Across America, states cut arts funding in 2003. “By July, virtually every state arts council had received an appropriations decrease. Some cuts were draconian: 30% in Minnesota, 62% in Massachusetts, almost 80% in Florida, and a near defunding in Colorado. Compared to this, the cut sustained by the New York State Council on the Arts — 15% — seemed almost benign.”
Month: December 2003
2003 – A Good Year For Women Directors
It is because women directors usually have such a difficult time getting movies made that it is worth noting that 2003 has been a good year for women directors…
Fo: Taking On The Prime Minister
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s biggest critic these days comes from the stage, where Dario Fo unleashes his criticisms. “For all its grave accusations, “The Two-Headed Anomaly” is an almost vaudevillian romp. The show consists largely of short, fat and bald jokes about the prime minister and his councilors. It stages bawdy attacks not only on Mr. Berlusconi’s politics but also on his personal life and his ethics. But that is exactly what Mr. Fo’s fans expect and want.”
Did CBS Pay Michael Jackson $1 Million For Interview?
CBS denies it paid Jackson for his 60 Minutes interview Sunday. But a Michael Jackson associate said that “in renewed negotiations, CBS agreed to pay another $1 million to the star to grant the interview so that the network could finally broadcast its entertainment special. It is now scheduled to be broadcast on Friday evening. ‘In essence they paid him, but they didn’t pay him out of the `60 Minutes’ budget; they paid him from the entertainment budget, and CBS just shifts around the money internally. That way `60 Minutes’ can say `60 Minutes’ didn’t pay for the interview’.”
The New Age Of Understudy
Pity the understudy. Most understudies rarely get that Cinderella call to the stage. But “the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new director, Michael Boyd, has waved his magic wand and decreed that she shall go the ball – every understudy at Stratford is now contractually guaranteed at least one full public performance per production. As a morale booster, this seems to me both humane and practical, and it is also evidence of a new trend that brings the understudy out of the dressing room and into the spotlight.”
The World’s Most Popular Show Of All Time
What’s the most successful show in history? It’s Holiday on Ice. “Reviled by critics, adored by coach parties, and seen by many millions – in fact, the show passed the 300 million mark last autumn – Holiday on Ice returns to the Wembley Arena next month, to celebrate its 60th anniversary. In 1988 it won its place in the Guinness Book of Records as most watched show of all time, when a French woman, Isabelle Challier, became the 250 millionth visitor. It has toured to 620 cities in 80 countries. It is now run from Amsterdam, and military-style planning keeps three shows, with 200 skaters, touring the world.”
Where Are New York’s Great New Musicals
There is plenty of musical theatre going on in New York. Most of it isn’t first-rate. “New York is awash with performing talent, so why, aside from the obvious factors of cost and the inherently high failure rate for any collaborative art form, aren’t the new works worthy of their actors?”
French Author Sues Disney Over Nemo
“A French children’s author is suing Disney, saying the international box-office hit Finding Nemo may have been lifted from his own work.”
Patrons Protest Orchestra Conductor’s Dismissal
“One of the Kitchener-Waterloo (Ontario) Symphony’s most generous financial supporters is demanding the resignation of the entire board of directors for the “unjust dismissal” of conductor Martin Fischer-Dieskau.”
Theatre Vulture
New York theatre columnist Michael Riedel is “one of the most influential (and feared) media figures in Manhattan today,” writes Richard Ouzounian. It’s because of his “take-no-prisoners style of reporting.” Says Riedel: “I think of Broadway as a very important industry for New York, and so I write about the business of Broadway. The shows that are making money and hiding it, the shows that are losing money and lying about it. I cover it all.”