Tired Muscles Might Be Brain Function... So maybe we don't get tired after exercising because our muscles are tired. "Traditionally, fatigue was viewed as the result of over-worked muscles ceasing to function properly. But evidence is mounting that our brains make us feel weary after exercise. The idea is that the brain steps in to prevent muscle damage." New Scientist 07/30/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 9:47 am
The Politics Of Art Of Politics Should Linda Ronstadt have been able to express her politics at a Vegas concert? John Rockwell: "Art exists in a context inevitably conditioned by politics, and politics and the values behind it express themselves in art. There is an obvious linkage between mass commercial art and politics, quite apart from individual actors and directors and pop musicians espousing a political view. Popular art makes money by reflecting what its producers think people want. But given the leftward tilt of Hollywood and our coastal cultural elites, the right has reason to complain that commercial television, films and music often advance a left-leaning political agenda." The New York Times 07/30/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 12:50 am
Denver Airport Removes "Stressful" Art Denver Airport has removed three pieces of art from its terminal after six employees complained. The art - called "The Luggage Project" consisted of suitcases made by artists around the world. One of the suitcases is "splattered with glossy red and black paint and contains bricks. A bumper sticker inside the suitcase reads, 'Blood for oil. Billionaires for Bush'." Airport officials deemed the art "too stressful for passengers and workers to view in light of the heightened security following 9/11 Rocky Mountain News 07/30/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 10:46 am
Two Arrested For Stealing From The Whitney Two Whitney Museum employees have been arrested for stealing admission money. One, "Nafeem Wahlah, 29, the museum's manager of visitor services, stole $850,000 by voiding ticket sales and keeping the money. Investigators found $800,000 in a safe in her Brooklyn home, and she was caught on camera putting cash into her purse." Newsday 07/30/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 10:43 am
How To Define Art From Arab Region? There's been increasing attention on contemporary art from the Arab region in recent years. "But with this spike in recognition, a young generation is now struggling to assert a singular identity that doesn't conform to Western stereotypes of art from the region. As the channels of globalization open commercial opportunities abroad, it's increasingly difficult for Arab artists not to conform to the expectations of those flocking to the gallery shows, biennales, websites, and organizations dedicated to art from the region." Christian Science Monitor 07/30/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:23 pm
Art On The Range "Las Vegas's Bellagio, it seems, is not Nevada's only art attraction: Reno is home to the Coeur d'Alene Art Auction, the nation's biggest and most successful auction of Western art. Every July, hundreds of well-heeled collectors from Maine to Hawaii flock here and spend millions of dollars on important works by Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, and other celebrated painters of the Old West. Any one of them will be glad to tell you why these works are here instead of at some fancy-pants auction house in Manhattan." OpinionJournal.com 07/30/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:18 pm
Defining The Music Of Ideas What are today's Big Ideas in music? Well, before you can start identifying them, you have to first decide whether music needs any Big Ideas. Some of America's classical music critics struggle over definitions... Critical Conversation (AJBlogs) 07/29/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 12:20 am
A Parsifal That Doesn't Shock "The audience was prepared for the worst. A highly controversial German director whithout any experience in opera had been charged with putting on a new version of “Parsifal“ to open the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth. But after months of suspense, the audience left the theater on Sunday rather calmed." Maybe it was the weak singing? Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 07/30/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 11:26 pm
The Carlos Kleiber Aura The mythologies aabout conductor are only getting bigger since his death. But Norman Lebrecht suggests that Kleiber failed to live up to his gifts. "Kleiber was a magnificently gifted conductor who chose, for reasons known only to himself, to deny himself to music. He gave very little, and then he took it away. He was the greatest non-conductor we have ever seen." La Scena Musicale 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 11:00 pm
Viola Frey, 70 "Frey was one of a number of California artists working in clay in the 1950's and 60's who turned away from that medium's conventional refinement to produce works with robust sculptural qualities associated with Abstract Expressionist painting, Pop Art and what would come to be known as California Funk." The New York Times 07/30/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 1:05 am
Tavener From Above Composer John Tavener, turning 60, says his music is inspired by God. "Critics, who tend to like complexity, have accused him of attracting audiences by over-simplification. But this is, surely, to miss his point. Tavener strips away the complexity to get to what he calls the 'essence'." The Telegraph (UK) 07/30/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 12:41 am
Kurtz Wants His Property Returned Artist Steve Kurtz, who has been under investigation by the FBI for bio-terrorism, wants the government to return property confiscated during the investigation. He is being charged with "improperly obtaining biological materials for his artwork." "Although the majority of cases in U.S. District Court end with plea agreements, Kurtz is not interested in such an outcome. 'There's no discussion of that. There's been no hint of that. We're not interested'."
