The Perils Of Choice? "We live in a choice-addled society. The jargon of choice, a second cousin of diversity and multiculturalism, undermines intellectual integrity and coherence. "Choice" and "diversity" are universal passwords that unlock all doors. Who can oppose them without appearing authoritarian? But the jargon of choice and diversity actually corrodes academic freedom, which once referred to the freedom of college instructors to teach what they considered salient, subject to the review of their peers, not outside authorities. Today, it increasingly means the freedom of students to hear what they — or their parents — want." Los Angeles Times 11/23/05
Posted: 11/29/2005 9:01 am
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Will The Hermitage Refuse To Loan Art? The director of the Hermitage warns "there is a real possibility that no Russian museum will lend works to UK or other European venues unless it receives 'concrete guarantees' from host governments that its collections will not be impounded, as a result of a long-running dispute between a Swiss businessman and the Russian government." The Guardian (UK) 11/28/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 10:08 pm
Dubai - The World's Great Architectural Experiment Dubai, the second largest of the United Arab Emirates, is "the most spectacular and outlandish architectural experiment on the planet. The country is relentlessly, almost obsessively, building itself into significance. Under the auspices of the crown prince Sheikh Mohammed and the rest of the ruling Maktoum family, Dubai is being transformed from a blank canvas into an Islamic fusion of Singapore and Vegas." The Guardian (UK) 11/28/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 10:05 pm
Tracey Emin On Art In London, Art In New York “In London the artists rule, but in New York the galleries do. Gallerists here seem to be almost patriarchal figures, and the art scene is really male-dominated here. In London it’s a lot more open to women. People here don’t seem to expect me to have a sense of humor." New York Magazine 11/28/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 8:34 pm
The Phenomenon That Is Art Basel Miami "This year, the fair will present 266 art galleries -- representing works by more than 2,000 artists. It is the largest field of galleries presented by the fair since its inception in December 2002. 'We're probably close to 100 percent of the wish list of galleries we would like to have'." Miami Herald 11/27/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 5:45 pm
LA County Museum To Destroy Garage Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is "about to destroy art. On Dec. 1, the museum will tear down its parking garage. The plan is to erect in its place a $60-million building for the display of contemporary art. The problem isn't that LACMA is demolishing a garage so that it can add gallery space, the problem is that LACMA isn't saving the art it commissioned for the garage." Los Angeles Times 11/28/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 5:24 pm
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David Robertson, Pied Piper "Not long ago, the typical maestro would ride into town, bark Central European-accented commands at the orchestra, conduct some concerts attend a banquet, and move on. These days, music directors have an expanded job description: they must not only convey the repertory to an extant audience of music lovers but also try to explain it to the great silent majority who rarely go to concerts. A singular thing about David Robertson, who was born in Santa Monica, California, and has led th Ensemble Intercontemporain, in Paris, and the National Orchestra o Lyon, is that he actively enjoys his evangelical duties." The New Yorker 11/28/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 9:36 pm
Study: Illegal Downloads Rule A new study "suggests European consumers who download music from illegal file-sharing websites outnumber those using legal services. It says illegal networks are used three times as much as legal ones. It also warns that file-sharers, particularly young people, have little concept of music as a paid commodity." BBC 11/28/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 8:12 pm
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Experience Music Project Turns to Impressionist Lifeline In another sign that Paul Allen's Experience Music Project is a failing enterprise, EMP has announced it will be staging an Impressionist show drawn from the artwork in Allen's personal collection. Allen is said to have a significant collection, but Allen's "private asset management company" won't release details of the art that will be shown. Seattle Post-Intelligencer 11/29/05
Posted: 11/29/2005 4:10 pm
Some LA Times Arts Writers Departing? Unofficial names on the list taking buyouts include: movie reviewer Kevin Thomas, theater writer Don Shirley and Calendar writer Elaine Dutka... LA Observed 11/28/05
Posted: 11/29/2005 8:22 am
Canadian Election Imperils Toronto Arts Funding As the Canadian government falls, Toronto arts groups are wondering about a promised funding plan to complete high-profile arts building projects. "Representatives of the six arts groups involved have been working for months on the top-up proposal. The $96 million of extra funding ($48 million from each of the two governments) would raise the total investment of the two governments in these projects to $328 million." Toronto Star 11/28/05
