(HOME)
EGYPTOMANIA
IN THE NEWS
2008 January-June
(notes on the persistent influence of ancient
Egypt on popular culture, fine arts, and other current events)
(Current)see also:
Egyptomania in the News (Current)
Egyptomania in the News 2008 July-December
Egyptomania in the
News 2007
Egyptomania in the
News 2000-2006
Egyptomania in the
News 1970-1999
Current
Egyptomania
Lectures/Exhibits
The Quotable Egyptian
Revival
(please
note
that external links
are not kept updated and that newly-posted stories may appear with
earlier dates)
updated 8 July 2008
2008 January-June
30 June
The crew of the Osiris A won the intermediate eights event at the Henley Women's Regatta.
Henley Standard
29 June
In Alabama: "The rear entryway of the Gadsden Museum of Art and History is being transformed into an Egyptian tomb."
Gadsden Times
29 June
Big Fish Games has released Ancient Quest of Saqqarah, an online puzzle game. By solving puzzles, players thwart the god Set's attempts to escape from his tomb.
PC Magazine-Mideast
28 June
The Egyptian pyramids will be featured among the decorated boats
representing UNESCO World Heritage sites at the Rideau Canal Festival
in Ontario.
The Tribune
27 June
Mentioned in passing is that photographer Patrick French's new exhibit
at the Malta Arts Festival is "The New Eye Of Osiris, the theme of
which is boatyards and boats."
Times of Malta
27 June
The Russians have suggested sending a mission in 2012 to an asteroid
that could collide with the Earth. The asteroid is called Apophis, a
name which derives "from Egyptian mythology, where Apophis, or Apep the
Destroyer, is the god of evil and destruction characterized as a
serpent dwelling in eternal darkness."
Novosti
The Inquirer
26 June
Noted is the name of an upcoming NASA mission "to return samples of organic materials from an asteroid to help
scientists understand how the building blocks for life may have been
seeded on the early Earth": OSIRIS.
CNN
26 June
The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas is donating the "artifacts" from the King Tut Museum to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.
Fox 5
News 3
26 June
A feature story about the author's experience with some beans purportedly descended from ones found in Tutankhamun's tomb.
Christian Science Monitor
25 June
One of the works by the sculptor Skunk, currently on display at Space 242 in Boston,
Massachusetts, is called Hathor, "a creature of welded steel."
Somerville Journal
25 June
Cobequid Educational Centre in Truro, Nova Scotia held an Egyptian-themed prom.
Truro Daily News
23 June
Among artist Tom Johnson's many wooden carvings is a statue of Anubis, which "serves as a scratching post for his cat."
The World (Coos Bay, Oregon)
23 June
A reviewer described as a "turn off" this part of the Divination art
show in London's Brunswick Gallery: "the video piece consisting of TV
sets piled up on each other showing a
constant stream of the text of Egyptian mythological stories over
frantic jump cuts to a sound track of loud rock music."
Londonist
23 June
Will Eisner's The Spirit issue no. 18, published by DC Comics, features Egyptian mummies.
Hero Sandwich
22 June
Noted in passing: "In 2005, comedian Keith Jensen started panhandling with cardboard signs
near highway off ramps, sometimes wearing costumes (including a banana
suit and a mummy with 'Please Help God Bless' written in
hieroglyphics)..."
Examiner (Portland ME)
22 June
Noted in an event review: at the Sol Rouge Winery (of the California
Napa Valley) is "a decorative pillar with the Egyptian sun god Ra on
it."
Lake County News
20 June
Two of furniture designer Peter Alexander's new lamps seem to be of at least vaguely pharaonic inspiration.
San Francisco Chronicle
20 June
"It was hardly the best moment for a bombshell. As Alistair Darling
expatiated on financial stability in his Mansion House address, all
around him in the ornate Egyptian Hall his elite audience was learning
via BlackBerries that the top Bank of England official charged with
ensuring that stability was to quit."
Financial Times
19 June
One of the popular prints in the line of summer scarves by Lala Berlin is the "Egyptian Pattern," reported to be a "must-have."
Fibre2Fashion
18 June
Professional skateboarder Danny Way plans "to ride down the side of the
Luxor hotel’s pyramid [in Las Vegas] into a mega ramp that will
launch him over the Sphinx statue."
5ones
17 June
Review of an exhibit of works by French painter Augustin Lesage
(1876-1954), whose work--reportedly done not by the artist but by
spirits working through him--included Egyptian motifs.
Bloomberg.com
17 June
Fashion note: "Georgina Chapman has been musing about treating her mom to a cruise
down the Nile on the Oberoi Zahra. 'I was becoming obsessed about it,'
she said on Monday. And since there's no better way to work through
such an obsession than fashion, it's not surprising that her Marchesa
collection is all about the Egyptian goddess, often in lovely white
dresses spiffed up with gold."
Women's Wear Daily
17 June
"If you've ever had a second-grader in Stafford County, you have helped
with the 'Egyptian Project.' This always seems to come at the end of
the year when I am the least ambitious regarding school projects." (See the link for the rest of this essay.)
The Free-lance Star
15 June
Pyramids are being used to prevent traffic accidents in Nagpur, India.
The Star
13 June
Artist Andy Padre plans to enter an "Egyptian-themed, MetroCard-maritime
entourage, with elaborate headdresses, chest plates and fans," made
from MetroCards, in the upcoming Mermaid Parade at Coney Island, New
York.
New York Times
13 June
An article describes the interior of the Yucca Theater in Midland, Texas: "ornate wall carvings and Egyptian-style designs that line the ceiling and walls [...] golden bulls that stick out from the high walls near the stage,
and the bold-colored ceiling designs that look as if they've hardly
faded from the theater's opening [...] Points of the intricate Assyrian and Egyptian designs are
starting to fade, including the fabric covering the wall about halfway
up that likely was more of a white color than the beige it is today."
My West Texas
13 June
In Attleboro, Massachusetts, visitors have voted, by a slim margin, to name the Capron Park Zoo's white lion "Ramses."
Sun Chronicle
13 June
Cheryl E. Kemeny's musical Cleopatra: A Life Unparalleled will be performed in Manhattan.
Broadway World
June (undated)
Regarding the Laurence Olivier Awards, the runner up for the "Most Bizarre Acceptance Speech" in years past is "Brazilian
choreographer Deborah Colker, who accepted her award with what appeared
to be a spontaneous, unintelligible, piece of performance art involving
a pharaoh and a penguin."
Official London Theatre
12 June
Kenny Hopkins, a senior at South Kingstown High School (Rhode Island),
has painted a mural behind the desk of the school resource officer:
"The image is of a man in the desert, walking away from a Sphinx. | 'It
is Moses leaving Egypt. He is walking out of his comfort zone and into
the unknown,' said [School Resource Officer Montafix] Houghton, who
uses the story to help kids understand
that their greatest achievements will come when they do things they do
not think they can do."
South County Independent
12 June
Due in stores this coming September: Ankh: The Curse of the Scarab King, for the Nintendo video game system.
Nintendic
11 June
Years ago, the bed from the film Cleopatra was reportedly purchased for the Hotel San Diego in San Diego, California.
San Diego Reader
11 June
Bromley High School in Brickley (U.K.) had an ancient Egypt day.
Bromley Times
11 June
EgyptAir has redesigned its "Horus" logo.
PR-inside (text in German)
11 June (undated)
At Cowan's Americana auction (15 March), held in Cincinnati, Ohio, a
pair of Egyptian Revival candelabra, made between 1862 and 1877 by
Rogers, Smith & Co., realized $9,200. "The figural standards showed
full-bodied male Egyptians in royal attire."
Maine Antique Digest
11 June
The head of Nefertiti graces one of the Royal Ontario Museum's new bicycle racks.
