First the good news. The Los Angeles Times has started an arts blog. The more the merrier, especially if it means that their art critic Christopher Knight, one of the more useful voices around, gets to write more.
Then the bad news. It’s called “Culture Monster”. To put it mildly, the Times seems to have adapted the name from the well known independent arts blog “C-monster”. (Adapted is the polite term here for ripped off, then tweaked.) If you’re looking to show that your mainstream publication has the quick reflexes to operate in the nimble world of blogging, grasping for ideas at another blog is a funny way to start out.
