticapitalismo tiene mucho que ver con la propia palabra "capitalismo", que hace que la gente piense que acumular capital es lo que nos ha hecho ricos en comparación con nuestros míseros antepasados.

Y no, no lo es. Lo que nos hizo ricos fueron las buenas ideas para el uso del capital y nuestros otros talentos y energías.

Hay autos, fertilizantes artificiales, antibióticos, contenedores, cajas de cartón, pasta de dientes, computadoras, universidades, votaciones secretas, la liberación de la mujer, la píldora, ferrocarriles, asfalto, cemento estructural, radio, acero barato, keroseno, la venta a plazos, tractores, semáforos, generación de electricidad, internet, aviones, periódicos realizados en prensas de vapor y con papel barato y millones de otras ideas, para las cuales el capital a veces es necesario, y a veces no mucho.

- ¿Qué opina entonces de las políticas económicas de Donald Trump, muchas de ellas claramente proteccionistas?

- Creo que Trump es un idiota neofascista, con la capacidad de atención y los impulsos sexuales de un niño de 14 años. Sus políticas económicas provienen literalmente del fascismo ("nuevo nacionalismo") de sus consejeros Stephen Bannon y Stephen Miller y de la locura proteccionista económica de Peter Navarro. Navarro obtuvo su doctorado en Harvard. Yo estoy pensando en devolver el mío como forma de protesta.

- En su libro "Why Economics Can‘t Explain the Modern World" (Por qué la economía no puede explicar el mundo moderno) usted sostiene que el increíble y sin precedente aumento de la riqueza que se ha producido en los siglos XIX y XX, pasando de US$2 o US$3 al día por persona a unos US$100, no es mérito del capitalismo, sino de la innovación. ¿A qué se refiere exactamente? ¿El capitalismo y la innovación se necesitan el uno al otro?

- La innovación necesita muchas cosas: aire, leyes, paz, agua, personas sensatas, tiempo… El capital es sólo una de las necesidades de la innovación, y con frecuencia no muy importante. La universidad moderna, inventada en la Universidad de Berlín en 1810, necesita unos pocos edificios, pero sobre todo es una idea organizativa.

Tendemos a pensar en el mal llamado "capitalismo" en términos, por ejemplo, de ferrocarriles, que de hecho necesitan enormes masas de capital. Pero las buenas ideas obtienen capital de manera bastante fácil.

Y las malas ideas, como los trenes de alta velocidad que ahora hay por toda China en viaductos de 20 metros de altura, obtienen el capital a través de subvenciones del gobierno que provienen de impuestos obligatorios.

- Pero el capitalismo también tiene defectos, ¿no? ¿Cuáles son sus mayores fallos? Varios estudios, como por ejemplo el de Thomas Picketty, alertan de que el capitalismo está aumentado la brecha entre ricos y pobres…

- El "capitalismo" -yo prefiero llamarlo "innovismo"- tiene algunos pocos defectos. Pero saca a los pobres de la peor de las pobrezas y ofrece a los niños la oportunidad de entrar en la clase media. En particular, la desigualdad no es un defecto del innovismo. Si los gobiernos permiten a la gente competir (cosa que con frecuencia no hacen), el innovismo reduce, de hecho, la desigualdad.

Picketty se equivoca con los datos, hasta el punto de que él mismo lo admite en su libro, destacando que los únicos países de su estudio en los que la desigualdad ha crecido son Reino Unido, Estados Unidos y Canadá. Respecto al resto de países, se limita meramente a sugerir ese miedo.

La verdadera brecha entre los ricos y los pobres en realidad se ha reducido dramáticamente desde 1800, 1900, 1906 o cualquier otra fecha con la que se mida. Los ricos han conseguido una nueva pulsera de diamantes. Y los pobres tienen suficiente para comer. ¿Qué es más importante? La igualdad real ha aumentado, continuamente.

Debemos concentrarnos en elevar los ingresos de los más pobres, no en estúpidas e ineficaces formas de quitar dinero a los ricos, que de todos modos termina principalmente en manos de otros ricos o funcionarios corruptos.

- Usted ha estudiado en profundidad a la burguesía. ¿Está la clase media actualmente en peligro? ¿Cómo será a medio plazo?

- No, la burguesía no está en peligro. Está creciendo en porcentaje y en términos absolutos a nivel mundial. Pero los intelectuales la odian. Siempre la han odiado. Gustave Flaubert escribió a George Sands en 1867 que el odio al burgués es el comienzo de la virtud. Y el odio apoya los infinitos esquemas para "cambiar el sistema", todo lo cual ha supuesto un desastre para los pobres. ¿Necesito mencionar una vez más a Venezuela?