National Post
The Star
10 June
"In a series of three small bronze
sculptures from 2004 titled 'Telemones,' [Dutch sculptor Hanneke] Beaumont
fuses upper portions of a human figure with obelisks, which
represented the sun god Ra in ancient Egyptian architecture. | Because Beaumont's obelisks are somewhat generalized
in form, they imply a looser interpretation rather than a
reference to a specific deity."
The Plain Dealer
10 June
"We named the bigger one [of two heifers] Cleopatra and the smaller one
Nefertiti (and for the record, I wish to assure Michelle Milken that
these names are not indicative of some Middle Eastern terrorist plot on
our part). | I have put out a feeler that perhaps we could change
Nefertiti's name to Heifertiti, but at this point in time the idea is
lacking traction."
Herald-Mail
9 June
When asked what period of time she would most like to visit, perfumer Camille Goutal replied the era of Nefertiti and Nefertari.
Basenotes
6 June
Exterior restoration of the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia will be
completed in time for the building's 135th anniversary in September.
After this, the interior, including the Egyptian Hall, will be dealt
with.
Philadelphia Inquirer
6 June
"Don't ask me why, but some people think
it's odd to see a couple of women lugging a life-size mummy in a big
black coffin through a crowded restaurant parking lot in broad daylight
in the middle of May." (The rest of this essay explains the scene and what led up to it.)
Contra Costa Times
5 June
Sixth-grader Halley Tucker entered a drawing of a canopic jar into her school's student art show.
Fallbrook Village News
5 June
Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra (1963) made Empire Magazine's list of Best Dressed Characters.
Perth Now
4 June
The jewelry worn by Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (1963) will be displayed in the upcoming "Queens of Egypt" exhibition.
redOrbit
4 June
"The badge on the fin of the [Royal Air Force] Hawk [T MkI] dates from the 1930s when 208 Squadron
was serving in the Middle East. The wings denote flight, whilst the eye
is that of the Egyptian god, Horus."
Whitehaven News
4 June
Mention that the computer component manufacturer Hiper offers a computer tower called Osiris.
Big Bruin Tech News and Reviews
4 June
Age of Empire: Mythologies will allow players to control the Egyptian, Greek, or Norse pantheons.
Computer & Video Games
Vooks
4 June
Anubis II, ranked the #1 worst game for a Wii by a previous reviewer on May 21 makes another reviewer's top seven list at #2.
GamePro
4 June
Mentioned in a review of the Gustav Klimt exhibit at the Tate
Liverpool: "Perhaps the game was up with Gustav Klimt as a serious
artist when
Barbra Streisand commissioned a gold hieroglyphic dress based on one of
his portraits. It marked the point when owning a Klimt became the
ultimate accessory, to be hoarded and displayed." (See also 2 June.)
Guardian
4 June
The success of its "pyramid" coin (see 6 December 2007) has prompted the Isle of Man to mint three more Egyptianizing coins, inspired by objects from Tutankhamun's tomb.
IOM Today
4 June
Two British schools feature Egyptian pageants.
Watton and Swaffham Times
Weston & Somerset Mercury
3 June
The Land of the Pharaohs (1955) will be shown at the Anthology theater in New York City.
Village Voice
3 June
The giant statue of Anubis that was towed up the Thames last year (see 1 October 2007) is temporarily serving as the mascot of the Austrian football (soccer) team.
Suedkurier (text in German)
Canadian Press
3 June
The Egyptian god Atum appears as a member of a team of heroes led by Hercules in a new comic from Marvel.
Comic Book Bin
3 June
Cleotronica 08, "a context responsive festival for media, art, and
socio-culture," as as its logo "Cleopatra’s infamous profile
embedded in a circuit board." (The logo can be seen at the second link.)
The National
Artipedia - Art News
3 June
Recognition of an "Egyptian pendant" stolen from an 81-year-old woman
proved to be the clue that ultimately alerted authorities to hundreds
of thousands of dollars worth of stolen jewelry at a pawn shop.
Baltimore Sun
2 June
Mentioned in passing: one of the vendors present at a watersports "party" is Osiris Shoes. (Egyptomania.org notes that on the vendor's home page the featured footwear is called "The Corpse.")
Wakeboarder
2 June
Chris Kramer designed and fashioned an Egyptian Revival tower for his PC. (Egyptomania.org is envious, even if the components are for a PC and not a Mac.)
GearLog
Valhalla Arms
2 June
A DVD of late 1930s Three Stooges films has been released, including We Want Our Mummy.
Obsessed With Film
2 June
That painter Gustav Klimt was influenced by, among other things, Egyptian tomb paintings is mentioned.
The Independent
1 June
"Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear is the guest soloist when
the National Arts Centre Orchestra gives a rare performance of Saint-Saëns'
exotic Piano Concerto No. 5, composed amid the ancient splendours of Egyptian
temples."
OttawaStart
31 May
The New York City Opera will stage Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra next January.
TheaterMania
31 May
A look at the 19th century artist Richard Dadd, who returned from a
trip to Egypt insane. He killed his father because he heard the god
Osiris tell him to.
Telegraph
31 May
In the old city morgue in Boston, built in 1929 and now serving as a health clinic for the homeless,
"Two sphinxes guard the stairs that once led down to the refrigerated
storage drawers, standing sentry over the dead as if the morgue were a
pharaoh's tomb."
Boston Globe
30 May
Actress Kim Cattrall, of Sex and the City fame, says that her "dream role would be portraying Cleopatra. 'I
played the character when I was 41 and wondered if I could play a woman
that sexual.'"
PhilllyBurbs
30 May
Maryl Morris draws from myth, including Egyptian imagery, for her sculptural ceramics
Epoch Times
30 May
A review of a production of the Elton John/Tim Rice rock opera Aida.
Seattle Times
30 May
A description of the Beirut National Museum: "The graceful neo-pharaonic style building of
Lebanese ochre limestone gives no hint of its closing and devastation,
its renovation and reopening."
ObserverCyprus
30 May
A Cleopatra-inspired dress earned 16-year-old Jandelle Jack a spot
among four finalists in a Shakespeare-themed fashion competition in New
Zealand.
Stuff.co.nz
29 May
The name of the Alicante Nudist Association is "Osiris."
TypicallySpanish.com
29 May
A Malaysian home decor shop, Artistic Home, caters to "collectors and
those partial to decorative items with an 'aged' feel." Egyptian
reproductions are among the offerings.
The Star
28 May
Patricia Field, stylist for Sex and the City,
describes her own personal style as "Cleopatra." Field says, "Because
she was here over 2,000 years ago and we are still talking about her
and have an image of her."
Vogue
28 May
An Egyptian-themed Lego display in Meaford, Ontario.
Meaford Express
28 May
Another story on the upcoming film Agora, this one featuring a local street transformed into a Roman-Era Egyptian market.
Times of Malta
27 May
A list of 1980s hip-hop motifs back in vogue today includes "Nefertiti emblems."
Black Voices
25 May
Two
peregrine falcons nesting on the Macomb County Administration Building
in Mt. Clemens, Michigan are named Hathor and... Nick. Nick drove off
Hathor's former mate, Horus.
Freep.com
25 May
In passing: the cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas has an Egyptian-themed solarium.
Sydney Morning Herald
25 May
For its summer Luxe fashion collection, asos.com looked to Cleopatra and Art Deco for inspiration.
PR-inside
24 May
A description of Cher, making her entrance at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas: "Her
golden chariot might as well have been a time capsule, because when she
stepped out in a blindingly sparkly gold lamé cape and an Egyptian
headdress with an asp, she could have been 22 again." Bob Mackie designed the costume.
Salt Lake Tribune
23 May
(It belatedly comes to the attention of Egyptomania.org that the television series Lost
has been featuring Egyptian hieroglyphs. The first link below leads to
a mention of them in a review of a recent episode, the second, to
a blog from 28 April, with an illustration and commentary.)
