(HOME)
EGYPTOMANIA
IN THE NEWS
(notes on the persistent influence of ancient
Egypt on popular culture, fine arts, and other current events)
(please
note
that external links
are not kept updated and that newly-posted stories may appear with
earlier dates)
(1 December 2008: Egyptomania.org has begun to attempt to catch up with events of 6
October - 1 December news, missed because of a trip to Egypt and the subsequent backup of work. Thanks
are largely due to Kat Newkirk for making these updates possible.)
2008
July-December
31 December
The
Egyptian RevivalAustin Nichols warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, will
be preserved and renovated as residences. The "new owners of the
95-year-old building have agreed to limit alterations to the size and
shape of the famed structure."
The Brooklyn Paper
31 December
Mentioned in passing is that Staglieno Cemetery in Genoa (Italy) features at least one Egyptian Revival pyramidal tomb.
Examiner.com
31 December
"Next
to Yale [University]," Grove Street Cemetery, with its Egyptian Revival
Gate, is the "biggest tourist draw" in New Haven, Connecticut.
New Haven Independent
30 December
Another article reporting on the lower-than-anticipated ticket sales for the Tutankhamun exhibit in Dallas.
Unbeige
29 December
"The Eye takes his cue from the primordial era of
Detective Comics, prowling Mountain View, California, in a trench
coat, goggles and black fedora featuring a self-designed logo: the
'all-seeing' eye of Horus. Superhero -- his full name -- is a former
wrestler from Clearwater, Florida, who wears red and blue spandex and a
burgundy helicopter helmet..."
Rolling Stone
29 December
Brief
article about British artist Richard Dadd, who, in 1843, killed a man
and claimed that the Egyptian god Osiris inspired the deed.
North Island Midweek
29 December
The Phoenix Opera is constructing sets for its upcoming production of Aida.
Phoenix Business Journal
28-29 December
Stories about the upcoming Transformers sequel, with its Egyptian setting, abound.
USA Today
AceShowBiz
411Mania
HDR
Wired
/film
eFluxMedia
FirstShowing.net
28 December
The economic recession appears to be having an impact on ticket sales for the Tutankhamun exhibit in Dallas.
Pegasus News
NBC Dallas/Forth Worth
MSNBC
Dallas Morning News
27 December
At
the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, the Neosho (Missouri) High
School Wildcat Band "will perform its 2008 fall field show, 'Pyramids
of Egypt,' which earned 18 trophies in four competitions this year."
Neosho Daily News
27 December
Very brief piece mentioning that scarabs are popular Egyptian Revival motifs.
WalesOnline
26 December
Papyrus Port, an Egyptian-themed entertainment resort, has just opened in Hyderabad.
Andhra Cafe
25 December
In
the home of recent lottery-millionaire Cynthia P. Stafford, whose
tastes are described as "eclectic and bold," can be found "two Egyptian
'King Tut' chairs."
Los Angles Times
25 December
"RA,
a new Finnish metal band consisting of three 13-year-old boys, has
inked a deal with EMI Finland. The group's debut album, 'Punainen
Virta', will feature a lyrical theme based around Egyptian
mythology...."
Blabbermouth.net
24 December
A brief story
(often repeated in following days) citing fashion trends for 2009:
"Tutankhamen and Nefertiti were major muses for designers' spring
collections. From long, embellished gowns to casual tanks with subtle
hieroglyphics, these ancient influences put a modern spin on spring."
Buyers are urged to look for vintage Egyptian Revival pieces as well.
Miami Herald
24 December
An Australian tourist has been arrested for attempting to smuggle animal mummies and artifacts out of Egypt.
Associated Press
23 December
In
Rome, restoration to Bernini's Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), which
features a pharaonic obelisk rising from its center, has been completed.
International Herald Tribune
22 December
Some
people angry that a memorial has yet to be created for the deadly 1985
crash of Delta Flight 191 take offense at the the 26-foot-tall statue
of Anubis temporarily erected at the Dallas/Forth Worth International
Airport (see 19-20 December).
WFAA
21 December
Jeremy
Trueblood, of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when asked what
period of history interests him the most, confesses: "A lot of the
ancient Egyptian stuff. I couldn't get enough of it when I
was in grade school. I used to drive my teachers crazy because I'd sit
there and talk to them and ask them all these questions about pharaohs
and stuff."
St. Petersburg Times
19-20 December
A 26-foot-tall
statue of Anubis is on display at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
Befitting the holiday season, the jackal god is now holding a candy
cane. (Egyptomania.org also notes for the record a Santa Claus wearing a nemes-headdress.)
Dallas Morning News
Star-Telegram
PR Newswire
19 December
Featured in an article (in the current issue of Rolling Stone
magazine) about people in the United States who go about in costumes
fighting crime: "The Eye takes his cue from the primordial era of
Detective Comics, prowling Mountain View, California, in a trench
coat, goggles and black fedora featuring a self-designed logo: the
'all-seeing' eye of Horus. Superhero -- his full name -- is a former
wrestler from Clearwater, Florida, who wears red and blue spandex and a
burgundy helicopter helmet..."
Los Angles Times
19 December
A sculptural fragment of Amenhotep III, smuggled out of Egypt disguised as a cheap tourist copy in 1990, is being returned.
BBC News
Undated (18 December)
Sally
Morrison, director of the Diamond Information Center, wore an Egyptian
Revival diamond broach to the 12th Annual Treatment Action Group
Research in Action Awards.
FirstwaterNews
18 December
At a recent auction, "a 19th century Carlo Giuliano Egypt-inspired necklace [...] sold for £17,000."
Retail Jeweller
17 December
Mentioned in passing: one of the characters on the HBO series Six Feet Under, about a family of undertakers, sported an Anubis tattoo as the "only clue to her profession."
Chicago Public Radio
15 December
A USB thumb drive, custom-decorated with hieroglyphs, is available in Japan.
InventorSpot
14 December
"Horus"
is a "territory game" in which players "place land tiles of four types
in proximity to the ever-lengthening Nile and try to claim the biggest
regions for themselves."
San Francisco Chronicle
12 December
DC Comics is resurrecting one of Batman's old foes from the original television series, "King Tut, a Yale professor
played by Victor Buono, who thought, due to a severe blow to the head,
he was the iconic Egyptian Pharaoh."
Comic Book Resources
10 December
Steps
are being taken to shore up the Egyptian Revival Temple Mills in Leeds
(England), following its partial collapse, reported here 8 December.
Yorkshire Evening Post
9 December
Among the new objects to be displayed in the renovated museum in Park City, Utah, is "an Egyptian Theatre backdrop from the 1930s."
Park Record
8 December
A
pillar fell from Temple Mills in Leeds. The building, formerly a
flax mill and slated for renovation as a shopping mall, was built c.
1840, inspired by the temple at Edfu.
Yorkshire Evening Post
BBC News
6 December
The
An Taibhdhearc pantomime for 2008, presented in Galway (Ireland), is
Dick Byrne's "Tóraíocht an Yummy Mummy," in which two explorers are
searching for the lost tomb of the evil queen Hatchetsoup.
Galway Advertiser
4 December
A depiction of Cleopatra, created from vegetables, won a gold award, best in show, and other honors at the Auckland Flower Show.
Stuff.co.nz
4 December
Givori's's
limited edition, crystal-encrusted, 14-karat-gold cell phone is called
the "Nefertiti." Only 50 of the phones will be created.
Kippreport
AMEinfo
DNA
4 December
MotionX-Poker Quest is an Egyptian-themed poker dice game for the iPhone.