Newsday (AP) 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 10:16 pm
West End Woes "London's theatrical business is enduring a summer of ennui. But is it a seasonal slump, or a sign of long-term decline? In the last couple of months, a slew of West End shows has closed early, many within weeks — or even days — of opening." Toronto Star 07/30/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 9:32 am
A Line From Shakespeare To Clinton? In watching this week's Democratic National Convention, Anna Deveare Smith is struck by the theatricality of the political show. "Four years ago, I would have pooh-poohed the notion of politics as theatrical. If theater is anything, it is life made urgent. We don't waste words, gestures or time on stage. But politicians can learn from us and we can learn technique from them. In this election year, none of us can waste a moment. The theater could afford to be more political and politics needs to be a lot more theatrical." The New York Times 07/30/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 8:30 am
Scottish National Theatre Gets Its First Director Vicky Featherstone has been named the first director of the Scottish National Theatre. "The appointment of an Englishwoman will raise some eyebrows, but it was welcomed by many in the arts community as a sign that the new theatre would be as ground-breaking as they had hoped. The 37-year-old beat other more established names with stronger Scottish links, including Kenny Ireland, who ran the Royal Lyceum theatre in Edinburgh for more than 10 years." The Guardian (UK) 07/30/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:39 pm
- The National's Bold Choice Choosing Vicky Featherstone as the Scottish National Theatre's first director is "about as bold and challenging an appointment" as could have made. "Young, brilliant and not remotely Scottish, Ms Featherstone, at just 37, represents a young generation of British theatre talent that has completely recast the old pattern of relationships between London, where her current company, Paines Plough, is based, and the rest of the UK; and which tends to regard Scotland as being in the forefront of new developments in British theatre." The Scotsman 07/30/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:35 pm
From Screen To Stage (A Threat?) More and more movies are being turned into stage productions. "The trend has some critics concerned about the commercialization of theater, where public appeal is a key to recouping costs. But it also suggests a gradual shift in the flow of American storytelling. It used to be that Broadway supplied fodder for films. Today, the flow is the other direction, thanks in part to the popularity of movies." Christian Science Monitor 07/30/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:26 pm
Jefferson Out As NYT Theatre Critic Margo Jefferson is out as theatre critic at the New York Times. "Earlier this summer, the Times announced that Jefferson—a Pulitzer Prize winner for her book reviews— was "on leave" in order to write a book. Many in the theatre community, however, suspected she would not return to the theatre beat. The Times recently named Patti Cohen to the new position of overall theatre editor. Cohen will oversee the daily and weekend coverage of the theatre. Cohen confirmed that Jefferson had stepped down." Playbill 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 6:02 pm
Real Names Up The Amazon "After mounting concern about abuse of its open door policy regarding feedback, Amazon has begun a new system, Real Names, which requires reviewers to provide their credit card details before posting a comment." The Guardian (UK) 07/30/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 11:33 pm
Khouri Defends Verity Of Her Book Norma Khouri is continuing to deny that her poignant book Forbidden Love was fabricated. Her publisher defended her, saying "we spoke with her today and impressed upon her that it was imperative to provide evidence. She said she is working on it." Meanwhile, the government of Australia is "investigating her for making false declarations in her application for an Australian residence visa." The Age (Melbourne) 07/29/04
Posted: 07/29/2004 11:18 pm
Buy The Channels You Want? Consumer advocacy groups have been asking Congress to look into why cable companies won't let subscribers pick the channels they want in their subscription packages instead of being forced into accepting dozens of channels they may never watch while still paying for them." Cable companies say such a system would wreck the econbomics of the current TV business. The FCC seems skeptical... Wired 07/30/04
Posted: 07/30/2004 9:44 am
