Monday, December 12
What Basel Miami Is All About "If Venice is about the artists, and discreet Basel about dealers and collectors, brash Miami is about money. It is money that you can not only taste in the air; you can hear it discussed, and see it being spent all day long. The effect is strangely distorting. Twenty-four hours in, and you feel a touch under-dressed. Forty-eight hours in, and you wonder WHY you don't own any Chanel couture. Thirty-six hours in, and you no longer turn clammy when you're told the price of things. 'It's $68,000,' the bald guy in the Prada suit will tell you. "Hmm, not bad," you think, aware that the woman with the stretched face to your left has just written a cheque for six times as much." The Observer (UK) 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:23 pm
TV's Building SmackDown "Modern architects have always been sensitive about the public's ambivalence towards their buildings, and the last thing they wanted was a programme highlighting their dislike of a string of high-profile modern buildings and clamouring for their demolition. The critics need not have been so nervous. What the poll showed was the public's remarkably sanguine attitude towards modern buildings, despite numerous Lottery-funded projects that might have been expected to generate controversy." The Telegraph (UK) 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:47 pm
The New Istanbul Modern - City Of Ferment? "The Istanbul Modern's chief curator, Rosa Martínez, calls the museum's opening 'a strong aesthetic, social and political statement' about Turkey's will 'to live together with the other European countries.' Indeed, the plan to build a contemporary museum in the city's heart had stalled for years until Erdogan's government cleared the way. Can art in Istanbul remain immune to political pressure or even criticize the status quo? Or will this art be co-opted by political and economic forces?" Los Angeles Times 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:51 am
Spain's Architectural Revolution "Powered by a democratic awakening after decades of Fascist rule and by the dividends of European Union membership, Spain is clearly outpacing its European siblings in the breadth and daring of its new architecture." The New York Times 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:24 am
The Metropolitan Museum's Problem Antiquities Donor "The Levy-White collection could prove a complicating factor in discussions between the Met and the Italian Culture Ministry, which says it has evidence that more than 20 objects that the Met already owns were illegally removed from Italy. As the case has unfolded, the Italians have issued subpoenas to the Met through the United States Justice Department." The New York Times 12/10/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 7:29 am
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Italy - Where Opera Rules? (Maybe) "I'm not saying that a visit to the opera in Italy is a visit to a world of lost content in which opera is woven into the whole fabric of Italian vernacular life. It isn't. I love the true story of Verdi and a visitor driving a horse and carriage along a lane near Busseto one afternoon and encountering a party of farm workers who doff their caps and spontaneously break into a chorus from I Lombardi. But it's not like that now. Modern Italy, like Bertolucci's Novecento, starts with the death of Verdi. We must stop ourselves sentimentalising about it. And yet you can't be in Milan for long on the opening day of the Scala season without realising something peculiar to Italy is occurring." The Guardian (UK) 12/10/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:21 pm
BBC At Home (Live And In Person) The BBC is organizing musicians to come into people's houses an play music for them. "Musicians from the BBC's five orchestras, as well as others including Northern Sinfonia and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, will be setting up in front rooms. Radio 3 listeners were invited to nominate friends or family members for their own personalised performance, given by anything from a solo performer to a quartet." The Guardian (UK) 12/10/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:03 pm
Needed: A Turner Prize For Music? "The idea is taking root that contemporary music really ought to come out of its shell and tell the world it exists. 'We need a Turner Prize for Music' is the cry often heard. Which isn't to say that the composing world lacks prizes. Some of them, such as the Grawemeyer Award, awarded by the University of Louisville, have far larger prizes than the Turner. But they're invisible. There's no awards ceremony, no party, no TV cameras. The annual Royal Philharmonic Society Awards is a glitzy affair, but composers are only one category among many." The Telegraph (UK) 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:42 pm
Why Does Springer Make A Great Opera? "The operatic potential of The Jerry Springer Show seems blindingly obvious, at least in hindsight. Like characters in an opera, Springer's guests come on stage and immediately reveal their innermost secrets, then pitch into emotional exchanges with their wives, boyfriends or boyfriends' girlfriends. Love, hate, sex, power: All the big operatic themes are there, minus the singing. There's even a built-in chorus: the studio audience, with its volatile sympathies and free-floating hostility." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:39 pm
The Anti Anti-Piracy Backlash A backlash is developing against recording companies' anti-piracy measures. "Some at Sony BMG candidly say that copy-protection software, particularly a program which has since been discontinued, but which was embedded in a number of discs, such as the latest Burt Bacharach CD At This Time and Ray Charles's Friendship, has been a massive blunder at the worst possible time of year." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:31 pm