Houston Chronicle
Doc Arzt & Friends' Lost Blog
23 May
Katrina Rivers's garden in Los Angeles has some ancient Egyptian touches.
Philly.com
23 May
There is a fan-produced online video series entitled Star Trek: Osiris. There is a casting call.
Detroit News
23 May
This
article describes the origin of the logo for the avant-garde Black
Cat Café in Ottawa. "'I went back to the origins of Art
Deco, which is Egyptian art,' he
[designer Neville Smith] says. 'I took the Egyptian cat symbol. When I
put the two together face
to face, it all seemed to fall into place.'"
Ottawa Citizen
22 May
Students at the Bishop Michael Eldon Primary School in Freeport, the Bahamas, presented an outdoor Egyptian pageant.
Freeport News
21 May
Number one on the list of the top five worst games for the Wii is Anubis II.
The Wire
21 May
A reviewer invokes the myth of Isis and Osiris as a metaphor for an author, her husband, and her memoir.
San Antonio Current
21 May
A review of "a hot spot specializing in cool jazz and casual Mediterranean food" in Manhattan called Cleopatra's Needle.
City Guide New York
21 May
A review of a production of Bill Russell and Henry Krieger's Sideshow, which includes choreographer Michelle "Pietri’s hilarious dancing spoof of
’30s Egyptomania [which] demonstrates the fun of walking like a (conjoined)
Egyptian..."
San Antonio Current
20 May
Forty couples will marry in the Pharaonic Wedding Festival, to be held
at Karnak in October. Brides are encouraged to dress after the ancient
fashion. (Egyptomania.org asks: what about the grooms?)
HolidayHypermarket
20 May
Another brief item on the upcoming film Agora, mentioned several times previously, with a photograph of an enormous outdoor set constructed on Malta for the movie.
Times of Malta
19 May
For the filming of The Chopping Block,
an Australian realty television series, the three Egyptian-themed
murals were "insulted" and two were removed from the walls of Morris's
Egyptian Restaurant. The owner of the restaurant, who did not want the
murals touched, claims that subsequent mishaps to the show's cast are
the result of a curse.
Adelaide Now
19 May
Noted in passing is that, in the late 1940s, Romanian surrealist artist
Victor Brauner (1903-1966) drew from Egypt for inspiration.
Artline.ro
19 May
Further news on the Tutankhamun-inspired bust of Oprah by sculptor Daniel Edwards (first noted here 18 April), including two variations (one of which, Egyptomania.org duly notes, gives the appearance that Oprah is wearing a solar disk).
Culture Kiosque
18 May
For the first time, the Smithsonian Institution is allowing its museum to be used as a movie set, in this case for Night at the Museum 2: Escape from the Smithsonian in which a pharaoh's mummy (among other figures) comes to life.
NBC4
18 May
Paulo Coelho's bestselling novel The Alchemist, in which an Andalusian shepherd boy travels across North Africa to Egypt in search of treasure, will be made into a movie.
The Press Association
indieWire
Variety
Telegraph
18 May
Noted in passing is the former existence of a Vaudeville act called "Anatomy and Cleopatra."
New York Times
18 May
Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mount
Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts, which features an Egyptian
Revival gateway and other Egyptian motifs, has a new visitors center.
Boston.com
17 May
Canada's "only licensed Lego certified professional" will build a large
replica of the Sphinx out of the plastic blocks in Owen Sound, Ontario.
The Sun Times
17 May
Comedian Eddie Izzard related the history of the world, from the Ice Age to present, against an Egyptian tomb backdrop.
Chicago Sun-Times
16 May
A sphinx is among the structures saved from demolition after a car
dealership purchased a former miniature golf range in Tucson, Arizona.
Vancouver Sun
16 May
A new downloadable game is called "The Curse of the Pharaoh: The Quest for Nefertiti," set in 1930s Egypt.
GamersHell.com
15 May
In this interview, Zahi Hawass discusses, among other things, Egypt's
attempt to copyright its antiquities, most recently mentioned here 15 January.
Marketplace/National Public Radio
15 May
A fashion reviewer's remark on the new designs by Leon Max: "The
Egyptian cut out necklines featured on dresses and tops have that
fashion forward, red carpet glam."
The Star
15 May
A new downloadable game is called "Empire of the Gods": "Be whisked
back in time, several centuries ago to Ancient Egypt [...] Work your
way up from a small
tribe to a flourishing Empire along the Nile."
GamersHell.com
14 May
There
are allegations that Annapolis (Maryland) Alderwoman Julie
Stankivic has claimed to be the reincarnation of an Egyptian princess.
The alderwoman has refused to comment, but in a pastel portrait she
"wears a long white dress, a wide, decorative collar and bare feet.
She is seated in an ornate chair, scepter on her lap, hieroglyphics all
around."
Baltimore Sun
14 May
German composer Matthias Pintscher's Osiris had debuted in the United Kingdom.
The Independent
14 May
A review of the Gemini Soul's jazz album The Nefertiti Xperience.
The Tempest
13 May
Mentioned in passing is the existence of "the award-winning [cell phone game] Call of the Pharaoh, which requires mobile game
players to assist one another in the building of their individual
pyramids."
Web Wire
12 May
A review of the current Portland Opera production of Aida, including costumes and sets.
Oregon Live
12 May
A new Egyptian-themed PC game is available for Windows machines: Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb.
Detroit News
12 May
"The semi-derelict Egyptian Halls, designed by
Alexander 'Greek' Thomson in the
mid-1800s and dominating Glasgow's Union Street, will undergo a Ł5m
clean-up and refurbishment before being marketed as a retail or office
development."
The Herald
11 May
At Rock Garden in Ranchi, India, one can visit a "a horror show based on an Egyptian theme," mentioned in passing here.
Telegraph (Calcutta)
11 May
Designer Kristine Irving recalls a childhood project: "When I was 12, I drew Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky, on the
wall above my bed in magic marker. I skipped school that day. My mom
came home to find the goddess and full-on hieroglyphics in blue, red,
and gold."
Boston.com
9 May
The title of Cirque du Soleil's KŔ Theatre "is inspired by the ancient Egyptian belief in the 'ka,' an invisible
spiritual duplicate of the body that accompanies every human being
throughout this life and into the next. That concept also is reflected
in the show’s visual signature, which evokes the central theme of
duality as personified by the twins and the symbolic use of fire."
Webwire
9 May
While working for the World Bank in America during the 1960s, Stanley
Johnson (father of the current Mayor of London) "caused consternation
when he put out a memo saying that the purpose of
a loan to Egypt was to build several additional pyramids at Giza, and
perhaps another Sphinx, to draw more tourists." It was issued, of
course, on April 1st.
Daily Mail
9 May
Robert W. Nudelman, whose architectural preservation efforts included
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Los Angles, has died at the age of 52.
Los Angles Times
8 May
One of the San Diego (California) gardens of designer Trish Kidd is called the Ruins. Here "a statue of the
winged Greek goddess Nike rises up from a half-circle fountain that
stands in front of 20-foot Egyptian doors, flanked by weathered pillars."
Signs on San Diego
8 May
Egyptianesque/Art Deco influences can be found in the design of the "Shabaka" wristwatch by Jean Dunand.
Wrist Dreams
7 May
Hillary Clinton's election night party (for the Indiana
Democratic primary) was held in the Egyptian Room of the Murat Shrine
Temple. A reporter remarks: "
The surroundings were incongruously exotic for a presidential campaign
which
has chosen to pitch itself to the values of 'six-pack Joes' and white
working class America. The Murat Shrine Temple in Indianapolis, which
was chosen as a venue for the rally last night, is a piece of
architecture
decorated with pharaohs and Islamic symbols that can best be described
as 'mock-Mosque.'"
The Times (London)
6 May
An attendee describes, briefly, two Egyptian-themed Kentucky Derby
balls: one held at the Radisson in Lexington, the other at Donamire
Farm. (The latter was mentioned here, in preparation, 29 April.)