Macworld
3-4 December
"Cleopatra eyes" are in style for this fall.
Look
FemaleFirst
3 December
At Miami Beach, Florida, Olaf Breuning has created "an abstracted 150-ton sphinx-like sand sculpture of a reclining woman."
New York Times
3 December
"Cleopatra eyes" are in style for this fall, but the look is not suitable for teens.
Times
2 December
Artists are working in Luxor and take inspiration from the sites.
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 December
A new video game, Luxor: The Wrath of Set is available.
PSP-Downloads
25 November
Recounting
of an event from 5 December 1964, in which a wind storm wreaked havoc
on giant parade balloons in Tucson, Arizona, including Cleopatra, the
Sphinx, and King Tut.
AZstarnet.com
22 November
In the SciFi Channel's movie Lost City Raiders,
set in a flooding 2048, an ancient Egyptian sceptrer (once used by
Moses) is capable of controling the rise and fall of vast bodies of
water.
Daily News
21 November
"Equally
chic were the limited edition shoes designed by Vena Cava's Sophie
Buhai and Lisa Mayock, which offered a subtle riff on the Seventies
American sportswear/Egyptomania theme that inspired the duo's spring
collection..."
Vogue.com
18 November
In the computer game Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!, the player investigates suspicious events on the set of a movie entitled Pharaoh!
GamersHell.com
14 November
Rock Garden amusement park in Ranchi, India now features replica pyramids and sphinx.
Telegraph (Calcutta)
14 November
"Hundreds
of children and parents visited the Rockaway Artists Alliance free
Halloween exhibit entitled 'I Want My Mummy' at Fort Tilden" (New York).
The Wave
11-12 November
Pop singer Robbie Williams claims that he can contact aliens through his Eye of Horus tattoo.
Short News
Stuff.co.nz
ChartAttack
24 October
Article about the vacant pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee.
New York Times
24 October
Review of the London production of Aida.
TimesOnline
23-24 October
More reports on the proposed 3-D movie about Cleopatra (first reported here 10 September).
CinemaBlend.com
Cinemovies.fr
16 October
Discussion of historical and exotic influences in 18th century British architecture, including Egypt.
New Statesman
12 October
Review of a relatively minimalist production of Aida.
Vindy.com
11 October
The
ninth graders of Canastota Central School District (New York) dubbed
themselves the "Pharaoh Freshman" and entered an Egyptian-themed
display for the homecoming parade.
Oneida Daily Dispatch
10 October
Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles says: "Now at King Tut exhibitions in museums they actually play
Walk Like An Egyptian in their presentations. It's a pretty
great honour to be there with the mummies."
Sydney Morning Herald
8 October
Article on mummymania.
Gather
8 October
An Egyptian-themed pandal in India.
Telegraph India
8 October
A brief article about the current Tutmania.
Unbeige
7 October
A brief article discusses, among other things, the lyrics of the Pica Beats' song "Poor Old Ra" (first mentioned here 26 October).
The Stranger
5 October
A report on plans for a giant pyramid to be built in Germany (reported here 2 September 2007).
The National
3 October
"It’s a Night on the Nile for students for this year’s 2008 Mt.
Vernon Township [Illinois] High School Homecoming Dance. This year’s theme is
Egyptian Madness...."
Mount Vernon Register-News
3 October
An "arbitrary list of how King Tut and Egyptology have swept in like a Nile breeze over our pop culture lives."
Star-Telegram
2 October
In the low-budget film Death from Beyond 2: Eternal Damnation, in the words of a reviewer, "The plot, as far as I could tell, revolves
around several Egyptian warriors reincarnated in the bodies of hapless
idiots who must stop the evil schemes of Nefratis."
Film Threat
1 October
In the film Religulous, with Bill Maher, a "peppy montage accompanied by the Bangles' 'Walk Like an Egyptian'
summarizes how the Egyptian god Horus has a biography that's
suspiciously similar to Jesus', but came first by at least a millennium."
Creative Loafing
1 October
Another article on Sophia Kokosalaki Egyptian-inspired collection:
"Egypt could have a lot to answer for when it comes to next year's
summer wardrobes."
Marie Claire
1 October
"Tix Corporation [...] today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary
Exhibit Merchandising LLC ('Exhibit Merchandising') will open the
'Tutankhamun and The Golden Age of the Pharaohs' merchandise and gift
store in the Dallas Museum of Art on Friday, October 3, 2008."
Globe Newswire
1 October
Croatian jewelery designer Nenad Sovilj drew from ancient Egypt for his Deco-style collection.
Javno
1 October
Greek fashion designer Sophia Kokosalaki "drew inspiration from ancient civilizations ranging from Egypt to
Mesopotamia, dipping into a treasure trove of beads and bugles to
produce a stunning black tunic encrusted with gold embroidery, or a
silver python bustier with a snake-shaped strap curling over one
shoulder."
3news
1 October
The hair fashion used for the Dior models at Paris Fashion Week is described as "Nefertiti-inspired crimped updos."
Marie Claire
30 September - 2 October
Two ancient Egyptian skulls, which brought back to England as souvenirs
then disposed of by burial in a yard, were unearthed by the current
owner of the home. The skulls have been returned to Egypt.
South Manchester Reporter
The Star
Telegraph
Associated Press
BBC
24dash
Manchester Evening News
29 September
John Gallano's new collection features "typically Egyptian asymmetry." [Egyptomania.org is puzzled by the remark, but reports it nevertheless.]
Viewon Fashion Magazine
29 September
The National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America
has bestowed its annual Thoth Awards. "The Thoth Awards (pronounced
'Tot') are named for the Egyptian god of information and communication."
MarketWatch
29 September
"A Nefertiti-chic hat featured in the Dior collection inspired
hairstylist Orlando Pita for the house’s Monday show."
WWD
29 September
"Earlier, Christophe Decarnin had cited an Egyptian mummy reference for
his collection for Balmain [see 28 September].
And it appeared the Land of the Pharaohs
had slightly permeated Rick Owens’ consciousness, as well. | His
models appeared out of a cloud of dry ice, in stark black, looking
like an army of slaves who might have been building the pyramids, with
black, Ramses-like, triangular headgear, which fell in a blunt cut to
their shoulders."
Telegraph
29 September
The new collection of Egyptian designer Marie Bushara, shown in Paris,
features "ancient symbols from the time of the Pharaohs, like lotus
flowers, palm trees and scarabs and with Islamic geometric designs.
[...] A shimmering evening gown in sequins had hieroglyphs delicately
picked out in pearls down vertical bands of iridescent satin, while the
eagle-head of the god Horus worked out in jewels nestled in cleavages
and the small of backs."
AFP
28 September
"Take a pinch of punk, a hefty dose of inspiration from Madonna and the
Ancient Egyptians and a Maharajah’s treasure trove of jewels and
you
end up with the spring/summer collection Christophe Decarnin showed for
Balmain at the Paris prêt-à-porter season on Sunday. [...]
The skin-tight dresses were swathed and wrapped in the manner of
Egyptian mummies..."
Telegraph
28 September
The de-Egyptianization of the Luxor casino in Las Vegas (first reported here 25 July 2007) is part of a larger trend of de-theming of the city's resorts.
ReviewJournal.com
27 September
This news video features the Egyptian-themed butter sculptures on
display at the State Fair of Texas. Included are canopic jars and a
three-dimensional rendering of an Anubis-masked priest attending to a
mummy.
KEYC
27 September
The "Haunted Egyptian Temple of Anubis" is one of the attractions at
the Terrorplex Halloween event in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area.