- A usted no le gusta la palabra capitalismo, ¿verdad? ¿Por qué?

- Porque confunde a la gente y la lleva a pensar que la acumulación de capital es la clave del progreso. Y no lo es. La innovación sí lo es. Los humanos siempre han acumulado: el Homo Erectus empezó a acumular hachas de piedra; los romanos construyeron grandes carreteras; los chinos La Gran Muralla.

Sin embargo, no hubo progreso para una persona media hasta las innovaciones del siglo XIX y posteriores, a partir de un verdadero liberalismo que otorga a las personas la misma dignidad y mayor igualdad de oportunidades.

Nada es perfecto. Hay que hacer más por los pobres, especialmente eliminando las "protecciones" (que mejor deberían llamarse "favoritismos" para los poderosos y sus clientes). Hagámoslo.

Pero no nos equivoquemos sobre cómo hemos llegado hasta aquí: no por los gobiernos o quitándole dinero a los ricos, sino a través del innovismo que empuja a millones de personas normales y corrientes a aventurarse en un nuevo trabajo o en una nueva empresa.

- Usted es profesora de Economía, pero también enseña Filosofía y Literatura. Las Humanidades, asegura usted, son necesarias para estudiar la economía, para humanizarla y evitar que sea sólo números y estadísticas. Usted defiende de hecho el término "humanomics", la economía de lo humano.

- Sí, "humanomics", economía con los humanos dentro. Pero eso tampoco significa dejar de lado las matemáticas o las estadísticas. Significa complementarlos, con toda la evidencia, verbal y estadísticamente significativa, la evidencia de la conversación humana y la literatura humana, desde los cuentos populares a la Epopeya de Gilgamesh.

- Ha estudiado la retórica de la economía. ¿Considera manipulador el lenguaje económico? A mí por ejemplo siempre me ha fascinado el término "crecimiento negativo", que suena bastante bien pero en realidad es catastrófico.

- Por supuesto, el lenguaje es "manipulador". No puede ser de otro modo. Nos pasamos los días tratando de influirnos los unos a los otros, para lo bueno y lo malo. Los científicos, por ejemplo, tratan de persuadir a sus colegas de que esta o aquella teoría es correcta. Bien por ellos. La persuasión, la "dulce charla", es la única alternativa a la violencia.

Nadie lo sabe mejor que los colombianos que han tenido que hacer frente a las FARC o los peruanos que se han enfrentado a Sendero Luminoso. La "dulce charla" mueve la economía, y debe hacerlo. No existe ningún "crecimiento negativo", excepto en el realismo mágico de la izquierda, que desde 1848 anhela ver el fin del "capitalismo".

Por el contrario, las mejoras comerciales demostradas han salvado a los desdichados de la tierra, y continuarán haciéndolo si no lo estropeamos con fantasías sobre el socialismo, tristemente prevalecientes en la literatura latinoamericana.

- Una de sus principales áreas de estudio es el mundo post revolución industrial. ¿Cree que la actual revolución tecnológica que estamos viviendo será aún más profunda? ¿Pronostica, como muchos de sus colegas, un futuro escenario con un gigantesco desempleo a causa de la robotización?

El período de gran enriquecimiento de los siglos XIX y XX ha sido bastante "profundo". Permitió a nuestros antepasados salir del campo y de la cocina, un cambio impactante hecho posible por "robots" que hicieron ferrocarriles, cosechadoras mecánicas y maíz híbrido.

El miedo al desempleo es infantil y olvida la historia. Cualquier dispositivo humano, desde una pala hasta una computadora, es un "robot", y aunque desde 1800 el innovismo ha traído millones de esos dispositivos -mecánicos, biológicos y organizativos- eso no ha resultado en un desempleo permanente.

Nuestros antepasados eran prácticamente todos campesinos (los míos desde luego lo eran). Ahora en Estados Unidos sólo el 2% de la mano de obra está en granjas. ¡Y el 98% de la restante mano de obra no está desempleada!

Y, de hecho, si fuera cierto que todos los bienes y servicios podrán producirse simplemente pulsando un botón, sería maravilloso. Estaríamos en el Edén, no en el infierno.

