Anne Midgette

Was that really not reviewed?!?

Kelsey is terrific. She was in Asia for a while for them too, in a bureau that may or may not now be closed.

Yes, all three arts editors are gone.

Philip Kennicott. (Thank goodness.) Also Geoff Edgers and Kelsey Ables on the reporting side.

A requiem for arts coverage I used to say I wished that newspapers would treat their arts sections the way they treated their sports sections. What I meant was that sports sections offered a balanced mix of news stories, feature...

The Washington Post has only a single arts critic left - everyone else got fired today, along with all three arts editors. (There are still a couple of excellent arts reporters.) I was so upset I dusted off my blog to have my say: annemidgette.com/blog/f/a-req...

A quote from Gertrude Stein about the uncertain feeling of writing a book

Quote of the day (from an article in the @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social) #thewriterslife

But that would end up being the most controversial part of all, constantly edited and reedited -- as we've seen from, oh, the cases of a gazillion or so prominent sexual abusers who after public exposure are defended by their friends as being "so NICE! so WARM! so generous!"

A chalkboard with the words "no ice melt" scrawled on it

It's like they knew I was going to ask… #winterstorm2026 #catlitterisnotagoodsubstitute #askmehowiknow

A print quote from a Washington Post book review

I was intensely annoyed by this sentence in a book review. One woman produced brilliant work in a tiny room; therefore we shouldn't complain that women's lives have historically been circumscribed? Wow. (The book is "One Aladdin Two Lamps" and he does like it, but jeez.) @hamiltoncain.bsky.social

Merry Christmas! I'm so sorry about your accounts. Hope all else is well this holiday season.

Black cat sitting in an Amazon box looking uncertain.

Wrapping presents is going fine, thanks for asking. Happy Christmas to all who celebrate, and peace and love to everyone in this holiday season. #catsofbluesky #christmascat #christmaspresent #happyholidays

A black cat and white cat napping in an arm chair - the black cat is looking at the camera and has his teeth slightly bared. (The white cat is sacked out.)

The cat actually smiled for the photo. #catsofbluesky

I know; I'm almost tempted. I mean, $520 is a bit steep for a mustard pot, but on the other hand it looks like a museum piece and I would have expected it to cost much more.

An ornate 18th-century silver mustard-pot with a cobalt-blue glass insert from Augsburg, Germany, for sale on eBay - it's under $600; should I consider it?

I was looking for images of 18th-century silver online as reference for my book-in-progress, and now there's an excited eBay seller out there who thinks I'm about to make an offer on a mustard-pot.

Dodger pitcher Snell stands on the mound looking slightly at a loss (from the back) after giving up home runs to the first two batters he faced.

Well, Game 5 is off to a brisk start. #worldseries #ohcanada

Night view of a now-empty stretch of the Kennedy Center terrace, where the willow trees were felled due to their age

Turns out I was right about the Kennedy Center trees (see last Skeet). It was the last administration that decided to take them down, because they were old and the root systems were affecting the structural integrity of the building. Let's see what the current administration does to replace them.

The Kennedy Center terrace at night, with four remaining trees, three with significant dead limbs reaching up into the darkness.

When I heard the @kennedycenter.bsky.social had cut down half the trees on the terrace, I was prepared to be upset - until I looked for myself after a concert on Saturday and saw how sickly the remaining trees are looking. 54 is old for a willow. Maybe it was just their time.

Black cat sitting intently staring out the window at the side of the neighbor's house.

I raised a windowblind that we usually keep closed, and the cat thinks I got him a new streaming service. #catsofbluesky #cats #easilyamused

This is amazing. And yes, I've been immersed in the Habsburg Empire of the late 18th century for the last few years, so right up my alley. I look forward to digging in.

The Myth of "Park and Bark" with Anne Midgette & Greg Sandow — Jussi Bjorling Society Thursday, September 18, 7pm - 8:30pm EST GUEST SPEAKER SERIES WEBINAR Members - FREE Non-Members - $35 Join former Washington Post chief classical music critic Anne Midgette and composer, vet...

Tonight: check out this webinar Greg Sandow and I are leading about singing actors, acting singers, and the myth that today's opera performances are better acted than those of the past. Register here: jussibjorlingsociety.org/events/midge...

Bondage Artists are, by and large, progressives. We believe in equal rights for women, civil rights for LGBTQ individuals, and fair representation on our stages. Saudi Arabia’s rulers do not, and Metropolitan...

Following up on the Met Opera and the Saudis - @voiceteachernyc.bsky.social wrote a great essay with plenty of outrage to spare. blog.liberatedvoice.studio/bondage/

😂😂😂 Actual lol - love that show.

Donations compensate, but there's a fundamental difference when, for instance, all the employees of an opera house are full-time government employees on government-scale salaries, as they are in Germany. That gives a security & freedom from having to chase an audience that no US house can match.

Doug McLennan once said criticism should be like a watering-hole, where people with different opinions can gather. I quote that all the time. It's not about thumbs up/down, but sparking discussion. We know there's not one "right" opinion about art; why pretend that's what criticism should offer?

"The Jeff Bezos Grand Tier." As the Met contracts with Amazon Prime for its streaming services. It's so plausible it might be true already 🤪

The Met Opera Turns to Saudi Arabia to Help Solve Its Financial Woes

So the Metropolitan Opera can castigate Anna Netrebko and get on its high horse about Ukraine -- and then get in bed with the Saudis? And at this point it seems everyone is too punch-drunk even to be outraged.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/a...

Violinist with Banana Bow

chatgpt.com/s/m_689bc1df...

Not sure if this will come through. ChatGPT struggled.

A piece of peach-blueberry-cherry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a ceramic plate

Peak August, unlocked. (No, I didn't bake it, but I bought it at the local orchard, which has its own virtues.)

🤣🤣🤣❤️🍌

Thanks for letting me know. I reported one yesterday - hope it was the same one...