Berlin's Rattle Effect "Simon Rattle — or 'Sir Simon,' as the Germans love to call him — is revolutionizing Berlin, both the Philharmonic and the city's musical life. The brass may gleam as brightly as ever, the winds glisten and the strings shine. But after three Rattle seasons, the Berlin Philharmonic is a different band than it has ever been, with a less defined sound, a much broader repertory, a new relationship to its community and a new spring to its step. Not everyone is happy." Los Angeles Times 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:46 am
Aududon: A String Quartet's Ugly Story "The feud pits the cellist, violist and second violinist against the first violinist, whom they ousted from the quartet in early 2000. He sued and won a $611,000 judgment, sending the other three to bankruptcy court. Now, after nearly six years of legal battling, what may be the last chapter is playing out in a Virginia courthouse. A bankruptcy trustee is seeking to liquidate the assets of the violist and the cellist, a married couple." The New York Times 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:16 am
Apres The Geriatric Rockers? Rien? Today's biggest pop music draws, those capable of filling stadiums and charging big ticket prices are getting on in years. Younger artists of their stature aren't coming along, and presenters are worried. "I don't know what the Social Security plan is for those of us in the concert industry who will be waiting for the Stones and McCartney to still be touring in 10 to 15 years. But we need to worry about how to fill those arena, amphitheater and stadium dates with an artist-driven or event-driven tour." San Diego Union-Tribune 12/12/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:44 am
Ratings Drop After DC Station Drops Classical Music For Public Radio News Last February, Washington DC public radio station WETA ditched its classical music format and went news. Did the switch backfire? "After two ratings books, two fund drives and nine months of the new programming -- a mix of news and talk shows from National Public Radio, the BBC and other outside sources, much of it oriented to foreign affairs -- WETA's audience is smaller, no more generous than the classical audience was, and no more reflective of the demographics of the Washington area." EWashington Post 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:32 am
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Boston's New Arsenal Arts Center Struggles "Three months after its grand opening gala, the $7.5 million Arsenal Center for the Arts in Boston is struggling to book its new space and facing the resignations of two top officials. The Arsenal Center for the Arts serves as the home for New Repertory Theatre and the Watertown Children's Theatre and also contains spaces for art shows, classes, and dance performances."
Boston Globe 12/09/05
Posted: 12/12/2005 6:35 am
Computers Are Smarter Than Humans "The latest evidence comes from Bilbao, Spain. where another tournament pitting world-class grandmasters against state-of-the-art computers ended in a semi-rout. The machines won five games, drew six and lost only once against the likes of Ruslan Ponomariev, Alexander Khalifman and Rustam Kasimdzhanov." New York Post 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:40 am
New Jersey - Too many Performing Arts Centers? Some say there aren't enough audiences and artists to support the 45 arts centers already in operation in New Jersey. Still others point to the competitive fund-raising climate and worry if there are enough donors and dollars to support both the new and existing venues. people think the arts are this great economic engine for your community, and they can be. But can they all be?"
Newark Star-Ledger 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:13 am
An Impending Jobs Crisis? "Today, America's work force is divided into three parts: about 25 percent are the 'smart people' who are educated and also have special career skills; another 25 percent are the 'walking dead,' victims of mergers or technological change and [who] need to acquire new skills in order to change jobs or even careers... and up to 50 percent are the 'techno-peasants,' poorly educated adults with few if any special career skills." Philadelphia Inquirer 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:08 am
How MySpace Is Transforming The Arts Marketing Experience "MySpace pulls it all together. It's where, for free, you can make your own Web page and direct people to it. Start your own blog. There's instant messaging and music downloads. It's spam-free for the moment, packed with music and comedy, growing by 4 million people a month and easy to use. It's that huge audience, primarily teens and young adults, that's pushing the latest revolution in the music industry. More than 550,000 musicians have MySpace pages, with the ability to get heard, play gigs and make a living without radio, TV or even having a CD in stores. Previously unknown bands, comedians and other entertainers now take their case directly to fans." Rocky Mountain News 12/10/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:52 am
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The Congressman And His Movie Script California Republican Dana Rohrabacher has written a screen play. "I said [to my friend], 'What do I write about?' " Rohrabacher recalled. "He said, 'Dana, write about what you like to do. What do you like to do?' I said, 'Well, I like to go down to Mexico, drink tequila and chase women.' So he goes, 'Well, write a story that includes going down to Mexico, drinking tequila and chasing women.' And I said, 'Why don't we make it a treasure story?' " Los Angeles Times 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:56 am