Online Casino Sphere
4 May
The 1932 film The Mummy is one of a set of new British postage stamps honoring classic horror movies.
The Times (London)
4 May
A "Queen of Pyramids" online gambling game paid out the equivalent of
almost $450,000 to a gambler from Norway. The game "uses a wild King
Tut symbol, which substitutes for any other symbol."
Online Casino Sphere
3 May
The Con Jones in Vancouver, British Columbia has 1920s Egyptian Revival lighting fixtures. (A 26 April story also featured this house.)
National Post
2 May
Seventh graders from a private school in Iowa won an international toy
design competition with "Find King Tut," a game in which the players
must answer science questions, which advance them through a pyramid, to
locate Tutankhamun.
ZWire
2 May
A review of a women's social event at the Colombo (Sri Lanka) Hilton
remarks particularly on a piece of jewelry worn by one of the
attendees: "the pendent in the form of Nefertiti's head in
gold with lacquer work on it from Egypt was Sicille Kotalawela's choice
to wear with a thread embroidered saree in caramel worked in red roses
and green leaves."
Daily Mirror
2 May
"Legendary garage punk band The Mummies have been convinced to reform for their first show in 15 human years." (Egyptomania.org recommends following this link, if only for the photograph of the four very lively mummies...)
Wired
1 May
In his youth, football (soccer) player Avram Grant "was known by school
friends as 'The Sphinx' because his facial expressions gave so little
away."
Daily Mail
1 May
An exhibit of works of the late designer Ettore Sottsass will include
his famous Nefertiti desk, a photograph of which is featured in the
article.
Design Week
undated April
From a description of a "making of" DVD that accompanied the press kit for the release of singer Danielle de Niese's CD, Handel Arias: "the video clip of her cavorting at Glyndebourne as Cleopatra. Pay no
attention to the battleships and Zeppelins—if Cleopatra wants
Zeppelins, Zeppelins she shall have, that's my attitude."
Stereophile
30 April
One of quilt artist Debbie Gallas's works "showed Egyptian women
playing catch with an object. Gallas said it was based on hieroglyphics
found in a 5,000-year-old tomb near Cairo."
InsideBayArea
30 April
This year's Bologna Book Fair features Egypt as its guest nation of
honor. Replica and actual artifacts, celebrating Akhenaten, Nefertiti,
and Tutankhamun, lend an Egyptomania air to the event.
SwissInfo
30 April
A brief article about Kamut, a brand of a variety of wheat which, in
decades past, was (falsely) reported as having been obtained from an
ancient Egyptian tomb. (See also 27 April.)
The Repository (Canton, Ohio)
30 April
The pyramid-inspired Raffles Dubai retort is set to open later in the year.
AME Info
29 April
This year's Kentucky Derby Ball, to be held at Donamire Farm, will have
an ancient Egyptian theme, complete with hieroglyphic wallpaper and an
8-foot King Tut mask.
Lexington Herald-Leader
29 April
(Egyptomania.org is not certain that this pertains to ancient Egypt, but:) One of the songs to be featured in the upcoming Bollywood film Kucheludu takes place on a set of Egyptian inspiration.
India Glitz
29 April
A toy review site notes that the British Museum is selling a plush version of its famous Middle Kingdom faience hippopotamus.
Baby Gadget
29 April
The Florida Grand Opera's current production of Handel's opera Julius
Caesar has apparently been given (at least in part) a British colonial
setting and costumes, but as the photograph shows, Cleopatra's hair and
makeup remain identifiably Egyptian.
Miami Herald
28 April
The virtual world of Second Life now has a temple of Amun that "tourists" can visit.
SLNN.com
28 April
Geocaching--an activity that requires participants to find caches
(hidden objects) by means of a global positioning system (GPS)--has
taken an Egyptian twist. "One cache in Corvallis [Oregon] requires the searcher to
enter a store, walk like an egyptian [sic] and say 'the Pharaoh sent me' to
reveal the cache."
Gazette Times
27 April
A Spanish-built yacht, christened the Nefertiti in 1973 but now known as the Absinthe, is for sale.
Superyacht Times
27 April
An incident of years past, mentioned in passing: "[Bob] Quinn was
introduced to khorasan wheat in junior high school, when someone was
passing out the kernels at the Chouteau County Fair. | 'He called it
King Tut's wheat and said it was found in a stone box in Egypt near a
tomb,' Quinn said." (Quinn
rightly acknowledges that this claim is fiction. Note too that the
brand of wheat discussed in the news article is named Kamut, has an
Egyptian derivation, though this is not discussed.)
Great Falls Tribune
26 April
An article about the set of the upcoming film Agora, most recently mentioned here 23 April.
First Showing
26 April
The Con Jones house in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada) will be
featured in an historical house tour. The decor includes several 1920s
Egyptian Revival lighting fixtures.
Vancouver Sun
25 April
A natural rock formation known unofficially as the "Sphinx of Dartmoor"
on account of its resemblance to the Great Sphinx at Giza, is the
subject of a petition by several British walkers' associations.
24Dash
25 April
The Egyptian and Babylonian Halls of the British Museum are featured in a new PC game, Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis.
Gaming Excellence
25 April
Students at South East Essex College (U.K.) have created Egyptian-inspired fashions.
Echo-News
26 April
The Tutankhamun-inspired Oprah Burial Mask (previously mentioned here 18 April) is up for bid on eBay.
Art News
eBay
24 April
Chinese tourists are visiting Egypt in greater numbers.
Egypt State Information Service
24 April
Brief preview of the PC game Ancient Quest of Saqqarah, in which the player's goal is to restore the temples of the gods.
GamersHell.com
23 April
Review of the PC game Riddle of the Tomb, set in Cleopatra's Egypt.
Inside Pulse
23 April
Brief article--with a photograph of the set--about the movie Agora being filmed on Malta (most recently reported on here 20 March).
Times of Malta
22 April
Noted in passing of commentator and journalist William F. Buckley, Jr.:
"Bill really prepared to die when [his wife] Pat died less than a year
earlier; her
public memorial tribute in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, surrounded
by Egyptian mummy cases, was the first time among friends he could not
speak."
Catholic Online
22 April
Review of the San Jose (California) production of Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute.
Mercury News
21 April
Previous rumors about the upcoming Transformers movie--reported to involve Egypt and the Egyptian Room of the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia--are now reported to be false. (See reports here 11 March and 17 March.)
Tformers
21 April
At this year's Spring Carnival at Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Alumni's Choice for best booth went to
Kappa Alpha Theta's "Theta Discovers Egyptian Tomb: Excavation Begins."
In keeping with this year's theme of "Extra! Extra! Read All About
it!," Kappa Alpha Theta featured "the invention of papyrus and the
discovery of the Rosetta Stone in its ancient Egyptian pyramid booth."
The Tartan
21 April
Mentioned in passing: there is a comic-book superhero named Zein, described as a "time-traveling pharaoh."
Kipp Report
21 April
Australian sculptor Peter Little was inspired by ancient Egypt.
Macedon Ranges Leader
21 April
At a recent Sotheby's sale of Greek art, Yiannis Spyropoulos's painting Cleopatra "fetched Ł132,500 against an estimate of Ł40,000-60,000; a new record for the artist."
Art Daily
20 April
Mentioned in passing: "Andrea Lucia of Northfield [New Hampshire] is a quiltmaker who recently sold a piece
with an Egyptian theme that is on display in the Museum of Modern Art
in New York."
Citizen of Laconia
20 April
Mentioned in passing: a shade of blue in the Jessica Custom Colour Nail Enamel line is called "King Tut's Blue."
Times
20 April
Many paintings by the late artist Amalia Rothschild's bear titles "drawn from mythology and ancient Egyptian themes."
Baltimore Sun
19 April
Osiris, a "troubled nightclub" in the vicinity of Fort Collins Colorado, has had its liquor license revoked.