- Usted se define a sí misma como "literaria, cuantitativa, posmoderna, pro libre mercado, progresista-episcopal, cristiana libertaria mujer del medio oeste de Boston que una vez fue hombre". ¿Necesitó mucho valor para decidir en 1995, cuando tenía 53 años, someterse a una operación de cambio de sexo y convertirse en mujer? ¿Qué consejo le daría a alguien en su misma situación?

- Usted y yo y todo el mundo necesita valor para vivir. La madre que se levanta todas las mañanas para ayudar a su hijo gravemente discapacitado tiene más valor que muchos soldados. El hombre que hace tres trabajos para darles a sus hijos una vida mejor es un santo del valor.

La gente piensa que el cambio de sexo precisa de un enorme valor porque ellos no lo quieren hacer, ¡como saltar de un avión sin paracaídas! Mi consejo es aprovechar las ventajas de una sociedad libre en la que puedes tomar una decisión así -no recomiendo lo del paracaídas- y luego seguir adelante con tu vida.

- ¿Se ha sentido alguna vez discriminada por ser transgénero? ¿O por ser mujer?

- Por haber cambiado de género no directamente, al menos hasta donde yo sé. Pero puede haber formas más sutiles de las que no me he percatado, a lo mejor habría conseguido ese trabajo en Harvard si no me hubiera operado (aunque en realidad no lo creo).

Y sí, sé que he sido discriminada por ser mujer. Alrededor de un mes después de mi transición de género, estaba hablando con un puñado de economistas hombres sobre economía. Hice una observación. Los hombres la ignoraron.

Y unos minutos después John hizo la misma e idéntica observación, y todos los hombres le elogiaron y le pusieron por las nubes. Me dije a mí misma: "Sí, me están tratando como a una mujer". Fue la primera, y la última vez, que disfruté de esa sensación.

- ¿Es usted una persona religiosa?

- Sí, después de mi cambio de género me convertí del agnosticismo al anglicanismo. Es protestantismo jerárquico, como la Iglesia Luterana en Alemania y Escandinavia. Nosotros los anglicanos tenemos obispos, por ejemplo, aunque nada como un Papa.

- ¿Tiene la religión algún impacto en la economía? ¿Coincide con Max Weber en que el capitalismo es producto de la ética protestante?

- Sí, por supuesto que tiene impacto, especialmente cuando casi todo el mundo en Europa y sus alrededores es más o menos un creyente cristiano. ¿Cómo no podría tenerlo? El principal impacto que, por ejemplo, estudié en mi libro "Bourgeois Equality" (2016) es el de las iglesias gobernadas sin jerarquías, como el congregacionalismo, el cuaquerismo o el baptismo.

Esos protestantes radicales (no nosotros los anglicanos o los luteranos, debo decir) eligen en su propia y pequeña localidad a sus propios sacerdotes, a los que llaman "ministros". Creo que eso transmite a la gente la idea de que ellos también pueden elegir sus propias aventuras económicas.

Pero Weber estaba bastante equivocado, como se ha mostrado con detalle desde 1905 una y otra vez. La teología, la economía, la sociología, la historia... en todo se equivocó.

- El mundo es cada día menos y menos religioso. ¿Tendrá eso también un efecto en la economía?

- Yo creo que es un error decir que el mundo es cada vez menos religioso. Mire la explosión de iglesias protestantes evangélicas en América Latina y África. En ambos lugares el resultado es que los hombres están dejando de gastar sus salarios en beber e irse con prostitutas, y se convierten en padres y maridos sobrios. Y todo eso es bueno económicamente, porque les da a sus hijos una oportunidad. Allí donde las mujeres ganan dinero lo gastan en sus hijos, y las mujeres generalmente son más religiosas.

* Este artículo es parte de la versión digital del Hay Festival Cartagena, un encuentro de escritores y pensadores que se realiza en esa ciudad colombiana entre el 31 de enero y el 3 de febrero de 2019.

https://www.dinero.com/pais/articulo/en-memoria-de-guillermo-perry/277585

[twistedingenue]

Went to see Caesar at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. My friend is a cutter/draper and had comp tickets. It was absolutely fantastic, people should see it for the memes alone.

(Uh, modern setting for Caesar, lots of commentary through social media. Memes abound)

And I think I'm really happy to be introduced as @tobinlaughing sister in law.

