Is there any structure more depressingly predictable than an airport? How much would a truly envigorating airline terminal be worth to travelers? Would it be worth, say, CAN$3.6 billion? The city of Toronto is hoping so, since that’s what its new Terminal 1 cost to build. Lisa Rochon is impressed, if not overwhelmed: “So laborious has become the experience of travel that we no longer expect to find in it moments of pleasure. But at the new Toronto terminal there are delights to be had… Many who have lost faith in the power of public art will find themselves happily restored at the new terminal.” And really, isn’t a bit of post-travel restoration worth a few billion?
Month: April 2004
Taking The Measure of a Prodigy
“Whatever Platonic fascinations they might hold, supremely gifted young musicians also live in a bruising real world of managers, agents, recording contracts, talented and carefully cultivated rivals, standard-bearing critics and a listening public fine-tuned by CDs, pirated downloads and the world-wide whir of Internet music sites and chat rooms.” In other words, do not envy the prodigy: all the talent in the world can’t spare him from the inevitable backlash of a world obsessed with the rapid rise and fall of celebrities. Case in point: the omnipresent Lang Lang…
Building A Downtown Neighborhood (We Hope)
As mid-sized American cities go, Minneapolis has a fairly thriving urban center. But what the city has always lacked is a heavily populated downtown neighborhood to anchor its impressive cultural scene. A new building spree aims to create that sought-after mix of residential and commercial space, but Minneapolitans have seen this type of ambition before, only to see the grandest plans fall to the budget knife or the wrecking ball. And at the core of the debate is the question of what makes a neighborhood vital: is it upscale boutiques? Affordable housing? Lots of coffee shops and bars? Easy access to theatres and baseball games? The goalposts seem to move with each passing year.
D-Day For Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera’s day of reckoning has come, as its funding fate is being decided. “It has been told it must repay a £4 million advance against its £7.5 million funding from the Scottish Arts Council. One plan on the table is said to involve as many as 80 job losses, including the opera’s staff chorus.”
Is Passion Too Violent For TV?
“Despite being the year’s biggest blockbuster so far, The Passion Of The Christ seems unlikely to find a home on a U.S. network. Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions has been shopping the movie to TV. Only ABC has confirmed turning it down, but executives speaking on condition of anonymity said it was doubtful for CBS, NBC and Fox, too. The movie’s graphic scenes of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion were said to make broadcasters skittish, particularly in the post-Janet Jackson era when government officials are closely watching what goes on television.”
Disney Fires Two ABC Execs, Hires More of the Same
“To the surprise of no one, unless you’re counting the Hollywood trade papers that called it ‘stunning’ and a ‘surprise,’ Disney has ushered out ABC entertainment division chief Susan Lyne and ABC Television Entertainment Group Chairman Lloyd Braun.” ABC finished fourth out of four major broadcast networks in the February “sweeps” period, and has been hemorrhaging viewers for several years. Replacing Lyne is Touchstone TV exec Stephen McPherson, who, ironically, was in charge of creating many of the ABC prime time shows which have tanked so spectacularly over the last few seasons.
Emin Lashes Out At Press
Artist Tracey Emin, fresh from being attacked in the press over a dispute about a quilt with a class of 8-year-olds, strikes back at the press: “That’s an invasion of my privacy. If I muck up, I’m going to be one of the first people to say. I don’t need a paper to write lies about me, to say that I’ve done something that I haven’t done.”
Post-Rukeyser, A Public TV Net Struggles Mightily
Maryland Public Television just hasn’t been the same since it fired Louis Rukeyser from the popular “Wall $treet Week” program two years ago. Since letting Rukeyser go with the stated goal of taking the program in “a new direction,” MPT’s paying subscriber rolls have dropped by 15%, and there is an undeniable credibility problem with viewers. The appointment of a new private-sector businessman to run the network is providing some hope that a turnaround may be in the works, but others worry that knowledge of how to wield a sharp budget knife is only the first skill set that MPT needs in order to stay relevant.
Albert Hall Fans Protest Building Plans
London’s Royal College of Art is planning an extension. But fans of the Albert Hall next door are protesting. “Campaigners claim the Royal College of Art extension – nicknamed ‘The Ellipse’ – will “disrupt” views of the Hall and “detract” from its historic setting. More than 9,000 people have signed a petition calling for a public inquiry into the proposed six-storey building.”
Taking It To The Community
The Philadelphia Orchestra is renewing its commitment to performing free summer concerts in underserved areas of its home community. The performances, which were briefly suspended last summer due to lack of funds, draw thousands of people to unconventional venues to hear one of the world’s top orchestras, and music director Christoph Eschenbach has been said to be a key proponent of the idea. But it apparently took the financial security of a $50 million pledge from the Annenberg Foundation to make the orchestra, which has struggled with debt over the past several seasons, confident enough to move ahead with the three free concerts, which will cost the organization $375,000 in total.