Coloradoan
19 April
Premiering 25 April at the Egyptian Theatre in Ogden, Utah: "'King Tut: the Musical' was
written by Utah writer-composer Tedi Tuttle Wixon and Jason, her
17-year-old son, and features The Egyptian Band. It's the story of the
boy pharaoh who married and died young, but that doesn't mean the rich
Egyptian didn't have big dreams."
Salt Lake Tribune
18 April
Iris Burton, who played one of the Egyptian dancers in The Ten Commandments (1956) has died at the age of 77.
New York Times
18 April
Artist Jane Hammond's "most recent work, 'Spells and Incantations,' is a life-sized
self-portrait featuring her as a 3-D Egyptian mummy."
Daily Camera
18 April
The Tutankhamun exhibition in Chicago last year inspired artist Daniel
Edwards to create The Oprah Death Mask and write The Oprah Sarcophagus.
Says the artist: "Standing before the burial mask of King Tut’s
great-grandmother when
it was displayed in Philadelphia, I finally understood how the creation
of an object could be the act of preparing for a better place. It
inspired me to create such an object."
California Newswire
17 April
Will Smith's upcoming film The Last Pharaoh, about the Nubian pharaoh Taharqa (reported her 23 March), serves as a springboard for a political essay about ancient and modern circumstances in the Levant.
The Jewish Daily Forward
16 April
A review of the San Diego production of Verdi's opera Aida.
North County Times
15 April
One of the acts in the Carson and Barnes Circus is "the pharaoh and his mummies," an acrobatic troupe.
Demopolis Times
15 April
Mentioned in an interview: in her new book, The Woman I Am, actress and singer Helen Reddy claims that, in a former life, Elvis Presley was King Tut.
Miami Herald
14 April
A review of the production of Aida staged by the San Diego Opera (California).
Signs on San Diego
13 April
Singer Erykah Badu's new album, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), features " monologues in Kemetic, the phonetic version of hieroglyphic Egyptian."
The Flintshire Standard
13 April
The first wine of the 2007 harvest at Eikendal has been dubbed "Cleopatra's Wedding Present."
The Times (South Africa)
13 April
Fox Animation has optioned the rights to produce a film based on The Anubis Tapestry: Between Twilights, a middle-grade novel by Bruce Zick.
Variety
10 April
An interview with the designer for the production of Aida being staged in Omaha, Nebraska by Opera Omaha.
Sioux City Journal
10 April
A review of the production of Aida staged at Villanova University.
The Villanovan
9 April
The China Moon Champagne Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Dubai boasts a "giant pharaoh head guarding the stairway."
International Herald Tribune
8 April
An Israeli company, Ahava, is collecting and selling mud from the Dead
Sea as a beauty product, under the name Cleopatra's Choice.
WalletPop
8 April
Among the items to be included in the upcoming Chess Collector's
International Biennial Auction is "an exotic Egyptian carved ivory
'Pharaoh' figural set."
Ecommwire
8 April
Tutenstein: The Movie is in the works.
The Hollywood Reporter
8 April
Toronto's much anticipated new museum subway station, complete with an "Osiris Pilaster," has been unveiled. (For earlier stories, see 23 January 2008 and 23 December 2007.)
CNW
Metro
8 April
Model Kate Moss has spent, it is alleged, Ł90,000 on a diamond
and platinum ring, variously described as "based on the Egyptian symbol
for long life" and "encrusted with diamonds and an Egyptian symbol."
OK! Magazine
Holy Moly
7 April
Randy Michaels "a former radio chief for Clear Channel Communications
[...] once arrived at a radio broadcasters' conference carried on a
litter and dressed in the garb of an Egyptian pharaoh to underscore in
a speech how powerful consolidation would prove for radio."
Wall Street Journal
7 April
In his high school years, 36-year-old Marc Ecko, "chairman and founder
of Marc Ecko Enterprises, a New
York-based company made up of clothing lines such as G-Unit and Zoo
York, retail stores, skateboards and media properties," airbrushed
portraits of Nefertiti (and other notables) on his classmates' clothing
"for a fee."
Adweek
7 April
Danza Academy will stage a production of The Prince of Egypt, adapted from the DreamWorks animated film.
Gibraltar News
7 April
Popular since London Fashion Week in February is a "Nefertiti disc necklace" by Jaeger.
Telegraph
7 April
Ankh 2: The Heart of Osiris is a new Egyptian-themed game for the Mac.
Inside Mac Games
6 April
Singer Myleene Klass dressed as Cleopatra, complete with an elaborate
sequined crown, for her "fancy dress" 30th birthday party in London.
The Sun
OK!
6 April
A brief review of the "kitsch and class" of the London Tutankhamun exhibit.
Dallas News
6 April
Charlton Heston, whose cinema credits include The Ten Commandments and Antony and Cleopatra, has died at the age of 84.
Washington Post
Chicago Tribune
5 April
At the Tech Mud Bog, an annual event of the New Mexico Tech Off Road
Club, one of the entrants was a modified 1930s Dodge truck called the
"King Tut."
El Defensor Chieftain
5 April
Among the past Annual BMW Innovations (an April Fool's Day feature) has
been "The 'Toot and Calm Horn' (after Tutankhamun), which calms rather
than
aggravates other drivers, so reducing the risk of road rage."
Independent
5 April
A review of last year's release, Return of the Ghostbusters, which features the Amulet of Anubis as the source of paranormal terror.
Geeks of Doom
5 April
A look inside the "spiritual group" Summum, founded by a man who changed his name to Summum Bonum Amon Ra. Summum has a 26-foot-tall "pyramid sanctuary" and practices mummification.
Salt Lake Tribune
4 April
The wall surrounding New Haven's Grove Street Cemetery continues to
cause problems for Yale University's expansion plans. The wall has an
Egyptian Revival gate but, says Yale Egyptologist John Darnell, "If you
just saw the wall itself, I don’t think anything about it says
Egyptomania." (For the first report here on this issue, see 6 December 2007.)
Yale
Daily News
4 April
The cover for Songs from the Sparkle Lounge,
Def Leppard's latest album, features photographs of historical figures,
including "King Tut," because their first choices of images (such as
Elvis Presley) would have been too costly.
Spinner
4 April
Dream World amusement park in Pathumthani, Thailand features a "Wonders of the World" attraction, including the Giza pyramids.
New Nation
3 April
"Tutankhamun and the World of the Pharaohs" (not to be confused
with "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," its sister
exhibit) has opened in Vienna, Austria. The story discusses, among
other things, attendance, cost, &c.
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 April
"'I remember Richard Thompson was playing the Calgary folk festival a few
years ago,' [Kris] Demeanor remembers. 'He did some of his more serious songs
and then he played "My Daddy was a Mummy," this song about an Egyptian
mummy, which is just a silly song and of course everybody was on their
feet at the end of it...'"
Vue Weekly
April (undated)
Handbag designer Martha Radford sought inspiration for her upcoming fall 2008 collection at the Tutankhamun exhibit.
Baltimore Magazine
3 April
A Q&A with a question of "I heard that Egypt has copyrighted the pyramids, the Sphinx, and other antiquities. Is this true? If so, what does that mean for artists who have already used images of the pyramids in their work?" (For other reports on this issue, see 25 December 2007 and 15 January 2008.)
NBC4i
2 April
A press release touts the benefits of booking at the Pharaoh's Palace,
the Egyptian-themed conference center in London, first mentioned here
in November 2007. (Egyptomania.org notes the photograph showing a wall ornament in the form of Set, god of chaos.)
London Launch
1 April
Among sculptor Tim Trask's commissions have been "six Egyptian pharaoh statues and 11 10-foot columns for Waterworld water park."
San Pedro Valley News
1 April
In the Lackawanna County (Pennsylvania) Commission for Women’s
Bookmark Contest, seventh-grader Brandon Bombar won a savings bond with
his Cleopatra-themed entry.
