The Litvak Legacy

Mankind has always been attracted to beauty.  We can still look with admiration at great, early Egyptian art and at the unsurpassed sculpture and architecture of classical Greece.

At no time through the long passage of history has humanity not been expressed through art.  In every corner of the world, in every society, known as civilized or uncivilized, art, as an expression of that society, has flowered.

In Australia, anthropologists discovered, beneath a shaded rock shelf, a long gallery of aboriginal art, with depictions of the hunt, men and women and native animals.  The question was how old was this undiscovered art gallery?

All was revealed when one scientist noticed a now, stone like wasp’s nest covering a section of art work.  The once sandy, but now rock hard wasp nest was gently removed in total darkness, so as not to let light enter the covered section.

A tiny sample of the hidden area was removed and sent for carbon dating – the answer came back, the gallery was 60,000 years old!  Men and women had decorated their environment.

Art, in it’s vast range of expressions, has always appeared at the apex of human achievement.

It raises humanity, it does not destroy, it uplifts humanity, it does not darken, its music nourishes the soul of humanity, it does not deplete, it unites mankind, it does not separate.

Art, in every form, flourishes today, more than at any other time in history. In the past, art was exclusive; today it is inclusive and is available to anyone who decides to be involved.

One of arts greatest gifts is its ability to constantly give, its resources are infinite, it holds in trust, thousands of years of the greatest artistic talent and freely offers it to all without reserve.

Just like music, with its cornerstones, like J.S Bach, who, we are told by musicologists, is the founding father of all Western music, even the most contemporary owes is origins to Bach.

Bach’s great music still gives and gives, even when the recipient never realizes that he is the recipient of the gift. The history of art, in all its forms does exactly the same thing, great pictures not only inspire an artist, but they continue to teach and instruct with lessons in composition, perspective and balance.

Every century has had and will continue to have, its “style of the day” and art, like every thing else, is voguish, with its periods of fashion, e.g., rococo, classic, neo classic, cubist, impressionist and revivalist, all available and always ready to give.

These periods are usually seen as the birth of new ideas and as with the birth of a child, the infant, or new idea, grows and develops, until it, in turn, is overtaken by a fresh, new idea.

Art, therefore. Is a living, breathing form, constantly reborn in all its many facets

If we can imagine “art” as an allegorical figure, a curator of the world’s storehouse of music, pictures, literature, sculpture etc, we would need many more than one life time to see all she had to show us!

We may not always understand the art of our day, but it is well worth remembering that many of the great names, now revered as masters, were not accepted as such in their day, but were criticized, rejected and certainly unaccepted as artists in their day. Its worth recalling, by example, that the great Dutch painter, Van Gough, sold exactly one picture, in his lifetime!

Art constantly sets new challenges for all our five senses so let us follow our allegorical guide and welcome what she has to show us.

An artistic style, once formed, never dies, but is always present to be revisited at any time.  An example would be the French Rococo development of the Chinoiserie style with its fusion of European and Chinese style of drawing, or, how the 18th century Europeans imagined all things ‘Oriental’.

The popularity of Chinoiserie may have peaked around the middle of the eighteenth century, but its value as an arresting, artistic and interior decorative style has never waned, being constantly revisited, but, with all its formal elements preserved.

One of the outstanding French painters of Chinoiserie was  François Boucher (1703-1770)  Boucher was perhaps the most celebrated decorative artist of the 18th century, with most of his work reflecting the lush Rococo style.

The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co has commissioned lamps to be painted from a leading French porcelain painter.  The first of these beautiful lamps is a little accent lamp with an overall height of … superbly painted with “The Music Lesson”.

This style of painting, now over 250 years old, is faithfully reproduced in all its subtle detail, with its formal 18th century

elements preserved.  Here is a perfect example of art as practical, whilst remaining true to its traditional origins.

The company is currently accepting commission orders for these lamps.  There is no element of mass production, with each lamp being a unique work of art.  Please enquire.