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On Broadway - Where Are The Women Directors? "Of the 39 plays and musicals that opened on Broadway this year, 3 were directed by women. Of the 34 new shows in 2004, women directed 2. These are not particularly encouraging figures for those looking for the new female directorial voices. Many women can be found directing shows off Broadway and running regional theaters, but the best-known and biggest-budget venue has not been all that welcoming." The New York Times 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:35 am
Cindy Sheehan, Onstage Nobel-winning playwright Dario Fo has written a play about peace activist Cindy Sheehan. "Peace Mom received its world premiere in London on Saturday night, starring British actress Frances de la Tour, with both Sheehan and Italian dramatist Fo in the audience. The one-woman show is based on extracts from Sheehan's letters to Bush and other writings." Yahoo! (Reuters) 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 7:53 am
The Children's Theatre Boom One sign of the growing ambitions and importance of children's theatre in America are the elaborate new theatres being built to house them. The Kennedy Center is opening a new $9 million Family Theater that is "the first self-contained new theater to be christened at the center in 26 years. Built with federal funds in a space that formerly housed the AFI Theater, the playhouse is a significant facet of the center's five-year, $125 million effort to upgrade arts education." Washington Post 12/10/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 7:46 am
Actors Protest Sales Ban On Springer The British actors union Equity is protesting decisions by two retail chains to stop selling DVDs of "Jerry Springer, The Opera." "Equity strongly supports artistic freedom and equally strongly opposes censorship in all its forms, however offended any individual may feel themselves to be by a particular piece of dramatic art." BBC 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 7:40 am
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The Sudoku Craze "Since the arrival, at the very end of 2004, of the number grid game sudoku, Britain - like Israel, France, India and the US - has become a puzzle nation. The statistics are amazing. Sudoku puzzles now feature in most national newspapers, and are moving on to mobile phones and pay-to-play websites. The magazine Puzzler Sudoku was first launched in March with a circulation of just 15,000. It now sells 300,000." The Observer (UK) 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:05 pm
Is Flap Over Wikipedia Accuracy Warranted? The storm over erroneous entries on Wikipedia is more thunder than substance. "Of course, the flip side of the enormous flexibility provided by the Wiki format is that "anyone" includes people who are driven by motivations other than community spirit. But vandalism, malice, racism, spam, and the like can be kept to a minimum, as long as there are more good guys than bad guys. This is obviously happening at Wikipedia, or no one would be using it." Technology Review 12/07/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:22 am
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The Howard Stern Test - Satellite Radio On the Line "The move from terrestrial to satellite raises numerous questions, among them: How many of Stern's estimated 12 million daily listeners will pay $12.95 per month to continue their Howard habit, and will the FCC bow to growing political pressure to rein in cable and satellite content? But one thing is clear: Whether you see Stern as a trend-setting revolutionary or an aging schlockmeister who wants to sink even lower without FCC interference, his shows on Sirius will stamp the largely virginal medium with new benchmarks and standards for taste and decency." Los Angeles Times 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:31 pm
In An On-Demand World... More Choice On Cable? "Consumers expect customized selections in everything from iPod playlists to on-demand news. So no one should be surprised that a battle is brewing over cable-TV offerings that is drawing in consumer activists, Christian groups, children's advocates, Congress, cable companies and those concerned about whether government should exert any control over cable content." Denver Post 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:07 pm
Hollywood Banks On Expanding Distribution Movie box office is down about 6 percent this year. But that doesn't mean the movie business is down overall. "Yes, in an age of hundreds of cable channels, video games and other distractions, the domestic box office so far this year is down about 6 percent from the same time period in 2004, and off from 2003 and 2002 levels. But the money flowing into the coffers of movie studios is greater than ever." The New York Times 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:27 am
Viacom Gets Dreamworks Viacom has bought Dreamworks SKG Studio. "DreamWorks had been in advanced talks with the NBC-Universal unit of General Electric, but told Universal on Friday that if it could not meet Viacom's price, DreamWorks would break off negotiations." The New York Times 12/10/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 7:23 am
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Figuring Out A Model For Colorado Ballet's New Leader "The Colorado Ballet's choice of its next artistic director is critical to the organization's very survival. And a key factor in that selection is determining whether the person should be a choreographer and, if so, how much that choreography should shape his or her tenure." Denver Post 12/11/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 10:11 pm
Latino Dancers Come To US Companies Latinos have begun to shine in ballet and are taking U.S. stages by surprise... San Diego Union-Tribune 12/09/05
Posted: 12/11/2005 9:48 am
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