Times-Tribune
1 April
Among Marian Webster's extensive collection of Barbie dolls one can find the "'Cleopatra' set, with an Elizabeth Taylor Barbie," made by her husband Harry in 2004.
KTAR
1 April
Students
from RMIT University created ephemeral, botanic-inspired fashions for the 13th Melbourne International Flower and Garden
Show. Takahiro Kunitoshi's entry was an Egyptian mummy with dried corn for teeth and a bikini made from gerberas and dahlias.
The Age
30 March
The call of a certain species of cicada in Hardin County, Kentucky is interpreted as sounding like "pharaoh."
News-Enterprise
30 March
A review, and photograph of the set, for the Pittsburgh production of Aida.
Post-Gazette
31 March
An Egyptian-themed game (entitled, appropriately, The Egyptians) has been released for mobile phones.
Pocket Gamer
30 March
Notes, and two illustrations, for Catherine Ferguson's set and costume designs for Aida.
Omaha World-Herald
30 March
The Bangles' 1986 "Walk Like an Egyptian" is second on a list of the "Top 5 Classic Songs with Terrible Lyrics." (There
being little other news to report, Egyptomania.org notes that, as of
approximately 7:30 AM EDT 31 March, poll results on the Cinema Blend
site are agreeing with this assessment, with 29% of the votes going to
this song.)
Cinema Blend
27 March
Architect Thomas Krens, on his latest project, a contemporary art
museum to be built in Abu Dhabi: "What I have planned in Abu Dhabi is
so much bigger than what I've done
so far. It'll be the kind of thing we've never seen before. The only
expression I can think of to describe it is pharaonic."
Spiegel
27 March
Cleaning of The Finding of Moses,
an oil painting attributed to Sebastiano Ricci, reveals evidence that
it might instead be by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, which, if
substantiated, would greatly increase its value. It is in the
collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (Australia) and hangs
near Tiepolo's The Banquet of Cleopatra.
The Australian
ABC News
24 March
The Delta Sigma Phi sorority of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University in Blacksburg is holding a fundraiser for the American
Red Cross, called the "Egyptian Expedition," with events including a
"Nile Mile" run.
Planet Blacksburg
23 March
Laura Sillers won the second annual Peeps Diorama Contest with her "Tomb of Peepankhamun." (Egyptomania.org recommends watching the accompanying slide show at the Washington Post site.)
Washington Post
United Press International
23 March
Will Smith will play the seventh century BCE Nubian (and Egyptian) king Taharqa in an upcoming film, The Last Pharaoh.
Edmonton Sun
ComingSoon
21 March
In Melbourne (Australia), Rabbi Jonathan Keren Black dressed as
"Pharaoh" for Purim celebrations this year, so as not to embarrass his
daughter (as he did last year, going as a belly dancer).
The Age
21 March
A Middle-Eastern-themed Mardi Gras, including some pharaonic elements.
UCLA Magazine
20 March
Ancient rock art from many cultures have inspired the carved sheet rock
art of Jack Roberts. One of his pieces shows "the Egyptian goddess Isis
with her arm draped around a king and hieroglyphs inscribed over their
heads. | 'It's a love story,' 59-year-old Roberts said."
Yakima Herald Republic
20 March
"Egyptian pageantry" is one of the influences of Paula Boyle's Occelli line of jewelry.
Easier
20 March
More news about the film Agora, about Hypatia of Alexandria, being filmed on Malta.
Times of Malta
19 March
Mentioned in passing is that "a 130-foot tall gold Egyptian pyramid"
stands in "Broad Town, a huge factory campus [in China] owned by
middle-aged businessman Zhang Yue."
BBC News
18 March
An auction of Hollywood memorabilia will include the Egyptian throne from The Ten Commandments, with an estimated sale price of $18-20,000.
Art Daily
18 March
Healing secrets purported to have been recovered from a tomb in Luxor in 1992 are being put to use today.
Norwich Evening News 24
17 March
Scouts for the Transformers
sequel were seen in Philadelphia, but there is still an Egyptian
connection: they have been seen investigating the Egyptian Revival room
of the Masonic Temple. (See also another story about this movie
reported here 11 March.)
Tformers
16 March
In Sarasota, Florida, last week's Annual Butterfly Ball, which raises money for lupus
research, had an ancient Egyptian theme.
Herald Tribune
15 March
(Egyptomania.org notes this curious item about a British woman who purports to have contracted Egyptomania through surgery:)
"She [Cheryl Johnson] said: '[Before the kidney transplant] I used
to watch soaps. Now I watch documentaries on the Egyptian pyramids. I
can’t get enough of them. It’s weird.'"
The Sun
15 March
The colors of the Northern Cambria (Pennsylvania) girl's basketball
team, the Lady Colts, are black and gold, inspiring one young fan to
appear at a game "dressed as an Egyptian pharaoh with an ornate
headdress."
Altoona Mirror
15 March
The Philharmonia Baroque
Orchestra recently performed a program of music taken from four
eighteenth century operas inspired by Cleopatra.
San Francisco Chronicle
14 March
A casting call in the Toronto, Ontario area, posted on the Craigslist web site, for a movie called Cleopatra appears to have been a lure. At least one woman who responded to the ad was sexually assaulted.
City News
Toronto Sun
13 March
The Egyptian-themed movie being filmed on Malta by Alejandro Amenábar (first mentioned here 3 February) is at last identified: Agora, starring Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, the last keeper of the Library of Alexandria.
Variety
Cinematical
Undated March
Mention is made in passing that, in the early twentieth century, the
Everleigh Club, a brothel in Chicago, had an Egyptian-themed room.
Reason Online
13 March
Fundraising is beginning for continued renovations to the historic Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois.
Daily Chronicle
12 March
Authorities have thwarted an attempt to smuggle four mummies out of
Egypt. On the illegal antiquities market, they could have fetched more
than US$5 million.
AFP
Fox News
12 March
A mysterious series of ads--product not yet identified--running in the
Philippines started with the figure of a muscular man with Egyptian
trappings and the words "Legends tell us of the great quest for a
powerful stone. The myth lived on a Pharaoh's mask. Feel the sense of
Royalty. Soon."
Sun Star
12 March
Indian singer Akshay Kumar will be shooting a video in Egypt.
Sify
11 March
There is a possibility that a sequel to the recent science fiction movie Transformers will be shot in Egypt. (Egyptomania.org
admits that there is no mention of ancient sites in the brief piece,
but it is difficult to imagine such a spectacle being filmed in Egypt
without accompanying destruction of ancient monuments.)
Tformers
10 March
In Vienna, the Tutankhamun exhibition is expected to draw 500,000 visitors.
The China Post
10 March
One the collections offered by Io Si, a brand of "limited edition"
jewelry made in India, is called "Cleopatra," described as "alluring,
powerful."
India PR Wire
10 March
A Maryland man won $50,000 and $5 from two Pharaoh's Gold scratch-off lottery tickets purchased together.
WBAL
9 March
Mention that the decoration of the facade of the Metropolitan Museum of
Art is incomplete. Figures representing the "four great periods of art"
were never carved. Egypt would have represented the art of antiquity.
New York Times
9 March
A thief made off with a bust of Tutankhamun (a "family heirloom") that
had been left in a car in Hollywood, Florida on 18 February.
Miami Herald
7 March
The movie The Sands of Oblivion is based on a search for an amulet Cecil B. Demille buried after completing the filming of his epic The Ten Commandments.
Horror Year Book
7 March
Mentioned in passing, in an article on hair-care products for black
women, is Qhemet Biologics of Tampa, Florida, which
offers "Egyptian-themed mixtures."