WFAA
26 September
"The early, half-forgotten [Jerome] Kern of the Princess Theater
musicals composed between 1915 and 1920 was a playful scamp, especially
in collaborations with P. G. Wodehouse. The hilarious, dirty-minded
'Cleopatterer' (from the 1917 show 'Leave It to Jane'), which imagines
the prolific sex life of Cleopatra, might even be seen as an
early-20th-century prototype of rap."
New York Times
26 September
Among the horror film props to be auctioned to benefit the
Entertainment Industry Foundation is a "giant Egyptian-style tablet
that has been studio-distressed" from The Mummy Returns.
ShockTillYouDrop.com
26 September
"Isis Puzzles & Adventures has introduced the second of five unique
and challenging Isis puzzles, called the Ramisis." This is "a
handcrafted, metal puzzle [...] in the shape of a pyramid."
PRWeb
26 September
On the debut album of the folk music group The Pica Beats, the song "'Poor Old Ra' playfully mocks the Egyptian sun god while an oboe casts a weird pallor on the track."
Aversion.com
26 September
Artist Lorraine O'Grady's "Miscegenated Family Album," on display at
Alexander Gray Associates in New York City, comprises "diptychs [that]
pair ancient Egyptian sculpture with contemporary photographs:
snapshots of Devonia beside images of Nefertiti, of Ms. O’Grady
herself
beside a carved head of Nefertiti’s younger sister and sometime
rival,
Mutnedjmet."
New York Times
26 September
The "ensemble piece A Beautiful Woman has Come, an interpretation of
Queen Nefertiti by [Kathleen] Martinez-Hughes, will complete the
program" of The Ancient Ones, being performed by the Niagara Dance
Company in St. Catharines, Ontario.
St. Catharines Standard
26 September
The nightly Starlight Parade at the State Fair of Texas features a Tutankhamun-themed float.
Daily Skiff
26 September
Says Paul Mooney regarding reality-television star Omarosa: "I
love the idea of [Omarosa]. Because I love the idea of anything
that's black from the Cleopatra days that can get some sort of attention is fantastic ... she's Nefertiti coming back to get her money."
Black Voices
25 September
The State Fair of Texas showcases a large butter sculpture of Tutankhamun. (See also 5 September.)
Dallas Morning News
25 September
A newly released report shows a marked increase in tourism in
Egypt. "This was largely due to a surge in arrivals from Eastern Europe,
particularly from Russia, Poland and Ukraine. In respect of Asia, the
number of visitors from India and China were also up sharply
year-on-year."
PR-inside
25 September
A man has been arrested in the theft of Egyptian artifacts worth
£150,000 from the Bagshaw Museum in Batley (U.K.). The objects
themselves, including shabtis and a human skull, remain missing.
Batley & Birstall News
West Yorkshire Police
24 September
The 1971 French film Belphégor (Phantom of the Louvre), in which an Egyptian mummy haunts the museum, has been released on DVD.
Metroactive
24 September
From an article about Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts:
"The most famous [Victorian monument] is 'The Angel of Death and the
Sculptor,' a massive
bronze statue of the Angel of Death staying the hand of a young
sculptor at work on an Egyptian sphinx. Created by sculptor Daniel
French, who also designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., it
celebrates the life of Martin Milmore, who died in his prime and
sculpted the cemetery’s Civil War memorial."
Taunton Gazette
24 September
At a festival honoring "Marshmallow Fluff, that sweet white sandwich
spread": "a legislative aide at the Massachusetts Statehouse, is
manning the
all-important election table, where the inaugural Fabulous Pharoah [sic] of
Fluff will be decided."
BU Today
24 September
The Honolulu Zoo's hippopotamus, named "Cleopatra" after the Egyptian
queen and oldest of her species in captivity in the United States, is
dead at the age of almost 53.
Honolulu Advertiser
23 September
"The inventors of the game ['About Time'], Joe Gill and Iain McGill, will be at the
launch day alongside the Cleopatra character from the game."
Toy News
23 September
In Miami Springs, Florida: "A burglar stole a wooden Egyptian coffin and statue worth $1,200 from the hallway of an apartment in the 100 block of Ludlum Drive between 7 a.m. Sept. 9 and 3:30 Sept. 10."
Miami Herald
23 September
A 25-foot-tall statue of Anubis is on display at the State Fair of Texas, in honor of the Tutankhamun exhibit in Dallas.
Dallas Morning News
Dallas Morning News (video)
SFgate.com (photo)
22 September
Brief opinion piece about the domain name "KingTut.org," which someone
registered and subsequently sold to the Smithsonian for $900 in 2004.
Domain Name Wire
22 September
In Halifax, Nova Scotia, Lego artist Robin Sather has put the finishing touches on a Lego replica of the Great Sphinx.
Metro
21 September
A look at the souvenirs inspired by the Tutankhamun exhibit in Dallas.
Dallas Morning News
21 September
At London Fashion Week, SADO presented their "utterly wearable line [that] had strong influences from tropical art deco
Miami with a colourful palette of blues, pinks, salvia green and brick
orange.
| Combine this with a geometric pattern inspired by the Egyptian pyramids, add a dash of 1950s and 1980s influence..."
MyFashionLife
19 September
An article about the "vulgar" series of cinematic comedies called "Carry On" mentions the film Carry on Screaming!, which featured "a live Egyptian mummy [...] called Rubbatiti."
Telegraph
19 September
An article about Japanese cartoonist and animator Osamu Tezuka mentions his "adult" film, Cleopatra (1970).
The Guardian
19 September
An upcoming
auction of prints, being held by Sotheby's, will feature Picasso's
"powerful print of a woman's face looking like an Egyptian goddess,
'Figure au corsage rayé' (1949), estimated at
£30,000-£50,000."
Wall Street Journal
18 September
"Passersby often notice the art in the lobby and adjacent hallways [of
Red Square (250 E. Houston St., New York City), commissioned in 1993.
New York-based artist Julie Dermansky created 115 black steel panels,
worked into shapes of fish, sea horses, crabs, starfish and waves,
transforming the building into a Gothic, nightmarish underwater scene.
| Dermansky says fish have always captured her attention. She says the
sculpture is 'inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphics ... the way the
Egyptians used space, covering all surfaces.'"
Daily News
18 September
The next Snowdown winter festival held annually in Durango, Colorado,
will be called "'Snowdown in Da Nile,' a spoof on Ancient Egypt,
mummies, archaeologists, grave-diggers, and Egyptian gods and
goddesses."
Durango Telegraph
18 September
Michele Obama, wife of United States presidential candidate Barack
Obama, is the subject of a portrait by sculptor Daniel Edwards. The
hairstyle of the bronze bust is variously described as "Egyptian
influenced" and "Nefertiti-esque." (Egyptomania.org disagrees, but mentions it nevertheless.)
eNewsChannels
Daily India
18 September
"The recording of the new Symphonic Black [heavy metal] band Akroma's album is
currently touching at its end. This second effort entitled 'Seth' will
be a concept album based on the ten plagues of Egypt."
MetalUnderground
18 September
An upcoming auction of jewelery, being held by Christie's, will feature
"an Art Deco star ruby, enamel and gold necklace, of neo-Egyptian
design (estimate: $60,000-80,000)" by Cartier.
JCKonline
17 September
Another story, with video, on Vena Cava's Egyptomania-inspired fashion (see 6 September).
NY1
17 September
In an obituary of Martin Tytell, who created custom typewriters, it is
mentioned that he "made a hieroglyphics typewriter for a museum
curator."