An ambitious lawyer and the inheritor of real estate property, Harmond Wilks, has the dream of redeveloping African American Hill District in Pittsburgh. He wants to convert the neighborhood that’s in shambles into a sophisticated area with a high rise building and a chain of stores. He teams up with his friend Roosevelt Hicks, who has recently been appointed as the vice president of Mellon Bank. Both plan a redevelopment project.

During this time, Wilks decides to stand as a candidate for the post of the Mayor of Pittsburgh. But, when some dark secrets are revealed from an old mansion at Wylie, Harmond’s dreams of redevelopment and becoming a Mayor get hit badly. Will he be able to become the first black mayor of Pittsburgh? Will he be able to transform his neighborhood? Or will his black past shatter his dreams and haunt him forever?

“Radio Golf” is all about community development. It’s a story that reminds you about the responsibility of each citizen towards his community. August Wilson, in his play, wants to tell his audience that transformation of neighborhood can be achieved only when someone cares enough to take the initiative to do something about it. Once someone starts, others will follow.

“Radio Golf” is the last sequence of Wilson’s 10-play cycle, which he wrote after every decade. August Wilson has won the Pulitzer Prize and has a deep insight into African American lifestyle.

“Radio Golf” is produced by Margo Lion, Jujamcyn Theaters, Jeffrey Richards/Jerry Frankel, Fran Kirmser, Tamara Tunie, Lauren Doll, Bunting Management Group, Wonder City, Georgia Fontiere/Open Pictures, Inc. /Townsend League, Gordon Davidson, and Jack Viertel.

David Gallo, Tony Award winner, has created the sets; Susan Hiferty, who is also a Tony Award winner, has designed the costumes; Donald Holder, again a Tony Award winner, has done the lighting arrangements; and Dan Moses Schreier has given the sound effects for the play.

“Radio Golf” has humor; it has thrill and suspense; it shows the ambition of a person and how one’s past can create a conflict in one’s present life.

It is not just any other Broadway show, but a part of Wilson’s research in the African American culture. It gives a reflection of the 20th century and also tells about how fleets of ship loaded with African slaves used to dock at Virginia.

“Radio Golf” was premiered at Yale Repertory Theater in 2005. Thereafter, it was shown at the West Coast in Los Angeles, California by Mark Taper Forum. The show was produced in October 2006 by the Huntington Theater Company situated in Boston. It was again produced in 2007 by McCarter Theater. On May 8, 2007, “Radio Golf” was presented as a Broadway show in New York’s Cort Theater.

The show is a must-see, as it not only entertains, but also sends a message across the people that community will always remain at the top of the development agenda.

So, book your tickets now itself, either online, or on phone, or at the box office and have a taste of African American culture.

Criss Angel tickets are now available to be bought or sold at Stubhub.com.

With his emo haircut, dark shades and tattoos, Criss Angel looks more the part of the rock star than the man who pulls a rabbit out of a hat. But then, a rabbit out of a hat isn’t his style—it’s too simple, and not extreme enough.

Angel has capitalized on his image and unique style to craft a new kind of magic show, one that celebrates the wonder of illusion that doubtlessly inspired him as a kid, yet also combines a modern and edgy approach to entertainment that appeals to a lot of people and keeps them interested.

Magic has been around for centuries. Conjurors first began to appear in the Middle Ages, working on street corners and traveling the countryside, using simple tricks and sleight-of-hand to impress small crowds. As entertainment evolved, so did magic, eventually becoming the more elaborate art form developed in the 18th century and 19th century. Late in the 1800s, Harry Houdini cemented his position as the world’s best known magician—an honor he still holds today. His escapology and showmanship are things that Criss Angel obviously looked up to and borrowed a bit for his own shows.

The modern age of the magician is one still filled with eye-popping stunts that people have trouble believing. If anything, with the spread of education and skepticism, people are less likely to expect the amazement that comes with a great magic trick. Criss Angel has sought to restore that faith in the impossible in a grand old fashion, much in the way that Houdini did in his time. But for Angel, magic is a much more rock ‘n’ roll endeavor, more charged and energetic and a little bit dangerous.