Connecticut Post
7 March
More details on the Legoland Egyptian-inspired Lost Kingdom Adventure ride (first mentioned 7 February): "Near the front entrance to the 3˝-minute dark ride, crews erected a
16-foot-tall, 300,000-Lego-brick pharaoh model. Hieroglyphic panels in
the loading area use an ancient symbolic alphabet to spell out the ride
rules: no flash photography, keep arms and feet inside the vehicle, no
food or drink, secure all loose items."
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
5 March
The film 10,000 B.C. is about
a tribe of mammoth hunters captured, along with their prey, by horse riders and brought to
Egypt in order to provide slave and animal labor for the Great Pyramid. (Egyptomania.org refrains from further comment.)
MSNBC
5 March
Many souvenirs for sale in Egypt are made in China (as briefly noted in a story posted on 6 September 2007).
Marketplace
4 March
Gary Gygax, co-creator of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and author of several novels featured in Ancient Egypt in Fiction, has passed away.
WKBT
4 March
Roy Campbell's Amarna-themed jazz album Akhenaten Suite has been released.
All About Jazz
3 March
Another example of an Egyptian motif in political commentary: "I
imagine an anthropologist, centuries hence, sifting through the ruins
of our civilization and concluding something like this: 'The rise of
the cult of Obama, a young lawmaker from one of his people's
middle-western metropolises, suggests parallels with the earlier
progress of the Egyptian cult of Osiris and the Greco-Phrygian worship
of Adonis-Attis, in which civilizations which had lost their original
spiritual inspirations sought rejuvenation in the figure of a beautiful
young man who promised to redeem a barren time.'"
Assyrian International News Agency
3 March
Among the items stolen from a retired British soldier were three gold
medals, one featuring the face of Tutankhamun, in commemoration of his
service during the Suez Crisis in 1956.
The Argus
3 March
Seen at Paris Fashion Week on the models outfitted by Marc Jacobs of
Louis Vuitton: "outfits [...] accessorised with a Nefertiti-style
'super-Fez' in black plastic or satin."
Telegraph
2 March
Mentioned among other Hollywood landmarks: "the bungalow court at 1428 South Bonnie Brae Ave. designed in the
Egyptian Revival style by Edwin W. Willit in 1925 and looking as if a
set from 'Intolerance' had been miniaturized to be rented out to the
star-struck."
Los Angeles Times
1 March
Among the victims of the U.S. mortgage crisis is a house in Cleveland
featuring "a mural of an Egyptian pharaoh [that homeowner Nita Gardner]
painted in gold and azure across the living room wall." (Egyptomania.org
notes that the mural was inspired by the back of the famous chair of
Tutankhamun, showing the young king attended by his wife, Ankhesenamun.)
Associated Press
29 February
At a recent auction by Philip Weiss, a pair of Egyptian Revival bronze
statues by French sculptor Emile Louis Picault (1839-1915), entitled
"The Pharaoh's Gift" and "The Queen's Offering," sold for $25,990.
Ecommwire
29 February
Ancient Egypt in Haitian Voodou: "He showed me a hieroglyphic text, which he had translated into English, that
had been dictated to a Haitian woman in trance by the spirit of the pharaoh
Rameses."
Telegraph
29 February
The High Voltage Mas Band's current "production will feature famous characters and the folklore of ancient
Egypt, depicting Phoenix, Isis, Nun, Horus, Nefertiti, charmers,
Pharaohs, Anucknum, Pyramids and Civilization."
Searchlight
27 February
Singer Amy Winehouse has added an American-themed ankh to her collection of tattoos.
Daily Mail
25 February
Thu Van and Nguyen Hoan of Hai Duong, Vietnam, specialize in airbrush-painting Egyptian-themed designs on motorcycles.
Thanhnie News
23 February
Mentioned in passing (without, unfortunately, a link) is that a web
site spoofs the U.S. presidential campaign of Barack Obama by showing
the candidate "dressed as a pharaoh."
Telegraph
21 February
Beatrix Potter's Tale of Peter Rabbit has been translated into Middle Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Cool Hunting
21 February
Work has stopped on a "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" theme park
under construction in DeKalb County, Georgia. If completed, the park's
indoor water attraction would take the form of the Great Pyramid.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
undated (18 or 19 February?)
A political cartoon depicts the Republican Party of the United States as an elephant-headed, mummiform Egyptian god.
Freep
18 February
Fall 2007's "Cleopatra eyes" (first reported here 22 August 2007) continue to appear as a fashion trend.
Telegraph
17 February
(Egyptomania.org doubts
that this is entirely "newsworthy," but offers it anyway as an example
of Egyptiana in modern political discourse.) A political blogger has dubbed President George W. Bush "Bushemhotep II."
Breaking News (Lew Rockwell's blog)
17 February
A brief piece on Egypt's much-discussed plan to claim copyright of its ancient monuments. (First mentioned here 25 December 2007.)
Los Angeles Times
17 February
In the past, glass artist William Morris took inspiration from ancient Egyptian canopic jars.
PJStar
16 February
Manasquan, New Jersey has an Egyptian Revival (former) Masonic temple, built in 1923.
APP
13 February
Canada's only Egyptian Revival theatre, the currently vacant Empress
Theatre in Montreal, might soon be vacant no longer.
West End Chronicle
West End Chronicle
12 February
The unidentified Egyptian-themed movie being filmed on Malta by Alejandro Amenábar remains unidentified.
Hollywood Reporter
12 February
Night at the Museum 2: Escape from the Smithsonian will feature Hank Azaria in the role of "an all-powerful Egyptian
pharaoh named Kah Mun Rah," a role also described as "one of the museum's centerpieces."
Hollywood Reporter
CanMag
9 February
Mentioned in passing is the tomb of Australian newspaperman David
Symes. Located in Boroondara Cemetery, its Egyptian Revival
architecture was inspired by the temple at Philae.
The Age
8 February
Mamdouh Al-Marzouqi, an illusionist from Saudi Arabia, plans a vanishing act for one of the pyramids at Giza.
Arab News
8 February
(Egyptomania.org notes
with interest that the Great Sphinx and Pyramids have been chosen for
the publicity posters used to advertise the upcoming film Jumper.)
Pittsburgh Live
7 February
In the sixth episode of the TV reality show Celebrity Apprentice,
the contestants were assigned to design window displays for a line of
Serta mattresses designed by Vera Wang. Trace Adkins devised the slogan
"The World's Greatest Romance Deserves the World's Best Mattress," with
"Marc Antony and Cleopatra as their symbolic couple."
Buddy TV
7 February
The Legoland California theme park has a new ride, the Lost Kingdom of Adventure, inspired by 1920s Egypt.
Los Angeles Times
7 February
In Birmingham, Alabama, the Beaux Arts Krewe Ball had a theme of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass but later revealed something Egyptian, inspired by the name of the chosen king of the ball, Temple Tutwiler III.
Birmingham News
7 February
Another story about the American soldier charged with theft of Egyptian antiquities, first reported here 6 February.
New York Times
6 February
A news story about the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans features
an Associated Press photograph of Larry Adcock, of that city, dressed
as a pharaoh.
Seattle Times
6 February
An American soldier is being charged with having stolen antiquities
from the Ma'adi Museum in 2002. He claimed to an art dealer that they
had been in his family since the 1920s and '30s, when the trade in
antiquities was legal in Egypt.
Javno
5 February
A "48ins gold necklace, featuring an Egyptian royal head pendant" was
among several valuable items stolen from a home in Blackwell (England)
last month.
Weston Mercury
3 February
News of the filming of yet another movie set in Egypt on the island of
Malta, this one being directed by Alejandro Amenábar. Though the
subject of the movie is not identified, it will be his second in
English.
Times of Malta
2 February
The Egyptian-themed movie being filmed in Malta, reported here on 14 October 2007, is now identified as being about the murder of Tutankhamun. The director is Roland Emmerich (and Egyptomania.org presumes the script is by Egyptologist Bob Brier, as reported in the news 10 August 2000).