Denver Post
17 September
"The Czech musical, 'Kleopatra' starring
singer-turned-actress Park Ji-yoon and veteran actress Kim Sun-kyung,"
will be performed in Seoul, South Korea.
The Korea Times
16 September
The State Bank on Water Street in Northfield, Minnesota, designed in
the Egyptian Revival style by Harry Wild Jones in 1910, has been
renovated as a private home.
Northfield News
15-16 September
Damien Hirst's work The Golden Calf, which consists of a bullock preserved in formaldehyde with golden hooves and horns surmounted by an Egyptian solar disk (see 4 September),
sold at auction to an unidentified bidder for $18.6 million
(£10.3 million). This was, however, below the estimate
of £12 million.
Bloomberg
Financial Times
The Guardian
AFP
Luxist
AOL News
14 September
CHIKRA, "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's acclaimed professional wrestling
promotion," described as "a comic book come to life," features, among
other wrestlers, " two ancient Egyptians (a dancing pharaoh and a
cobra)."
411mania.com
13 September
"Unlike its unsubtle brother, the Grauman's Chinese, The Egyptian [Theatre in Los Angeles] is set
back from the street. You just might miss it if you aren't paying
attention. It's a delicate place, a secret from the roar of Hollywood.
Instead of being taken over by some mall, it has been carefully
restored."
LAist
13 September
Isis the pharaoh eagle owl, whose escape was reported here 10 September, has been returned to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary.
EADT24
13 September
Fashion designer Anna Sui went to Egypt to find inspiration for her 2009 collection.
Telegraph
12 September
Asked to describe her trip to Egypt (see 3 September 2007), singer Alicia Keys replied, "Going to Egypt was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I needed
inspiration at the time, and going there by myself and not having
anyone to talk to gave me a certain perspective. Seeing the temples,
tombs and pyramids, sailing down the Nile, and experiencing structures
that stood the test of time gave me an outlook on our future as human
beings. Taking visions of the mind and making them real is inspiring."
Cincinnati Enquirer
12 September
"Nefertiti's Wrap," a one-of-a-kind garment created by Deborah Jarchow
for a Day of the Dead inspired fashion show at the Museum of Ventura
County, "includes little hand-carved skull beads from India and Nepal
in the fringe." (Story includes a photograph of the piece.)
Ventura County Star
11 September
More news about the animated Tutenstein: The Movie, now titled Tutenstein: Clash of the Pharaohs (first reported here 8 April). It will debut next month.
Animation Magazine
WorldScreen.com
10 September
The tile mural uncovered in Long Beach, California, reported here 6 July, will undergo restoration. "The tiles, believed to be
from the 1920s, were made by the D&M Tile Co., which was in
business from 1928-1939. The mural is signed by artist Cerillo Torres
and depicts an Egyptian scene of a camel with the pyramids of Giza in
the background."
Contra Costa Times
10 September
"In a complete change of pace from the epic 'Che,' [filmmaker Steven] Soderbergh says he is
eager to immerse himself in a 'go-go boots kind of musical' about
Cleopatra. The kitschy project will be in 3-D and star Catherine
Zeta-Jones."
The Canadian Press
10 September
A pharaoh eagle owl (Bubo ascalaphus) named Isis has escaped from the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary.
Evening Star
10 September
More news about the animated Tutenstein: The Movie, now titled Tutenstein: Clash of the Pharaohs (first reported here 8 April).
AWN
9 September
The obituary of noted antiques expert Ralph M. Kovel mentions that the
family room in his Shaker Heights, Ohio home is decorated in the
Egyptian Revival style.
Los Angles Times
9 September
"The so-called Egyptian Rooms [in the Oldham town hall built in 1841], which formed part of an extension to the
rear of the building built in 1912, were home to the borough’s treasury
department and named because of two impressive pillars and ornate
Egyptian-style decoration on the walls. Needless to say, it is now in a
sorry state." (Images 34 and 35 of the slide show present what could be the Egyptian Rooms.)
Oldham Advertiser
9 September
In the movie Ghost Town, the
main character's wife, played by Téa Leoni, is an Egyptologist.
"In one word, the [set of the characters'] apartment was
'luxurious,' decorated with pictures of Egypt, artwork and artifacts..."
Cinematical
9 September
Regarding the Large Hadron Collider, which began operation on this
date: "'As a project, it's magnificent,' says Prof Frank Wilczek of
MIT, who
has received death threats from some of the cranks who fear the start
of the machine could mark the end of the world. 'I like to say it's our
civilization's answer to the Pyramids of Egypt.'"
Telegraph
9 September
With the opening of the Tutankhamun exhibition, Atlanta, Georgia is
calling itself "Tutlanta." This story details the events celebrating
the show.
Earth Times
11Alive
Tutlanta
8 September
For sale at the 24th Biennale des Antiquares in Paris is the Dh2.7m
Prism Clock, created in 1912 for Cartier. "Its dial is made of rock
crystal, mother-of-pearl, platinum and diamonds, and an obelisk
decorated with an antique statuette of Osiris. | The statuette is
decorated with antique black hard-stone and gold leaves dating to the
30th dynasty of ancient Egypt."
Business 24/7
8 September
Says a dermatologist: "Are there new areas you are recommending to your patients? The
Nefertiti lift: The Egyptian queen was always depicted as having a
clean jaw line. As we age, that outline starts to get lost with a
little jowl. You can help re-establish or just keep that clean jaw line
with Botox."
Canada.com
8 September
In Norfolk (England), one of the forms that maize mazes have taken is "Egyptian chariots."
Evening News 24
7-9 September
A profusion of reports on the upcoming film The Last
Pharaoh, starring Will Smith and to be written by Randall Wallace, first reported here 23 March,
have appeared. A sampling is below, and reports after
these dates will be linked to only selectively, based on relevance
(beyond the basic fact of the movie's making) to the subject of
Egyptomania.
Variety
ActressArchives
Cinema Blend
Empire Online
/film
AceShowBiz
Guardian
Cinematical
7 September
Among the items being sold at the "Hip Hop's Crown Jewels" charity
auction, held by Phillips de Pury & Co. of New York, is "A gold
mushroom-shaped ring embossed with the profile of Nefertiti [...]
donated by MC Lyte."
Washington Post
6 September
Spotted at New York Fashion Week: "nearly two dozen models clothed in Vena Cava's Egyptian-themed
collection (think black and silver silk bibs giving the impression of
breastplates and long, silk dresses decorated with phrases like Ramses,
in homage to the infamous ruler)." This line is for "tweens" (pre-teen girls).
BlackBook
5 September
The Isis is "an $83,000 Swarovski crystal-encrusted
toilet named after an Egyptian goddess (the creation of 'bathroom
couture' designer Jemal Wright)."
Sydney Morning Herald
5 September
"As its butter
sculpture this year, the State Fair of Texas will introduce an
800-pound unsalted King Tut accompanied by ghee servants and Egyptian
relics."
Dallas Morning News
4 September
At a recent rally against unequal school finding at the Northfield
Campus of New Trier High School in Chicago, "Paul Lincoln Scheube, a
1967 New Trier graduate, appeared with a large
Ankh-shaped staff encrusted with bells, beads, feathers, crystals and
flowers. He said it was given to him by a Native American medicine man
25 years ago at a gathering of the Rainbow Family, a roving community
of people rooted in 1960s counterculture ideals and nature-based
spirituality."
Wilmette Life
4 September
At the Masar gallery in Zamelek (Cairo), is a showing of contemporary Egyptian art. "Peppered among these pieces are the
uncouth yet welcomed interruptions of Khaled Hafez: loud and colorful
painting collages quoting ancient Egyptian relief but with a twist. His
paintings are always amusing, appearing macho from a distance yet
vulnerable from up close."