[fataris]

5月21日

インターンが始まりました。なんのインターンかというと、Illinois Shakespeare Festival(イリノイシェイクスピアフェスティバル)というシェイクスピアの劇をやり続けるお祭りのインターンです。

なんとこのお祭りは40年以上続いているらしく、なおかつ夏の間ほぼずっとやってる(6/20〜8/10くらい)。全体のオリエンテーション(上の写真)で言ってたけど、最初の最初のショーから見にきてる人もいるらしい。

シーズンの間に1万人以上見にくる、この町の一大イベントなのでしょう。

ちなみに僕は音響のインターン。音響(と照明)のインターンは僕しかいないみたいで、インターンが役割別に立ち上がって自己紹介するときに一人で皆の視線を集めてしまった、、、

とりあえず今週中に引越しなのでがんばっています。

ではまた

[shakespearesglobeblog]

#ArchiveWeek: Anniversary Archives - celebrating Sam Wanamaker.

As part of Archive Week we have been thinking about ‘big moments’ and in particular the 100th anniversary of the birth of our founder, Sam Wanamaker which will be celebrating on 14 June 2019.

Sam was born in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. His love affair with the idea of the Globe began in 1933 when as a 14-year-old he attended the Chicago World Fair, an international celebration in which Britain’s contribution was a mock reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

By 1936, Sam, now a drama student was performing in Shakespeare’s plays having joined the Blackfriars Company who were playing in another fair at Cleveland, Ohio in which another replica of the Globe had been built for staging Shakespeare’s plays. We are lucky enough to hold the programme for this production in our Archive.

Sam came to the UK in 1949, narrowly escaping being blacklisted by the US Government in the McCarthy Trials. Being such a fan of Shakespeare he went to look for the original site of the Globe theatre. To his disappointment, all he found was a plaque on a brewery wall early that was not even correctly positioned. In a statement in an affidavit, he says

I was shocked to find that the site was in fact a rundown redundant riverside industrial area. I was particularly saddened, as by this time, the concept of Globe reconstructions had taken a stronghold in the US, and this was part of and contributed to a great revival and interest in Shakespeare and America’s English language heritage…

Fuelled by his disappointing discovery and a love of Shakespeare Sam set out to build a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre on Bankside. Sadly he did not live to see it completed in 1997, as he died on 18 December 1993.

We all have much to thank Sam and his determination for and we are very excited to be working towards an exhibition celebrating his life and vision next year.  

Photography

Top: Sam Wanamaker and model by Brian Rybolt  Middle: Sam Wanamaker in front of a replica of the Globe donated by the British Government at the Great Lake festival in Cleveland, Ohio, 1936-37, photographer unknown

Bottom: Sam Wanamaker celebrating the successful settlement of the 1986 High Court case against Southwark Council and Derno Estates by Alan Butland 

[anthonyjamessirk]

The Tempest - Illinois Shakes Festival

[lboogie1906]

Reginald C. Hayes (July 15, 1969) is an actor, screenwriter, and director. He is known for his role as William Dent on Girlfriends.

He was born in Chicago, the youngest of four children. He attended St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, which recognized him as one of three “Notable Men of the Academy”. After the Academy, he attended Illinois State University, where he obtained a BA in Theater. In 2004, he won the “Outstanding Young Alumni Award” and was a member of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.

He is an avid supporter of his community and worked alongside his sister at various events for a charity titled the “Reginald and Frances Hayes H.O.P.E. Scholarship Award”.

Girlfriends earned him the “Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series” for three NAACP Image Awards. He went on to appear in several other movies and TV shows, including Criminal Minds, Will & Grace, NCIS, Femme Fatales, and Abbott Elementary.

He teamed up with Lock & Key Entertainment. He has spoken about the resurgence of interest in Girlfriends. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[brookston]

Holidays 12.3

Holidays

Advocate's Day (India)

Be a Blessing Day

Alka Seltzer Day

Doctor’s Day (Cuba)

E-Discovery Day

Elf Day (UK)

Flag Day (Saba)

Heart Transplant Day

Inflatable Pig Day

International Baboon Day

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (UN)

International Day of the Basque Language

Jazz Day

King Tupou I Day (Tonga)

Let's Hug Day

Make a Gift Day

National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day

Reinvigorate Your Brain by Reading Something Day

Saba Day (Saba)

San Francisco Javier (Navarra, Spain)

Takata no Inoko (Peace & Good Harvest Festival; Japan)

Telescope Day

Tinsel Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Holiday Ale Festival begins (Portland, Oregon) [Begins in late Nov/early Dec] (Postponed for 2022)

International Trappist Beer Day

National Apple Pie Day [also 5.13]