Posted: 11/29/2005 7:44 am
Kansas City Arts Scene Prices Out Artists "It's a process familiar to anyone who has watched the evolution of SoHo in New York or most other downtown revitalizations. However positive the impact on the Kansas City art scene - attracting new galleries and people like the Tylers away from the East Coast - urban renewal has also threatened to squeeze out the artists who pioneered its progress." The New York Times 11/29/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 10:38 pm
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In Chicago: Rockettes And A Computer In New York, the idea of the Rockettes dancing to fake music hurts your teeth. But in Chicago? "Here in the Midwest, the leggy chorus line always has danced to a computer. The music was fake when this show first came to the Rosemont Theatre. Now it's back after a couple of years. And whadaya know, the music is fake again. The lack of live musicians in a colossal attraction that surely could afford them is an irritation because there's otherwise a lot to recommend this show as a holiday amusement." Chicago Tribune 11/29/05
Posted: 11/29/2005 8:33 am
Billy Elliot Wins The stage version of Billy Elliot won Best Musical at this year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards for London's West End. Brian Friel's The Home Place was named best play, while Michael Grandage took the best director title for Don Carlos. BBC 11/28/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 5:31 pm
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The Most Literate City In America? That would be Seattle, according to a new study. "America's Most Literate Cities 2005, a ranking based on the culture and resources for reading in the 69 largest U.S. cities, aims to rate cities not on whether their citizens can read, but whether they do." USAToday 11/29/05
Posted: 11/29/2005 8:45 am
Harper's Gets A New Editor Roger D. Hodge is being named a the new editor of Harper's Magazine. "After being turned down for an internship in 1996, he got a call back a few days later and has remained planted at the magazine since, holding a variety of jobs, most recently serving as deputy editor." The New York Times 11/29/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 10:33 pm
The Waterstone Juggernaut Gets Bigger? "The Office of Fair Trading is due to decide whether to refer Waterstone's planned takeover of Ottakar's bookshops to the Competition Commission. If the £96.4 million deal is given the go-ahead, Waterstone's parent company, HMV, will control at least 23.6 per cent of the British book trade. Leading publishers and authors are making a last-ditch attempt this weekend to head off the deal, which some fear will mean too much power being concentrated." The Guardian (UK) 11/27/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 10:26 pm
Big Publishing's Googlephobia "Somehow the fact that the book business has chosen to take on Google doesn’t reek of same-old same-old. It’s startling, even mildly shocking, and more than a little revealing. For no matter how the publishers’ lawsuit ultimately unfolds, it has already provided the most vivid evidence to date of a seismic shift in the business Zeitgeist: from unalloyed Googlemania to gathering Googlephobia." New York Magazine 11/28/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 8:50 pm
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Tivo Unveils New Customized Commercials Service "This new feature will work in much the same way TiVo subscribers create 'WishLists' to find programs. But instead of Jimmy Stewart movies or TV shows about baseball, TiVo users would register a profile with the company based on their interests. Then, in a section of the TiVo menu system, they will find ads -- short- and longform -- based on their interests. Someone in the market for a new car would find ads for cars that someone who isn't would never see, for instance. 'What we've learned is, TiVo customers want to know about new products and services but on their own time'." Yahoo! (Reuters) 11/29/05
Posted: 11/29/2005 7:53 am
Sundance Chooses 64 Films "Sundance, the top U.S. independent film gathering held each January in Utah, placed 16 American dramas and 16 documentaries into a competition that spotlights directors, writers and actors working outside Hollywood. It also made 16 feature films and documentaries eligible for awards in special foreign film categories." Yahoo! (AP) 11/29/05
Posted: 11/29/2005 7:49 am
When TV Gets Untethered Our TV experiences are going to change radically in the next few years. "We won’t care if that show gets sent to us over a coaxial cable, a copper phone wire, or a satellite feed. With the cost of wireless coming down and the technology now vastly more powerful, it won’t be long before we will be able to obtain high-quality video without a pipe at all, directly to our next-gen video iPod or Internet phone or wi-fi-enabled home-entertainment server." New York Magazine 11/28/05
Posted: 11/28/2005 8:45 pm
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