“The Literary Review’s Bad Sex Prize, which reaches the parts other prizes can only moan about, was won last night by the Indian author Aniruddha Bahal, for his novel Bunker 13. His publishers, Faber and Faber, flew him in from Delhi to receive his statuette.”
Month: December 2003
Community Complains About Portrayal In Booker-Nominated Tome
Bangladeshis in East London are complaining that Monica Ali’s Booker-nominated first novel, Brick Lane portrays their neighborhood unfairly. “It is a completely stereotypical view of Bangladeshis living in Brick Lane and one we simply do not recognise. The book says we got here by jumping ships and it says we have lice and live like rats in their holes. These comments are simply untrue and hurtful.”
Music The Over-40 Wants (Not Just Nostalgia!)
So older people are buying more music. But what are they buying? Nostalgia. “Truth is, I can name at least 25 albums released in 2003 that would please any seasoned rock and pop listener who thinks of music as something more than a soundtrack for dinner with undiscerning guests. But most rock fans my age won’t find it easy to hear them because the major labels have concluded we’re an unadventurous lot and won’t bother to try to reach us. Instead of congratulating themselves on finding ways to sell the same old same old, record execs should realize there are thousands, maybe millions, of us who want it rough, raw and risky, brash, bold and beautiful, as exciting as New Year’s Eve.”
Wanna Run For President? Start Writing Now.
There are nine announced contenders for the Democratic nomination for president, and as of this week, all nine have either written a book or had one written about them. “Some are good, some are bad. Some are thick, some are thin. Some are short, some are shorter. Some are direct, some are long-winded. And that goes for their books, too.” But seriously, when exactly did published authorship become a necessity of a serious presidential campaign? And what makes them think that we’re interested in reading their largely predictable tomes?
Sundance Lineup Star-Heavy, Racially Diverse
“The competitive categories of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival will be characterized by big-name actors appearing in films by relatively unknown directors, projects influenced by Sept. 11 and a record-breaking number of projects from black filmmakers. Festival director Geoff Gilmore and director of programming John Cooper made those assessments on Monday as they unveiled three sections of the fest — the Dramatic and Documentary competitions and the American Spectrum program.”
Everybody Wants A Piece
“Just like any dedicated arts group, Loose Moose Theatre, a 26-year-old improv company in Calgary, has been going against the grain and bucking a trend — although certainly not on purpose.” The company was forced out of its home in a thriving Calgary neighborhood last winter, and has been searching for a new home ever since. Meanwhile, other theater companies around town have been moving into new spaces with significant help from provincial and federal arts funding programs, and a further influx of public money into Calgary’s theater revival seems certain. There may even be some for Loose Moose.
News Flash: Heppner’s Human
When Ben Heppner made his much-anticipated return to Toronto last week, his voice faltered and he cut short his performance, causing some critics to declare that his much-touted comeback from vocal injuries is already a failure. But the reality is that many concertgoers hadn’t even noticed Heppner’s faltering until he apologized for it, and Kate Taylor thinks that the whole episode is being way overblown. “We continually parrot the cliché that in a live show anything can happen, but most of the time, at least from the audience’s perspective, the experience is safely controlled. Heppner has reminded us that the performer is not a machine; he’s a man who can have a great night — or a bad one.”
Denver Museum Narrows The Field
“The Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver has chosen six internationally known architects as finalists to design a $3.6 million to $4 million building in Lower Downtown.” The finalists range from southwestern specialists to New York glitterati, and include London’s David Adjaye, Tucson’s Rick Joy, New York’s Gluckman Mayner Associates, and Mexican modernist group ‘TEN Arquitectos.’
Banff Gets A New Director
The Banff Centre has announced the appointment of David Hoyt as the new artistic director of its Music & Sound programs. Hoyt’s background is as a musician, and he has most recently been artistic director and resident conductor of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Banff hosts one of North America’s best-known summer music festivals.
Maryland Public Television Faces Scrutiny
A state audit has uncovered multiple examples of what the auditor says are questionable financial practices at Maryland Public Television. Conflicts of interest, contracts awarded without proper bidding process, and deliberate attempts to subvert the state’s rules on project review are among the charges being leveled at MPT, which insists that the report is overblown. MPT is best known nationally for producing the program “Wall $treet Week.”