National Green Bean Casserole Day

National Ice Cream Box Day

National Peppermint Latte Day

1st Saturday in December

Bike Shop Day [1st Saturday]

Chester Greenwood Day (Inventor of Earmuffs; Farmington, Maine) [1st Saturday]

Coats and Toys for Kids Day [1st Saturday]

Earmuff Day [1st Saturday]

Global Fat Bike Day [1st Saturday]

International Spirit of the Game [1st Saturday]

National Pinochle Day [1st Saturday]

National Play Outside Day [1st Saturday of Every Month]

National Rhubarb Vodka Day [1st Saturday]

Satyr's Day (Silenus, Greek God of Beer Buddies and Drinking Companions) [1st Saturday of Each Month]

SKYWARN Recognition Day [1st Saturday]

World Pear Day [1st Saturday]

Independence Days

Illinois Statehood Day (#21; 1818)

Feast Days

Abbo of Auxerre (Christian; Saint)

Abraham of Alexandria, Pope (Coptic)

Adrian (a.k.a. Ethernan; Christian; Saint)

Birinus (Christian; Saint)

Bogatir Svatogor Day (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)

Bona Dea Festival (Roman Goddess of Good)

Cassian of Tangier (Christian; Saint)

Copernicus (Positivist; Saint)

Emma (of Lesum or of Bremen; Christian; Saint)

Festival for Serket/Selket (Scorpion Goddess; Ancient Egypt)

Francis Xavier (Christian; Saint)

Godzilla Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

International Say No to Selfies Day (Pastafarian)

Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim (Christian; Blessed)

Lucius (Christian; Saint)

Motorettes (Muppetism)

Pompaia (Procession to Zeus; Ancient Greece)

Sola (Christian; Saint)

Vibrator Day (Pastafarian)

Zephaniah (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Prime Number Day: 337 [68 of 72]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

The BBC Television Shakespeare (UK TV Series; 1978)

Black Swan (Film; 2010)

Brown Sugar, recorded by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1969)

Camelot (Broadway Musical; 1960)

Concerto in F, by George Gershwin (Piano Concerto; 1925)

Confess, by Patti Page (Song; 1947) [1st Recording with Overdubbed Vocals]

Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground, recorded by Blind Willie Johnson (Song; 1927)

Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Charity Song; 1984)

Elvis (TV Special; 1968)

Justify My Love, by Madonna (Music Video; 1990)

Machine Head, recorded by Deep Purple (Album; 1971)

My Generation, by The Who (Album; 1965)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Christmas TV Special; 1964)

Rubber Soul, by The Beatles (Album; 1965)

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams (Play; 1947)

Symphony #1 in A, by Edward Elgar (Symphony; 1908)

You’re Sixteen, by Ringo Starr (Song; 1973)

Today’s Name Days

Emma, Franz Xaver, Jason (Austria)

Franjo, Lucije, Sofonija (Croatia)

Svatoslav (Czech Republic)

Svend (Denmark)

Leiger, Leino (Estonia)

Meri, Vellamo (Finland)

François-Xavier, Xavier (France)

Franz Xaver, Jason (Germany)

Glykerios (Greece)

Ferenc, Olívia (Hungary)

Francesco, Saverio (Italy)

Daile, Evija, Jogita, Raita (Latvia)

Atalija, Audinga, Gailintas, Ksaveras (Lithuania)

Svein, Sveinung (Norway)

Franciszek, Kasjan, Ksawery, Lucjusz, Unimir (Poland)

Oldrich (Slovakia)

Francisco, Javier (Spain)

Lydia (Sweden)

Javier, Malcolm, Malcom, Malik, Xavier, Xaviera (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 337 of 2022; 28 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 48 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 8 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Dōngyuè), Day 10 (Geng-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 9 Kislev 5783

Islamic: 9 Jumada I 1444

J Cal: 7 Zima; Sixday [7 of 30]

Julian: 20 November 2022

Moon: 81%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 1 Bichat (12th Month) [Copernicus]

Runic Half Month: Is (Stasis) [Day 9 of 15

Season: Autumn (Day 72 of 90)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 11 of 30)

Calendar Changes

Bichat (Modern Science) [Month 13 of 13; Positivist]

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.3

Holidays

Advocate's Day (India)

Be a Blessing Day

Alka Seltzer Day

Doctor’s Day (Cuba)

E-Discovery Day

Elf Day (UK)

Flag Day (Saba)