Daily News Egypt
4 September
Artist Damien Hirst's work, The Golden Calf, is going on sale at Sotheby's. "The Golden Calf is a white bullock preserved in a tank of
formaldehyde that's mounted on a high marble plinth. His hooves and
horns are 18-carat gold. His head is crowned by a gold Egyptian solar
disk. Seen head-on, he's a false idol whose headgear is simultaneously
silly and mesmerizing."
Time
4 September
Just released: a DVD set of the 1978 Grateful Dead show in Egypt.
AntiMusic
4 September
Earlier rumors that the next Transformers movie would have an Egyptian connection, reported false on 21 April, are now, once again, reported to be true.
Tformers
4 September
A remark about Governor Sarah Palin's hairstyle, reportedly overheard from onlookers as she rehearsed
her speech for the Republican National Convention: "I think
she’s going for the Nefertiti look."
The Progressive
2 September
"Call of Cthulhu: The Darkness Within," a game in which "a group of
archaeologists and paleontologists from Miskatonic University who are
sent to explore the ruins of an ancient city that appear in the sands
of Egypt following a violent earthquake" will soon be available for the
iPhone.
MacWorld
30 August
(A case of near-miss Egyptomania:) Regarding
a litter of labrador retriever puppies, two of which will be trained as
bomb-sniffing dogs, Constable Evelyn Hardy, the breeder, said: "We
toyed with the idea of naming them after Egyptian gods, but then my
husband, Michael, suggested submarines and it seemed like a really good
idea."
Press and Journal
29 August
The Egyptian-themed Cleopatra's Barge restaurant in the Amigo Terrace
Hotel (Iloilo City, Philippines) celebrated its first anniversary.
The News Today
29 August
An Egyptian-themed float was one of the participants in the Ryde Carnival on the Isle of Wight.
Isle of Wight County Press
28 August
Pre-release socio-political criticism of the upcoming Will Smith movie, The Last Pharaoh.
Arabistro
28 August
At Spring Valley Ranch near Racklin, California is an Egyptian Revival
tomb in the form of a 15-foot-tall pyramid, built for Joel Parker
Whitney, who died in 1913.
Placer Herald
27 August
"Wilton Lewis Tawwater was born in Quanah [Texas] in 1923 [....] His
father called him 'King Tut' when he was a baby, and 'Tut' stuck with
him his entire life."
Plainview Daily Herald
27 August
A bicycling event will be held on 27 September to benefit the
"maintenance and preservation" of the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb,
Illinois.
WIFR
27 August
Next month, the Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio will show The Pharaoh's Daughter,
a film of "a legendary 1862 ballet choreographed by Marius Petipa (who
later created the first "Nutcracker") set to music by Cesare Pugni. The
recent, lavish Bolshoi Ballet production was reconstructed from
Petipa's original by Pierre Lacotte."
The Plain Dealer
27 August
Ankh: The Curse of the Scarab King has been released for the Nintendo D gaming system.
ProductReviews
27 August
One of the plays featured at the Page-to-Stage New Play Festival at the Kennedy Center in New York City is the musical The Last Days of Cleopatra,
adapted by Joe Calarco from the book of that title by Charlie Barnett.
The play "is about the scandal on the set of "Cleopatra" in the early
1960s when Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton fell in love despite
their respective spouses."
Washington Post
27 August
A review of the New York Grand Opera production of Aida.
Brooklyn Eagle
26 August
In an upcoming episode of the Sci-Fi Channel's series Eureka,
entitled "Show Me the Mummy," "a famed archeologist [is] on the hunt
for a mummy after he opens the tomb of an Egyptian queen at Global
Dynamics."
BuddyTV
26 August
The Egyptian goddess Isis is the namesake of a British charity that
supports "women and their children experiencing mental distress." The
charity, the Isis Project, has "a new logo depicting a blue eye. 'Isis'
is a goddess in Egyptian culture, representing feminine strength,
rebirth and renewal, while the eye symbolises protection and recovery."
Telegraph and Argus
26 August
Scottish singer Chelsea Dagger recalls: "'My favourite ever [burlesque
performance] was the very first one I did. I was Cleopatra and I did
this really cheesy Egyptian dance and a strip tease. It was hilarious,
but I loved it. I've never done it again, but I absolutely loved it.' |
It was seeing her perform as the Egyptian queen that inspired John
[Lawler, now her husband] to pen the song Chelsea Dagger."
The Scotsman
26 August
Noted in an article about Josephine Baker: "She appeared in a show, 'La
Revue Negre', in which she danced the Charleston on top of a drum
dressed in ostrich feathers, and became a huge star. The French press
went wild and said she was 'Nefertiti and the Queen of Sheba and
Cleopatra ... her eyelids twinkling with sequins, her fingers, wrists,
throat and ears aglow with diamonds ... She is the most radiant of all
temptresses ever to grace the Paris stage ... A sinuous idol who
enslaves and incites all mankind.'"
The Guardian
25 August
For 2007/2008, foreign tourism to Egypt has increased by more than 25% over 2006/2007.
Reuters
25 August
Although dubbed "Ziggurat," the futuristic carbon-neutral pyramid city planned for Dubai is clearly of Egyptian inspiration.
Inhabitat
25 August
The Isle of Man is issuing a commemorative coin in which "Sand from
Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza, the only original Ancient Wonder still
standing, is encapsulated."
Numismaster
25 August
High-school drama teacher and playwright Linda Piccolo's play Curse of the Pharaoh Queen,
"centers on famous detective writer Agatha Christie solving a murder
mystery during a trip to Aswan, Egypt, with her archaeologist husband.
| It’s full of action, murder, intrigue, Egyptian history and, of
course, a mummy’s curse."
Helena Independent Record
24 August
The Khufu boat inspired singer-songwriter Ben Sollee's "Bury Me in My Car."
Courier-Journal
23 August
An opinion piece compares the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack
Obama, to the Egyptian god Osiris: "The 'O' [in the official campaign
logo] then symbolizes Obama as well as the mythological figure of
Osiris, the sun-god personified in the Egyptian cult of life, death and
fertility. The Obamas are the Osiris-Isis pair, the power couple
of Egyptian mythology..."
OpEdNews
22 August
For the famous "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Billie Jean
King and Bobby Riggs, held on 20 September 1973, King "entered the
stadium Cleopatra-style, on a chair carried by burly bare-chested young
men. Riggs followed in a rickshaw pulled by near-naked models he called
his 'bosom buddies.'"
Times Colonist
21 August
Clair Ossian's Texas garden was inspired by ancient Egypt.
Dallas Morning News
21 August
Supermodel Naomi Campbell had a meeting with Zahi Hawass,
secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Hawass states
"She claims she feels a great spiritual connection to it [the Great
Sphinx at Giza]. I took her to visit and she started talking to it."
The Independent
20 August
Asked whose wardrobe, "past or present, fictional or real," she would
most like to steal, actress Naomie Harris replied, "Cleopatra's,
please. I love all her gold jewellery and floaty dresses. I'd be
happy wearing that kind of attire every day."
TimesOnline
20 August
The newest police horse in Saratoga Springs, New York, is named King Tut.
TimesUnion
19 August
Review of a production of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra at the Stratford Festival (Ontario).
National Post
18 August
Vena Cava's new line of shoes "will consist of four styles matching
their Spring collection theme of 'Egyptomania.' Expect to see exotic
strappy sandals embellished in monkfish and salmon skin dyed in muted,
sun-bleached colors."