Times of Malta
1 February
At Mignon Chocolate in Burbank, California may be purchased "The
Pharaoh," a chocolate candy in "the shape of a mask [...] filled with a
smooth peanut praline."
Burbank Leader
30 January
Since the departure of the Tutankhamun exhibit, attendance at the Field Museum has dropped 38%.
Chicago Tribune
30 January
A new ballet by William Starrett, based on the life of Cleopatra, is being staged in Columbia, South Carolina.
Free Times
29 January
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International awarded
the Bronze Adrian Award for "best re-launch of existing product" to
"King Tut Goes Golden in Philadelphia."
PR Newswire
29 January
Mention is made that Benjamin Franklin's "official suggestion" for the
design of the Great Seal of the United States was "a scene of Moses and
the Pharaoh of Egypt."
Press of Atlantic City
Undated January
Bonhams has posted the prices realized, with
photographs, from its Egyptian Revival auction, held on 23 January and
reported here several times, most recently 22 January.
Bonhams
25 January
A new ballet by William Starrett, based on the life of Cleopatra, is being staged in Columbia, South Carolina.
Aiken Standard
23 January
An article about the new subway station, with some Egyptian decorative elements, in Toronto, Ontario. (First reported here 23 December 2007.)
EyeWeekly
23 January
On 19 January, the 23rd annual Pharaohs Ball was held at the Mobile (Alabama) Government Plaza.
AL.com
22 January
Another look at the Bonhams Egyptian Revival Sale, to be held 23 January in London. (First reported here 24 November 2007.)
Telegraph
21 January
The late Lila Bidwell was honored with "the fourth-annual Human Dignity
Award from the Human Rights Advocates of Coos County in honor of Martin
Luther King Jr." Among her good works was advocating for the preservation
of the Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay, Oregon.
The World
21 January
A black tie gala with an Egyptian theme will be held at the Columbia
(South Carolina) Museum of Art on 27 January. Events will include
Cleopatra eye makeovers and a preview of the new ballet "Cleopatra."
The State
19 January
The upcoming Egyptian Revival Sale, at Bonhams in London (first reported here 24 November 2007) inspired this article on Egyptomania.
Financial Times
19 January
A look at the Bonhams Egyptian Revival Sale, to be held 23 January in London. (First reported here 24 November 2007.)
Economist
Undated (18 January?)
An interview with Deirdre Lawrence, Head Librarian of the Brooklyn
Museum, on Egyptomania, related to the "Egypt Through Other Eyes"
exhibit.
New York Arts Magazine
16 January
Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Egyptian President Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak "walked together at the presidential
palace in Cairo to the musical accompaniment of Verdi's Aida."
Hurriyet
16 January
Ancient Egyptian art has influenced the paintings of Brazilian artist Susana Barros.
Arab-Brazil News Agency
15 January
A lengthy story about Egypt's proposal to copyright its ancient monuments, first reported here 25 December 2007.
The prime minister has give his approval of the legislation, which the
Egyptian Parliament is now considering. The legislation also addresses
antiquities theft.
National Geographic News
15 January
Ed Potter of West Desmoines, Iowa has created a new board game, Secret
Passages, in which the players attempt "to be the first to find the
pharaoh in one of six crypt chambers by
unlocking clue cards and announcing your discovery. Within that
mission, players try to build their game piece which, when completed,
takes the shape of a mummy."
Desmoines Register
13 January
Among the works by the late African American fiber artist Venus Blue on
display in Peoria is a quilt wall hanging "with an Egyptian theme
[using] fabric with figures resembling the
hieroglyphs and wall paintings in King Tut's tomb, bordered by bands of
turquoise, scarlet and gold."
PJ Star
12 January
Two men in Nottinghamshire, England put Egyptian Revival decor to a
most deplorable purpose. Their home, which included a living room "with
an Egyptian theme," was used as "almost a honey trap for young
children," who were then abused.
BBC
12 January
Alexandre de Paris, notable here for having styled Elizabeth Taylor's hair for Cleopatra, has died at the age of 85.
BBC
AFP
12 January
The Cleopatra eye (back in style, first noted here on 22 August 2007) makes an appearance on Ghanaian musician Elle, who is about to release a new album.
GhanaMusic
12 January
A look at the Bonhams Egyptian Revival Sale, to be held 23 January in London. (First reported here 24 November 2007)
Financial Times
10 January
An article on silent film star Theda Bara notes that the film studio
that had her under contract, Fox, "claimed she was the child of a
French actress and an Italian sculptor,
raised in the shadow of the Pyramids, who had gone on to become a huge
stage success in Paris, before escaping to America on the brink of war.
The story was ridiculous, and the journalists who gathered in the
Egyptian-themed room where Bara was presented to them, amid choking
clouds of scent, knew it. But it worked."
Guardian
10 January
The Cheesecake Factory restaurant newly opened in West Hartford,
Connecticut, has a "vaguely Egyptian" look, according to the report. (Egyptomania.org suggests that there is nothing "vaguely" about it; the columns are undeniably Egyptian Revival.)
Courant
9 January
A popular Egyptian-themed video game, Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge, has been launched for Nintendo's Wii gaming system.
Game Industry News
8 January
Partly because of her Cleopatra-style eye makeup, singer Amy Winehouse has made Mr. Blackwell's worst-dressed list.
Show Biz Spy
8 January
Another announcement of the Bonhams Egyptian Revival Sale, to be held 23 January in London. (First reported here 24 November 2007)
Art Daily
6 January
One of Wisconsin's three Egyptian Revival buildings, the former Jones
Motor Company Building at 143 North Broadway in Green Bay, constructed in 1931, is up for sale.
The Northwestern
6 January
Thanks to a museum exhibition, Cleopatra eye makeup to be worn by singer Amy
Winehouse at the Grammy Awards, and a new ballet, ancient Egypt is
predicted to be a big trend for 2008 in South Carolina.
The State (South Carolina)
6 January
New body treatment products inspired by historical royalty, including Nefertiti Honey Shower Gel, are being offered by Korres.
Sunday Mirror (U.K.)
4 January
"Early in autumn an installation exhibited at Salon 94 [in New York City] by the
Pakistan-born artist Huma Bhabha presented a tableau of devastation.
Cobbled together from chicken wire, clay and plastic foam, her work
depicted the crumbling pharaonic monuments of an ancient civilization
sitting on a scorched plain where scattered detritus hinted at
destroyed villages. The piece could be seen as highlighting both the
youthful arrogance of a superpower rolling the dice of history in an
ancient place as well as the superpower's own demise."
International Herald Tribute
3 January
Passing mention that the "the Egyptian Deco splendors of the Fox Theatre" in Oakland, California are undergoing restoration.
Contra Costa Times
3 January
The Egyptian Revival is part of a larger trend in interior design forecast for 2008.
Los Angeles Times
3 January
Galey Farms in British Columbia (Canada) is replacing its Egyptian theme (which included a corn maze about which Egyptomania.org was unaware until now) with a display about its province.
Times Colonist
3 January
An exhibit at the Presidential Pet Museum includes "a photo of Herbert
Hoover and King Tut, a Belgian police dog who is said to have died
while in office."
Washington Post
2 January
During the annual New Year's Day Penguin Plunge, in which participants
plunge into the frigid waters of the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania to raise money for homeless pets, Dan Cihonski had
"a gold King Tut hat he wore with his shorts and sandals."
The Sentinel Online
1 January
Famed Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, whose lengthy portfolio
included postmodernist works of vaguely Egyptian inspiration
(including his famous "Nefertiti" desk), has died at the age of 90.
New York Times
1 January
A lengthy obituary for Polish film director Jerzy Kawalerowicz, whose death was first reported here 28 December 2007.
Telegraph (U.K.)
1 January
Mention that the Egyptian float for the Rose Bowl Parade (reported here 25 December 2007) was constructed so that its tall figures can fold down, enabling the float to pass beneath low underpasses.
WRAL
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