Heart Transplant Day

Inflatable Pig Day

International Baboon Day

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (UN)

International Day of the Basque Language

Jazz Day

King Tupou I Day (Tonga)

Let's Hug Day

Make a Gift Day

National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day

Reinvigorate Your Brain by Reading Something Day

Saba Day (Saba)

San Francisco Javier (Navarra, Spain)

Takata no Inoko (Peace & Good Harvest Festival; Japan)

Telescope Day

Tinsel Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Holiday Ale Festival begins (Portland, Oregon) [Begins in late Nov/early Dec] (Postponed for 2022)

International Trappist Beer Day

National Apple Pie Day [also 5.13]

National Green Bean Casserole Day

National Ice Cream Box Day

National Peppermint Latte Day

1st Saturday in December

Bike Shop Day [1st Saturday]

Chester Greenwood Day (Inventor of Earmuffs; Farmington, Maine) [1st Saturday]

Coats and Toys for Kids Day [1st Saturday]

Earmuff Day [1st Saturday]

Global Fat Bike Day [1st Saturday]

International Spirit of the Game [1st Saturday]

National Pinochle Day [1st Saturday]

National Play Outside Day [1st Saturday of Every Month]

National Rhubarb Vodka Day [1st Saturday]

Satyr's Day (Silenus, Greek God of Beer Buddies and Drinking Companions) [1st Saturday of Each Month]

SKYWARN Recognition Day [1st Saturday]

World Pear Day [1st Saturday]

Independence Days

Illinois Statehood Day (#21; 1818)

Feast Days

Abbo of Auxerre (Christian; Saint)

Abraham of Alexandria, Pope (Coptic)

Adrian (a.k.a. Ethernan; Christian; Saint)

Birinus (Christian; Saint)

Bogatir Svatogor Day (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)

Bona Dea Festival (Roman Goddess of Good)

Cassian of Tangier (Christian; Saint)

Copernicus (Positivist; Saint)

Emma (of Lesum or of Bremen; Christian; Saint)

Festival for Serket/Selket (Scorpion Goddess; Ancient Egypt)

Francis Xavier (Christian; Saint)

Godzilla Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

International Say No to Selfies Day (Pastafarian)

Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim (Christian; Blessed)

Lucius (Christian; Saint)

Motorettes (Muppetism)

Pompaia (Procession to Zeus; Ancient Greece)

Sola (Christian; Saint)

Vibrator Day (Pastafarian)

Zephaniah (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Prime Number Day: 337 [68 of 72]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

The BBC Television Shakespeare (UK TV Series; 1978)

Black Swan (Film; 2010)

Brown Sugar, recorded by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1969)

Camelot (Broadway Musical; 1960)

Concerto in F, by George Gershwin (Piano Concerto; 1925)

Confess, by Patti Page (Song; 1947) [1st Recording with Overdubbed Vocals]

Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground, recorded by Blind Willie Johnson (Song; 1927)

Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Charity Song; 1984)

Elvis (TV Special; 1968)

Justify My Love, by Madonna (Music Video; 1990)

Machine Head, recorded by Deep Purple (Album; 1971)

My Generation, by The Who (Album; 1965)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Christmas TV Special; 1964)

Rubber Soul, by The Beatles (Album; 1965)

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams (Play; 1947)

Symphony #1 in A, by Edward Elgar (Symphony; 1908)

You’re Sixteen, by Ringo Starr (Song; 1973)

Today’s Name Days

Emma, Franz Xaver, Jason (Austria)

Franjo, Lucije, Sofonija (Croatia)

Svatoslav (Czech Republic)

Svend (Denmark)

Leiger, Leino (Estonia)

Meri, Vellamo (Finland)

François-Xavier, Xavier (France)

Franz Xaver, Jason (Germany)

Glykerios (Greece)

Ferenc, Olívia (Hungary)

Francesco, Saverio (Italy)

Daile, Evija, Jogita, Raita (Latvia)

Atalija, Audinga, Gailintas, Ksaveras (Lithuania)

Svein, Sveinung (Norway)

Franciszek, Kasjan, Ksawery, Lucjusz, Unimir (Poland)

Oldrich (Slovakia)

Francisco, Javier (Spain)

Lydia (Sweden)

Javier, Malcolm, Malcom, Malik, Xavier, Xaviera (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 337 of 2022; 28 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 48 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 8 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Dōngyuè), Day 10 (Geng-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 9 Kislev 5783

Islamic: 9 Jumada I 1444

J Cal: 7 Zima; Sixday [7 of 30]

Julian: 20 November 2022

Moon: 81%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 1 Bichat (12th Month) [Copernicus]

Runic Half Month: Is (Stasis) [Day 9 of 15

Season: Autumn (Day 72 of 90)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 11 of 30)

Calendar Changes

Bichat (Modern Science) [Month 13 of 13; Positivist]

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Oscar Trivia 2019

My favorite mess of the year!