FabSugar
17 August
Article about the 1932 film The Mummy.
Times Colonist
17 August
At last year's welcome back celebration at Rock Hill High School
in Rock Hill, South Carolina, "principal Judy Mobley made a grand
entrance as the Egyptian ruler Cleopatra, carried in on a couch as
admirers threw flower petals."
HeraldOnline
17 August
"Jan de Bray's Banquet of Mark Antony and Cleopatra is an odd work, but
then it was meant to be. The canvas is a portrait historié, a portrait
whose subjects are shown as historical characters – in this case, a
licentious Roman general and an Egyptian queen whose husbands included
two of her brothers. Hardly a flattering depiction, especially given
the identity of the sitters: Salomon and Anna de Bray, Jan's father and
mother."
The Independent
16 August
An Internet gambling game called Pharaoh's Treasure recently paid out a £100,000 jackpot.
Evening Telegraph
15 August
Two churches in Chester joined together to hold an Egyptian-themed "holiday club for children"
Chester Chronicle
14 August
A 1,200-pound cast
cement statue of Horus has mysteriously turned up facing due west on
the lower slopes of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California. Its
origins are unknown.
WRMEA
14 August
A 1978 short film entitled invisible Adversaries is based "on the
Egyptian myth of the Hyksos – an ancient tribe who would stage
invasions via sudden appearance and disappearances." (Egyptomania.org
is otherwise unaware of this "myth" and would appreciate learning of
any source, modern or otherwise, referencing it.)
DVD Times
14 August
The Masonic Temple in Greensboro, North Carolina, which has an
"Egyptian-styled Scottish Rite room," may become a performing arts
center.
News-Record
14 August
Recently closed in Grand Chute, Wisconsin: the Tan Lines tanning salon
on Integrity Way. "The salon opened in 2005 and had 54 tanning rooms in
a massive 10,000 square foot space with an Egyptian theme."
PostCrescent
14 August
At the Magdalen Community Fayre in Gorleston could be found "Isis Egyptian dancing."
Great Yarmouth Mercury
14 August
"The teams dressed up in Cleopatra, Ghost Busters, Egyptian and
Sheila’s Wheels outfits" for the annual trolley dash" to raise
money for the Wath Brow Hornets rugby team charity.
Whitehaven News
13 August
Having failed to raise the required funds, the Texas Ballet Theater has canceled its performance of Cleopatra in Beijing. (See 9 August.)
Star-Telegram
Dallas Morning News
13 August
An Egyptian-themed game, Pyramid Solitaire, is available for the iPhone.
iLounge
13 August
The new female character in the new Star War series (see 11 August) is described as "a facial amalgam of Nefertiti and Pete Doherty."
Financial Times
12 August
Another story on the Egyptian-themed fair at Harborough. (See also 6 August.)
Harborough Mail
12 August
Designer Lisa Maycock reports that her spring 2009 line will be
"Egyptian sportswear, we’re calling it celestial
sportswear [...]But it’s loosely inspired by
Egyptomania." [...] "It's a fascination with Egypt. Like
Francophile, but we're doing it in a subtle way so that
it's wearable."
New York Observer
12 August
"Egyptian deities probably aren't a realm to which PC enthusiasts give
much thought when picking out components, but for whatever reason, the
Hiper Group has decided that's the appropriate theme for its new line
of cases."
The Tech Report
11 August
(Egyptomania.org hesitates to mention this, but only hesitates.) The low-budget film Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers features those who "worship the god of Egyptian chainsaws."
MLive.com
11 August
A South African "teambuilding conference" company is holding an event it calls the Pharaoh's Curse.
BizCommunity
11 August
The new segment in the Star Wars series, The Clone Wars, features "Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), a feisty 14-year-old girl with a
neo-ancient Egyptian look who is assigned to serve as apprentice to the
reluctant Anakin. The character seems like an obvious play for the teen
audience."
Screen Daily
11 August
Now available: a King Tut sleeping bag, reported to be "a huge hit in Japan."
Inventorspot
11 August
"Cleopatra's Nile barge" was one of the entries in first Cardboard Boat
Regatta at the University of New Hampshire Outdoor Pool in Durham.
Seacoast Online
10 August
"At a media conference here, [George Lucas is] asked about the
challenge of living up to his own legacy, especially on a smaller
budget. 'It's challenging,' he says. 'All art is a technological
medium, so a lot of it has to do with engineering how to create what
you imagine. It's also something that's dictated to you by the amount
of resources you have available to you. If you're a Pharaoh, you build
pyramids.'"
London Free Press
10 August
"Chodovar brewery manager Mojmir Prokes explained that the treatment
[at Prave Pivni Lazni, a Czech beer spa] was inspired in part by
ancient Egyptian beer traditions."
Chicago Tribune
9 August
The Texas Ballet Theater may cancel its upcoming trip to the China Shanghai International Arts Festival
if it fails to raise a minimum of $70,000 by Wednesday, necessary to
ship sets, costumes, and other equipment (including "some expenses
associated with the special recorded music") required to stage Cleopatra.
Star-Telegram
Dallas News
9 August
A fundraiser will be held on 6 September to benefit the restoration of
the 1913 Egyptian Revival organ in the Downtown Presbyterian
Church in Nashville, Tennessee. The church architecture is likewise
Egyptian Revival.
Tennessean
9 August
The third building phase of Fort Trumbull (New London, Connecticut),
constructed in 1839, "is the only American fort that features Egyptian
Revival architecture."
TheDay.com
9 August
To coax visitors to Columbus, Ohio: "Print ads, online ads and even
T-shirts will display images of the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of
China, the Egyptian pyramids and other objects of interest not found in
Columbus."
Columbus Local News
8 August
Early twentieth century Egyptian Revival architecture in Indianapolis,
Indiana. (Note, however, that not all of the architecture shown in the
accompanying photo gallery is properly speaking Egyptian Revival.)
Indy.com
8 August
A new Mardi Gras krewe, named the Krewe of Tut, after the boy-king, has
formed this year and been approved by the Terrebonne Parish
Council (Louisiana). Open to "people of all backgrounds," it already
has about 200 members.
HoumaToday
8 August
On Pharaoh's Island in the Thames River, "many of the 23 houses on the
island have names with an Egyptian theme to maintain the link [to
Admiral Lord Nelson, who defeated Napoleon's fleet at the Battle of the
Nile in 1798] The biggest of them, the Sphinx at the eastern end of the
island, was recently on the market with a price tag in excess of
£1m."
Staines News
8 August
Video (plug-in, perhaps Windows-specific, required) of the Egyptian-themed day at Harborough mentioned 6 August.
Harborough Mail
8 August
Review of the Seattle Opera's production of Aida.
HeraldNet
7 August
The play Anaïs Nin Goes to Hell
has its world premiere production at Maieutic Theatre Works. "Imagine
an island in hell where Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and Queen
Victoria...wait for their men. What happens when women's lib icon
Anaïs Nin arrives to turn their afterlife upside down?"
Broadway World
7 August
Article about the production of Aida staged in Beijing by the Cairo Opera House.
Daily News Egypt
7 August
Review of the TriArts Sharon Playhouse's production of Elton John's Aida.
RepublicanAmerican
7 August
The Egyptian replica pieces formerly on display at the Luxor Hotel in
Las Vegas have been donated to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.
(See also 26 June 2008; for the "de-Egyptianization" of the hotel, see, most recently, 23 August 2007.)
ReviewJournal
6 August
"Two huge sandpits, palm trees, a sphinx and deckchairs have been
placed on The Square [in Harborough] this morning (Wed, Aug 6) as part
of an Egyptian-themed event."
