Meat In A Lab? Scientists say that it may be possible to grow meat in a lab, producing as much as the world needs. "With a single cell, you could theoretically produce the world's annual meat supply. And you could do it in a way that's better for the environment and human health. In the long term, this is a very feasible idea." University of Maryland News 07/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 7:55 pm
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Where Britain Hid Its Art "Sixty-five years ago many of London's art treasures were moved north and stored in a remote slate mine to protect them during World War II. These included works by artists such as Titian, Michelangelo and Constable. After the war ended, the 2,000 works were returned intact. Many of the pieces even arrived home in a better condition, preserved and improved by the humidity and low temperatures inside the mine." BBC 07/09/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 9:35 pm
Blockbusteritis? "James Cuno is among a growing number of museum directors who have grown queasy at the way the "major" temporary exhibition has become a nearly annual fixture at art institutions like the Chicago Art Institute. Yes, blockbusters create excitement, draw huge crowds and massive media hype -- all of which gives museums chances to shine and, oh by the way, earn wads of cash from increased concessions and memberships. But at what cost? Through the '90s, there was too much emphasis on temporary exhibitions because they came to dominate the museum's activity and, worse, people's expectations of the museum." Chicago Sun-Times 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 8:36 pm
American Gothic, Iowan To The Core For three-quarters of a century, the lonely farm couple depicted in Grant Wood's ubiquitous painting, "American Gothic," have called Chicago's downtown Loop home, an incongruous base of operations for such a distinctly rural pair. But this fall, in a rare case in which the Art Institute of Chicago has consented to lend out one of its prized works, the painting will be going "home" to Iowa for a special Wood retrospective at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. It may be just another painting in Chicago, but Iowa is already abuzz with talk of the return. Chicago Tribune 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 5:41 am
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Classical Spectacular Worldwide Promoter Raymond Gubbay has made a fortune with his "Classical Spectacular" productions. Now his empire is spreaqding to Australia. "The formula is simple. Take the world's most popular classical pieces - from Nessun Dorma to the Swan Lake Finale, Blue Danube Waltz and the Can Can theme. Engage a 90-piece symphony orchestra, 100-piece choir, military band and soloists to perform them. Package it with synchronised lasers, lights and fireworks. Put them on stage in an arena packed with 10,000 people, and your bank manager will be popping champagne and whistling the 1812 Overture." The Age (Melbourne) 07/11/05
Posted: 07/11/2005 7:35 am
Maazel's 1984 - Vanity Or Integrity? Was Lorin Maazel's opera 1984 a failure because it was a vanity project? Or did paying for a production of it himself at Covent Garden give him the control and integrity of a project in a way he otherwise not have had? This is certainly true in other artforms... Philadelphia Inquirer 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 9:56 pm
Ring Tone Symphonies? Cell phone ring tones are getting more sophisticated. "When combined with technology that allows them to sound like music instead of its tinny shadow, and programs that allow anyone to make, mix or otherwise devise his or her own ringtones, the seven songs on the Timbaland album - among the first meant to be played on a phone, not a radio or CD player - suggest that ring tones are not merely a new money-maker; they are a new art form." The new York Times 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 8:59 pm
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Nobel Winner Claude Simon, 91 Claude Simon, the last French writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, has died at the age of 91. He won the Nobel in 1985 He was hailed as a novelist who "incarnates the renewal of French literature in the post-war period .Rejection of conventions, or rather, man's fundamental originality, are at the heart of his work, the source of his creation." His books included "The Wind" (1957), and "The Flanders Road" (1960).
Yahoo! (Reuters) 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 10:48 pm
Placido's Fire For Luciano Pavarotti, the Three Tenors phenomenon was the beginning of the end for a career that went from spectacular to parody. But for Pavarotti's 3T counterpart, Placido Domingo, the crossover blockbuster was little more than a curious way-station in the midst of a breathless marathon that never seems to slow down. At Domingo's core appears to be a burning desire to prove himself again and again, and to earn the love of everyone around him. "That sense of obligation, rare in performers (especially among the flighty narcissists who sing opera), is the essence of his character and accounts for the esteem in which he is held. He always justifies the price of the ticket, because he sets out to earn his reputation all over again every time he sings." The Observer (UK) 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 5:25 am
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A Year of Shakespeare The Royal Shakespeare Company reveals details of its ambitious plans to produce the entire stage works of Shakeseare in a single season. "The year-long festival will see every word ever written by the playwright performed in Stratford-upon-Avon from April 2006. The Complete Works will embrace film, new writing and contemporary music as well as a comprehensive survey of theatre artists currently interpreting Shakespeare worldwide. It will be the first time all 37 plays, sonnets and long poems have been presented at the same event." The Guardian (UK) 07/11/05
Posted: 07/11/2005 8:35 am
The Day Theatre Went Dark In London "For the first time since the Blitz during the Second World War, every West End theatre cancelled its performances that day. Several shows that were due to perform matinee performances cancelled those first; then, as the police urged everyone to stay away from central London, evening performances were cancelled, too. All public subway and bus transport in central London was suspended in the immediate wake of the attacks, making it impossible for performers or audiences alike to get to the theatres in any case. Some theatres, like the Royal Court, automatically refunded all patrons who had booked. Others are seeking to exchange tickets for future performances." Backstage 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 10:58 pm
Why Do Mamet's Progeny Sound Like Sendups? "The language they use to show their smarts and their cool is the language that all of Mamet's men use: R-rated and graphic. They rattle off four-letter words the way a jazz pianist does blue notes -- to spice up a performance that might otherwise be too bland. The problem is that Mamet's followers in all the narrative arts have made that language mainstream. As a result, the first-act tableaux in a Chinese restaurant, spiels in which three of the salesmen jockey for power, have lost their outrageousness and now seem more like sendups of Mamet." Boston Globe 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 10:26 pm
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Your Odds Of making It As A Writer What are the odds of making it as a successful writer? "1 in 380. Or, if you tweak the numbers to allow for a range of error, 1 in 200 to 1 in 500. You've gotta admit those aren't exactly encouraging. Would a pharmacist go to school if the odds were less than 1 in 100 they would get a job when they get out? Writers have it worse than Division 1 college football players vying for slots in the pros, and "way worse than (the odds) Miss America contestants face. And they get to flaunt cleavage."