Highly acclaimed film Bohemian Rhapsody (62% on Rotten Tomatoes, 49% on Metacritic) is the first film to be nominated for Best Picture with a Metascore under 50 since Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011).

The obvious one: Black Panther is the first superhero movie and the first movie based on a comic book to be nominated for Best Picture. Even still, The Dark Knight is the most nominated superhero movie in Oscar history, with eight to Panther’s seven.

Best Popular Oscar whom? Three of this year’s Best Picture nominees are currently in the top twenty highest grossing films of 2018: Black Panther, A Star is Born, and Bohemian Rhapsody. All have grossed over $200 million.

This is the first time since 1976 that more than one director is nominated in Best Director for a foreign-language film*. Last time, it was Ingmar Bergman (Face to Face) and Lina Wertmüller (Seven Beauties). This time, it’s Alfonso Cuarón (Roma) and Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War). If either of them win, it will be the first time ever that a non-English language film wins Best Director. (*A note: it is possible to include 2006 in this distinction, as both Alejandro González Iñárritu [Babel] and Clint Eastwood [Letters from Iwo Jima] were nominated in Director, and both films featured significant stretches in languages that are not English. However, they both also feature significant portions in English; Roma and Cold War do not.)

Spike Lee and Barry Jenkins have become the first African-American artists to be nominated for writing more than once. 

Netflix had a major breakthrough year with the multiple nominations for Roma and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. It goes without saying, but Roma is Netflix’s first Best Picture nomination.

Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate) and Olivia Colman (The Favourite) have become the third pair of actors to win the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival and to go on to receive Oscar nominations. The other two were Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and Helen Hayes (The Sin of Madelon Claudet), both of whom won in 1932, and Sam Jaffe (The Asphalt Jungle) and Eleanor Parker (Caged) in 1950.  

This is the third time that costume designer Sandy Powell (The Favourite and Mary Poppins Returns) has been double-nominated in a single year. The other two times: 1998 (Shakespeare in Love, which won, and Velvet Goldmine) and 2015 (Carol and Cinderella).

Streisand weeps: Lady Gaga is now the second person in history to be nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year, both for A Star is Born. Last year, Mary J. Blige became the first person to receive this distinction. 

Hannah Beachler (Black Panther) has become the first black person nominated for Production Design.

Producer Dede Gardner (Vice) received her sixth Best Picture nomination this morning, tying Eric Fellner and Stanley Kramer as the fourth most nominated producer in Oscar history. She is the second most nominated woman, after Kathleen Kennedy with eight Best Picture nominations (though unlike Kennedy, Gardner has won before).

Roma has now tied with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) as the most nominated foreign language movie in Oscar history -- they both received ten nominations. Crouching Tiger came awfully close to winning Best Picture only to falter at the last minute to a crowdpleaser (Gladiator); will history repeat itself this year? 

Roma producer Gabriela Rodríguez is the first Latina nominated in Best Picture. 

Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) is the first black person nominated in Animated Feature. 

“Shallow” (A Star is Born) and “All the Stars” (Black Panther) are the first songs since “Lose Yourself” (2002) to receive nominations from the Academy for Best Song and the Grammys for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. 

With his surprise nomination for At Eternity’s Gate, Willem Dafoe is the second person to be nominated for playing Vincent Van Gogh, following in the footsteps of Kirk Douglas in 1956′s Lust for Life. 

Mirai is the first Animated Feature nominee from Japan to not be produced by Studio Ghibli.

While 2018′s A Star is Born is the fourth remake of that particular story, it is only the second one to get a Best Picture nomination (the other was the very first, from 1937). Cooper’s Star also received the same number of nominations as Wellman’s 1937 film with a total of eight. The 1954 film received six, winning none, and the 1976 film received four, and won for Best Song (a good omen for Gaga?). Bad news for Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, and Sam Elliott, though: between the 26 total nominations for all four Star is Born films, they have only won three, and none have ever been for its actors. 