Harborough Mail
6 August
Noted: the current production of Swan Lake, being staged in the Opera House in London by the Guandong troupe of acrobats includes, bafflingly, "a camel and a sphinx."
This Is London
4 August
A spacecraft called Rosetta is headed for an asteroid, which it will
examine by means of its Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote
Imaging System (OSIRIS) imaging system.
European Space Agency News
4 August
A description of what theater in which The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opened in Mumbai: "the setup leading to the screens had an Egyptian decor, complete with mummies, pyramids and the sphinx!"
Times of India
4 August
A look at The Mummy (1932), starring Boris Karloff.
Nashua Telegraph
3 August
A reviewer compares painter Yau Bee Ling's "abstract portrait" Pride
to Nefertiti: "The tilt of the head in the portrait is in the classic
Nefertiti style. The angular chin, the eyes almost looking down at the
viewer portray a certain hauteur about the person. | [...] She
was so important to him that Akhenaten had her image carved into the
four corners of his granite sarcophagus, providing his mummified body
with protection in the after life – and in so doing elevated her
to the realm of the deities. | Perhaps that explains the hauteur often
seen in representations of Nefertiti."
The Star Online
2 August
A look back at the mummy movies of Universal Studios, past and present.
Geeks of Doom
2 August
This article about jeweler Gaston Marticornea features a photograph of
him holding "a tiny18-karat gold Egyptian pharaoh King Tut with
exquisitely detailed
helmet and clothing. He made the piece because of a client who brought
in a picture of the pharaoh, he said."
The Suncoast news
1 August
An article on mummymania, especially in the cinema.
Vancouver Sun
1 August
"One of the most distinctive shopping centers in the world, Dubai's
Wafi Mall is known for its opulent décor as well as its range of
shops and restaurants. Shaped like an Egyptian pyramid, it has
hieroglyphics that decorate the walls, while statues of pharaohs sit
next to the gold-foiled white pillars lining the walkways."
Forbes
1 August
A detail from biographer Philip Hoare's meeting with noted recluse
Stephen Tennant in 1987: "He was lying in bed wearing two shirts, with
an ancient Egyptian scarab ring and on his legs he had a rug which I
later found out was made of the skins of 20 very rare Columbian
monkeys."
This Is Nottingham
1 August
A review describes the restaurant in the Majestic Barrière in Cannes as "neo-Egyptian."
Telegraph
1 August
A Rothschild's giraffe just born at the Marwell Zoo has been given the name Tiye, after Queen Tiye, mother of Akhenaten.
This Is Hampshire
1 August
Schedule for the wherry yacht Hathor, the interior of which is decorated in a period Egyptian theme.
EDP24
31 July
One chapter of a recent doctoral thesis by Sahar Abdel Ramen "explained how the ancient Egyptians
influenced invaders and got influenced by them to finally offer the
world a wide range of hairstyles."
Daily News Egypt
31 July
Why we find mummies to fascinating.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
30 July
Italian writer Roberto Zacco's novel about Nefertiti, The Arms of the Sun, has been optioned By Lucas Foster for a film.
ComingSoon.net
MovieWeb
undated July
Recently released for the Nintendo game system: Adventure of Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy.
DS-x2.com
29 July
The Egyptian Revival wherry Hathor will be open for tours.
Lowestoft Journal
27 July
Miami Dolphins running back Lorenzo Booker "has a tattoo on his left
shoulder in African hieroglyphic characters that means "life." Around
it is a pyramid shape with his mother's initials in the top corner and
his brother's and sister's initials in the bottom left and right
corners, respectively."
Phanatic Magazine
27 July
Donations are sought to complete the restoration of the Arabian Theatre in Laurel, Mississippi, first mentioned here 21 July.
Hattiesburg American
27 July
"Some images" in the works of Cuban artist Glexis Novoa "refer back to
antiquity, such as the Egyptian deity of the afterlife Anubis."
Tennessean
21 July
An Egyptian-themed hoodie was among the hoodies used by a gang of robbers just convicted in Mobile, Alabama.
Press-Register
21 July
One of the themed rooms in the Zanzibar International Hotel located in
St. Leonards (U.K.) is devoted to Egypt, complete with "an Anubis-like
statue guarding the door."
Telegraph
(undated) July
Among the waxwork displays at the Tourist Information Bureau of the
Municipality of Nicosia (Cyprus): "There’s Cleopatra, (not Liz
Tailor), Nefertiti, Horus, Annubis [sic], god of the dead, and a mummy
with its shriveled head exposed."
Cyprus Mail
21 July
Workers have uncovered Egyptian Revival wall decoration in the Arabian
Theatre in Laurel, Mississippi. Donations are sought to complete the
restoration.
Laurel Leader-Call
21 July
The Hi-Notes Ensemble, a troupe of hearing-impaired children, has been
honored with a New Group Composition award, presented at at the
National Festival of Music for Youth, for their Tutankhamen’s Curse.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner
20 July
Mentioned in passing: "the shocking never-solved 'Sphinx Murder' of a
dentist on the steps of the downtown [Pasadena, CA] Masonic Hall in
1933. 'They'd say the sphinx knew, but wouldn't talk,' [Richard] Schave
said."
Pasadena Star News
19 July
"Beginning in the early 1920s, the mature style of [Demeter] Chiparus
took shape. His sculptures are remarkable for their bright and
outstanding decorative effect. His work was influenced by an interest
in Egypt after King Tutankhamen's tomb was excavated in 1922. There are
several sculptures representing Egyptian queen Cleopatra, as well as
Egyptian dancers."
Orillia Packet & Times
18 July
Featured in an episode of Look What I Did!, a show on HGTV (Home and Garden Television) is an Egyptian-inspired bathroom.
Contra Costa Times
18 July
Two more stories (with photographs) about the mummified bodies reported here on 17 July.
Charleston Daily Mail
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
17 July
"In 1888, the bodies of the two women [still on display 'in the
bathroom of the Barbour County Historical Museum in Philippi, W. Va.']
were sold by the state hospital to Graham Hamrick for a macabre
experiment: he wanted to recreate the mummification techniques employed
by ancient Egyptians." There is now a movement to have the bodies
removed from display.
MarketWatch
16 July
A fundraiser will be held in August for the Egyptian Revival wherry Hathor.
Evening News 24
16 July
The two male cheetahs in the Auckland Zoo (New Zealand) are named Anubis and Osiris.
Stuff.co.nz
16 July
From a review of the Thomas Hope exhibit at Bard College: "One
spectacular part of the exhibition is a set of furniture from Hope's
Egyptian room. A mix of Egyptian revival and French Empire styles, the
Egyptian room is one of the classic examples of the Regency style,
which mixed antiquity with what was then contemporary design. A pair of
Hope-designed bronze and gilded beech armchairs, dating to 1802, are a
must-see highlight of the show: The intricate carvings and the contrast
of black-on-gold give the pair an alluring dazzle."
New York Sun
16 July
The pyramids are number 2 in a poll that asked people in Britain where they would most like to visit before they die.
Opodo
15 July
The 12-metre yacht Nefertiti participated in the charity fundraiser Wall Street Corporate Challenge, hosted by the Newport Shipyard.
Sail-World.com
15 July
A sports writer has dubbed tennis great Serena Williams "Nefertiti 2000."
Insight News
15 July
Review of the production of Aida presented by the Utah Festival Opera.
Salt Lake Tribune
15 July
Tutankhamun's mask provided the inspiration for a maze created across
eight acres of maize and sunflower fields in Wistow, Leicestershire
(U.K.).
