Shit!

John Simon, who has been theatre critic at New York magazine for newly [sic] 40 years, has been dismissed from that position, the critic told Playbill.com.

"I expected it," he said May 10, when asked if New York editor Adam Moss' decision took him by surprise. "Then again, my birthday is coming up, so I didn't think it was a very good birthday present."

Jeremy McCarter, theatre critic for the New York Sun, was named as Simon's replacement. McCarter's first review for New York will appear June 1.

Simon is known equally for his considerable erudition, his longevity as a critic (he is 79) and his vituperative style. His stinging reviews—particularly his sometimes vicious appraisals of performers' physical appearances—have periodically raised calls in the theatre community for his removal.

Why does this seem to have about it the stench of another triumph for pop culture and the proles?

RTWT here.

(Link via About Last Night)