Yalitza Aparicio (Roma) is the second Mexican actress to receive a Best Actress nomination; the first was Salma Hayek (Frida, 2002). Aparicio is also the first ever indigenous actor to receive an acting nomination.

Marina de Tavira is now the first person nominated for Supporting Actress for an entirely foreign language film since Valentina Cortese in Day for Night (1974). She is only the second one ever.

Her power! Each time Emma Stone has been nominated for an Oscar, her film has led the nomination count: Birdman (9), La La Land (14), and now The Favourite (10).

Amy Adams received her sixth nomination for playing Lynne Cheney in Vice. With this nomination, she is now tied with Cate Blanchett as the second-most nominated actress of the 21st century so far. She is the second-most nominated living actress that has never won (trailing only behind Best Actress frontrunner Glenn Close, who received her seventh nomination today). If she loses this year (and if Close wins), she will join Thelma Ritter and Deborah Kerr as most nominated actresses in history without a win. Meanwhile, if Glenn Close (The Wife) loses Best Actress, she will be the most nominated actress in history without a win.

Christian Bale is the second actor to be nominated for playing a Vice President. The only other is James Whitmore, who was nominated for playing Harry S. Truman in Give ‘Em Hell, Harry! (1975). 

Similarly, Vice’s George W. Bush, Sam Rockwell, is the latest to be nominated for playing a U.S. President. He joins Whitmore’s Truman, Raymond Massey’s Lincoln (Abe Lincoln in Illinois, 1940), Anthony Hopkins’ John Quincy Adams (Amistad, 1997) and Nixon (Nixon, 1995), Alexander Knox’s Woodrow Wilson (Wilson, 1944), Frank Langella’s Nixon (Frost/Nixon, 2008), and Daniel Day-Lewis’s Lincoln (2012). Rockwell’s Bush and Hopkins’ Adams are the only presidents nominated in supporting. 

Amy Adams and Christian Bale have co-starred together three times and were both nominated for all three: Vice (2018), American Hustle (2013), and The Fighter (2010). 

Three of the nominated directors -- Cuarón, Pawlikowski, and Lanthimos -- directed previous nominees for Foreign Language Film: Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También (2002), Pawlikowski’s winner Ida (2014), and Lanthimos’s Dogtooth (2009). 

All eight of the Best Picture nominees come from different distributors: Black Panther from Disney, BlacKkKlansman from Focus Features, Bohemian Rhapsody from 20th Century Fox, The Favourite from Fox Searchlight, Green Book from Universal, Roma from Netflix, A Star is Born from Warner Bros., and Vice from Annapurna. 

Don’t quote me on this yet, but I think Kendrick Lamar (songwriter for “All the Stars” from Black Panther) has become the second person to receive a Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar nomination in the same year (Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album DAMN.). The only other, that I can tell, is Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2016, who was nominated for “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana and won the Pulitzer for the musical Hamilton. 

Pre-curse-ors: Bradley Cooper is the thirteenth director in the last twenty years to be snubbed by the Academy after winning the National Board of Review Award for Best Director.

Mary Poppins Returns marks the first time a Rob Marshall-directed movie musical failed to receive an acting nomination. Sorry, Emily.

The Favourite is now the most nominated Irish film of all-time.

While Green Book marks Viggo Mortensen’s third nomination, it’s the first time he’s not his film’s sole nomination: both Eastern Promises (2007) and Captain Fantastic (2016) were totally shut down outside of his performance. Coincidentally, it’s also the first time Mortensen is nominated for a performance in which he does not have to show his penis.

With its single nomination for Solo: A Star Wars Story, the Star Wars stat holds true: every single Star Wars film has gotten at least one nomination.

If you count the semi-biographical characters from Roma played by Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira, a staggering fifteen of the twenty roles nominated are based on real people.

Roma is the first foreign language Best Picture nominee since Amour in 2012. If it wins, it will be the first foreign language film to do so. It will also be Mexico’s first victory in the Foreign Language Film category.

Rami Malek is the second actor with Egyptian heritage to be nominated at the Oscars. The first was Omar Sharif in 1962 for Lawrence of Arabia.

Richard E. Grant is the fifth actor born in Africa to be nominated for an Oscar, following Basil Rathbone, Omar Sharif, Djimon Hounsou, and Barkhad Abdi. Grant is Swazi-British. 

This is the third year in a row to have at least one Best Picture nominee centered on an LGBTQ+ character: 2016 had Moonlight, 2017 had Call Me by Your Name, and 2018 has Bohemian Rhapsody and The Favourite.