Harborough Mail
15 July
When asked what character she would like to play in a film, actress Koel Purie replied, "Cleopatra, a femme fatale."
Screen India
14 July
"Khonshu," the "Egyptian God of Vengeance" makes an appearance in the superhero comic Moon Knight. (For the non-Egyptologist readers, Egyptomania.org notes that Khonsu is the name of an Egyptian lunar god.)
Comic Book Resources
14 July
A yoga instructor uses the ancient Egyptian story of the shipwrecked sailor in her class for children.
Daily Camera
13 July
A new line of denim fashions designed by Rachel Rose and Rebecca
Dawson, called The Beautiful and Dammed, uses as its logo "the Scarab
which is embroidered onto every pair. It’s a beautiful and
intriguing creature but also has a sinister dark side."
Vogue
13 July
A list of celebrities' belief in reincarnation reveals that a medium
told Tina Turner that she was Hatshepsut. Also, Shirley MacLaine
"claims to have spent a previous life with her dog Terry in ancient
Egypt. He was an animal god and she was a princess."
Sunday Mail
13 July
A review of a Lebanese restaurant in Sydney called "Pharaohs
Mediterranean": "The restaurant is spread over two
beautifully-decorated levels including Cleopatra's Lounge and the cosy
Red Harem Room."
St. George and Sutherland Shire Leader
12 July
Rescued from a Dumpster in Summerside, Prince Edward Island: "a thick
blue photo album with an Egyptian design on the front and back,"
containing hundreds of photographs from World War II.
The Expositor
12 July
An Egyptianizing metaphor from the publishing industry: "One figure who will have been excited by this week's news of unseen
Franz Kafka papers becoming available is the agent Andrew Wylie,
famously a collector of big names. His nickname, the Jackal, derived
from rival agents seeing authors switching to him with irksome
regularity. But his recent coup of acquiring Roberto Bolaño and
Vladimir Nabokov's estates suggests it remains appropriate but in a
different sense: he has become a literary Anubis..."
The Guardian
12 July
Mentioned in an article about Paris: "Of course, one of the best-known aspects of the Moulin Rouge experience
is nudity. This goes right back to the late-19th century when one of
the most popular draws was the Cleopatra procession, featuring a nude
Egyptian queen carried by four men and surrounded by barely clad girls."
The Scotsman
11 July
An "Egyptian Era" is one of the options for the Nintendo game Ninja Commando.
Nintendic
11 July
A new surveillance application for the iPhone is called iRa.
Phones Review
11 July
A look at the Egyptian Revival, as inspired by an exhibit of the works of 19th century designer Thomas Hope.
New York Times
11 July
In 1923, the people of Geneva, Illinois dubbed the unidentified corpse
of a murder victim "King Tut," on account of his fire-blackened head.
Kane County Chronicle
9 July
When asked if he had any favorite designs for this year, jewelry
designer Gurhan Orhan replied in part: "I believe in reincarnation.
What I try to do now, is for example, I
collect some pieces from Roman period - bronze pieces and I put them
out as jewelry today. I collect some jewelry parts and piece from
Victorian period I put them out today again - the recent collection now
I made is the Scarabs from Egyptian period. Those are giving me the
greatest joy and I can say I mostly proud of those reincarnated
jewelry."
ViaLuxe
8 July
The decor of the Moomia Lounge in New York City features both Moroccan and ancient Egyptian styles.
BlackBook
8 July
Among the items formerly in the collection of the History San Jose
Museum (San Jose, California) to be auctioned off is an Egyptian
Revival fireplace cover.
Mercury News
8 July
The Cairo Opera House will stage its production of Verdi's opera Aida in Beijing later this month.
China View
7 July
Language software developer Rosetta Stone is suing competitors for
"piggybacking" on its Egyptologically-inspired trademarked name for
Internet advertising.
Wall Street Journal
7 July
Students at the De Aston School in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire
(U.K.) are enlivening the school halls with recreations of ancient art,
including Egyptian.
Market Rasen Mail
6 July
An 8x8-foot tile mural depicting the pyramids of Giza and camels has
been uncovered at a Long Beach, California apartment complex.
It likely dates to the late 1920s.
Whittier Daily News
6 July
One recent trivia question was "What is the current occupant of the location that once housed the grand Egyptian Theatre?"
(The answer, and a photograph of the interior of the theater as it
appeared in 1929, with Egyptian Revival furniture, can be seen at the
link.)
Boston Globe
6 July
A preview of Marcus Hummon and Abdel R. Salaam's work in progress, a dance oratio titled Tut: Seek Wonderful Things, which tells the stories of both Tutankhamun and Howard Carter.
Tennessean.com
5 July
Universal has released the 1932 classic The Mummy,
starring Boris Karloff, as a Special Edition two-disk DVD set.
Also available are the first two movies in the recent "Mummy" series.
Cleveland.com
5 July
From an article about the current "Lure of the East" exhibit of
orientalist paintings at the Tate Britain in London: "Another
subversive and revelatory painting [by John Frederick Lewis] is And the
Prayer of Faith
Shall Save the Sick (1872), where a beautiful woman
(resembling Lewis's
wife, Marianne) reclines in her sickbed. A panel on the wall above her
head bears a relief of the ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor, manifested
as Sekhmet; the centre of the wall is inscribed with a quotation from
the Qur'an: 'We have embraced the faith, so forgive us.' At the front
of the picture, Lewis, turned discreetly away from the women, reads
from the Holy Book."
Guardian
3 July
The Egyptian Revival interior of the former Ogden Theater and Dance
Hall (1928), now known as the Lincoln Theater, in Columbus, Ohio is
being restored.
Columbus Alive
3 July
A new water attraction at Camelbeach in the Poconos (New York) is called the Pharaoh's Phortress.
The Morning Call
Pocono Record
Pocono Record
2 July
Noted in passing: famed aviator Charles Lindbergh's "early attempts to play God had included a failed attempt to bring a
3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy back to life..."
Daily Mail
1 July
A review of Pharaoh Sanders's 1967 jazz album Tauhid, which includes "Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt."
All About Jazz
1 July
Kollywood actress Nayantara "will soon be seen in an item number in the upcoming movie Kuselan dressed as Cleopatra, the thought of which is grabbing the attention of many young men worldwide."
Bollyspice
1 July
Former American Idol contestant Paris Bennet is pregnant and will name her daughter "Egypt."
NJ.com
1 July
Regarding the first Chronicles of Narnia film, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and specifically the lion, Aslan: "Aslan's eyes played a key role in Framestore's approach. 'In trying to
think how we could improve upon the first film's sterling effort,' says
Kevin Spruce, animation supervisor, 'One of the things that struck us
was that his eyes had previously been given a distinctly "Egyptian",
almost Cleopatra-like look and shape to them. We felt that this could
be improved on, and it's one of the more noticeable changes in his
appearance [in the second film, Prince Caspian]."
Digital Arts
1 July
On fire-ravaged California's list of "safe"
fireworks: Pharaoh’s Treasure ($19.99), a trapezoid-shaped
array of white smoke
and titanium rain, showers droplets of purple, green and blue joined by
crackling chrysanthemums."
El Dorado Hills Telegraph
1 July
The $65,000 gold-and-gemstone Cleopatra Bracelet by EV Jewelry "was
inspired by scrolls dating back to the era of queen Cleopatra's reign."
Luxist
OTHER NEWS:
Egyptomania in the News (Current)
2008
January-June
2007
2000-2006
1970-1999
|