Rocky Mountain News 07/11/05
Posted: 07/11/2005 8:55 am
Want To Get Published? Win A Prize Writing prizes are on the increase. "Last week, Kirkus Reviews launched an annual competition for unpublished first novels and short-story collections with the winner receiving a book contract with the prestigious publisher Little, Brown. In May, two arts groups in the United Kingdom announced the New Writing Ventures Awards that, each year, will distribute $104,000 in prize money to unpublished authors. Some $9.8 million in prize money was awarded last year in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, an increase of more than $900,000 from the previous year." Chicago Tribune 07/11/05
Posted: 07/11/2005 8:07 am
Harry's All-Ages Appeal Why are even jaded older teenagers anxiously awaiting the latest installment of Harry Potter? "It's a delicious juxtaposition. They are reading about Harry, who is charged by the Ministry of Magic with underage sorcery, while they are careful not to be caught for underage drinking. Teens whose parents have found beer store receipts and seized their fake ID are asking mom for a ride to the bookstore Friday to be among the first with their own copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. They want to engage again in that other world that makes "walking to the cottage at night scarier." Toronto Star 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 10:15 pm
Why Opposing The Patriot Act's Library Provision Is Important "The US government says it's not interested in nosing around libraries, and an expensive study would appear to confirm that claim. So what's the big deal? Why are so many groups, from the American Library Association to a bipartisan collection of members of Congress, so opposed to Section 215? Last month, the U.S. House approved a measure barring the Justice Department from spending money on library and bookstore searches under Section 215. Are these opponents of 215 'soft on terrorism,' as some Bush administration members charge? Do they want to provide a "safe haven in bookstores and libraries"? Well, no." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 9:04 pm
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Media Honchos Meet To Ponder Future Heads of large media companies meet for a weekend conference to plot the future. "How traditional media interact with Internet powers like Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN network is one of the most compelling strategic questions facing the media giants. For the first time, media companies recognize their power, and not just their financial power but also their ability to move huge amounts of advertising time and people. The media guys need to find ways either to partner with them or compete against them."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (AP) 07/11/05
Posted: 07/11/2005 9:01 am
Public Broadcasting's Next Battle (Round 2) "Today's Senate subcommittee hearing takes up the question of how much money to give CPB, an agency set up in the 1960s to funnel federal dollars to public TV and radio stations and theoretically act as a shield between politics and programming. Last month, a House subcommittee tried to strip $100 million from the 2006 budget and revoke its entire $400 million grant by 2008. The full House restored the cuts after howls of protest from supporters who brought Clifford the Big Red Dog and other beloved characters from PBS kids' shows to the Capitol." Dallas Morning News 07/11/05
Posted: 07/11/2005 8:01 am
Canadians Listening Less To Radio "The report says that Canadians spend 90 fewer minutes per week tuning in to their favourite stations compared to a decade ago. It found that the average person spends 19.5 hours a week listening to the radio. Despite the overall decline, people are listening to the radio more in their cars and at work. In 1995, people spent 56 per cent of their listening time at home; that number has now fallen to 49 per cent." CBC 07/11/05
Posted: 07/11/2005 6:51 am
Surprise - Hollywood Has An Up Week The comic book movie Fantastic Four has snapped Hollywood's losing streak. "The flick about a quartet of dysfunctional superheroes earned an incredible $56 million, leading the box office to its first up weekend after a record 19 straight downers, according to preliminary studio figures Sunday. If estimates hold the top 12 movies will have grossed $140.9 million, a 2.2 percent gain over this time last year when fellow Marvel do-gooder Spider-Man 2 headlined the lineup." Yahoo! (E) 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 10:40 pm
Is The Summer Blockbuster Legend Being Put To Rest? "Will the 70's never end? Or are they finally, totally, over? Are we, that is, nearing the end of a pop-culture business cycle that began 30 years ago? Maybe. The summer blockbuster - legend-shrouded mutant offspring of "Jaws" and "Star Wars" - laying waste to the noble traditions of the Old Hollywood even as it trampled the blossoming potential of the New: this has been received wisdom among people who write about movies for as long as much of the current movie audience has been alive." The New York Times 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 9:18 pm
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Getting Inside Merce "On the eve of the Lincoln Center Festival's revival of his protean 1994 work, "Ocean," no one argues when the 86-year-old Merce Cunningham is hailed as the world's greatest living choreographer. But people still don't entirely know what he is, though. Devoted fans and critics commonly dismiss one aspect or another of his complex art so they can fit it into their own smaller notions of dance..." Newsday 07/10/05
Posted: 07/11/2005 9:09 am
The Rocky Road To Choreography "Emerging choreographers face a variety of obstacles, financially and logistically, to their artistic development. There is no clear path to becoming a choreographer, and until companies or funders start to recognize a name, artists are left to secure dancers, studio space and training in a world without apprenticeships. Even for people who grow up in dance, what it takes to be a choreographer remains something of a mystery." Washington Post 07/10/05
Posted: 07/10/2005 8:52 pm
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