He’s grown in fame performing live shows, and eventually secured a television show, “Mindfreak with Criss Angel.” That show increased his recognition and brought his unique brand of magic to the country. Now he’s got a regular gig performing at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Better than that, Cirque Du Soleil has teamed up with him to create a Criss Angel themed show. Get Criss Angel tickets today!

It can be really frustrating when you miss your favorite TV show, especially if you are watching a series and miss out on part of the plot. Since VCRs are now a thing of the past and a lot of people forget to set their DVRs it can be tricky to know how to watch your most loved TV shows. Fortunately thanks to the internet you never have to miss a single TV show ever again as you can now watch TV shows online.

Believe it or not you can watch all of your favorite TV shows through sites that are online. It is even possible to watch in a series of certain TV shows when you watch TV shows online. This means that you never have to try to record a TV show when you are out of the house. You can simply go online, find one of the many websites that allows you to watch TV shows online and then click to download the episode of series that you would like to watch.

It is quite surprising that the number of different TV shows that actually accessible to watch via the Internet. You don’t even have to pay for a satellite or cable subscription to benefit from the very latest episodes of the series that you love. This is one of the reasons why so many people choose to watch TV shows online.

There are thousands of people who watch TV shows online every single day for a number of different reasons. Obviously the most common reason is that they have missed an episode of a show that they would usually watch. Being able to go online and have TV shows streamed directly to your PC means that you do not have to pay for a costly satellite or cable television subscription.

Similarly, people who work strain shift patterns in their job also tend to watch TV shows online as it is the perfect way to keep up to date with the TV shows. Just think you can go online at any time of the day night and watch an episode of a TV show that has recently been broadcast on cable TV.

When you watch TV shows online via certain websites you will be able to watch the entire episode in one go. You will not have to download sections of the show and watch them in order, something which is quite annoying when you are trying to enjoy a TV show. Not only that but sometimes sections of the TV show is missing when you try to watch them using this type of method.

There are also network channel websites online which allow you to watch TV shows online which they have recently aired. However using this method means that you are pretty limited as to what shows you can watch. It is far better if you want to watch TV shows online that you find an independent website that will allow you to access shows from any network and from anywhere in the world. So if you want to catch up on TV shows and watch them online choose a good independent website and enjoy!

Actors are now jumping up the bandwagon and joining the WGA writers’ strike, to show their support for the hardworking individuals behind the scenes. These actors include our very own favorite celebrities from Smallville. Kryptonsite reports that Michael Cassidy (Grant Gabriel), John Glover (Lionel Luthor) and Phil Morris (John Jones) have already joined the strikers up at the Universal Studios lot earlier this week. Co-creator Al Gough confirmed their attendance in the demonstration.

Al Gough added that other Smallville stars are also enthusiastic about joining “the fight for [the] collective futures [of the industry, professionally speaking].” He said, “Others from the cast wanted to be there, particularly Michael Rosenbaum [who plays Lex Luthor], but the show is still in production and most of the cast lives in Vancouver . We know they were with us in spirit, as we are all in this together.”

Early last week, Gough released a statement regarding the current status of Smallville in relation to the strike. Fortunately, a total of 15 scripts were completed prior to the strike, and the 15th episode will be a cliffhanger to serve as a season ender, if needed. He added that the season may end in February, if the strike is not soon resolved.

“Screenwriting isn’t like other professions. There is no guarantee of employment week to week or year to year,” Gough explained. “It is a feast or famine business, and when the music stops, you may not still have a chair. Miles [Gough, Smallville co-creator] and I have been writing together for 15 years now. Each year I wonder if this is when it all comes crashing down.”

Moreover, he asked the fans of various shows to be understanding of the situation, citing that the writers did not want the strike, but was pushed for their own reasons.

Kryptonsite adds that only one more new episode will be airing this year, and that the rest will air early next year, depending on how long it would take to resolve the strike.

For more resources about Smallville or for the full story of Smallville Actors Join Strike, Co-Creator Discusses Show’s Status please review http://www.buddytv.com