UK movie fans will soon be able to buy and download movies online. “Fans will pay £19.99 for a DVD of their chosen film plus two digital copies to keep indefinitely – one for their home computer and one for a portable device. Universal said it could ‘completely revolutionise’ how people watch movies. However users will not be able to burn copies of the films to DVD themselves and the files will be compatible only with PCs and Windows software.”
Month: March 2006
TV Whenever You Want (Even When You Don’t)
For the first time, TV is available anywhere you have access to your cellphone. In fact, TV is about to be anywhere and everywhere, period…
Wills Wins Australia’s Biggest Art Prize
Marcus Wills wins this year’s Archibald Prize. “The Melbourne artist won the $35,000 prize for his portrait ‘The Paul Juraszek Monolith (after Marcus Gheeraerts)’, inspired by an etching by a Flemish engraver.”
The Dan Brown Behind The Book
The Da Vinci Code writer filed a brief with the court hearing plagiarism charges against him. “At first glance, the document bears the giddy signatures of a Dan Brown novel. It’s chopped into staccato chapters; the language is awkward (“I quite literally woke up one morning and decided to write a thriller that delved into NSA”); and its hero is a simple man who is being pursued by evil forces he doesn’t quite understand. Educated at Amherst and Phillips Exeter Academy, Brown had an unusual literary awakening.”
Tate Britain – Fighting For Identity
“Tate Britain drew a record 1.73 million visitors last year with shows such as ‘Turner Whistler Monet.’ Yet many overlook its permanent display of Turners and Gainsboroughs, and forget that it hosts the Turner Prize contest and other contemporary-art events. As the museum turns six this month, it seeks to shed its dowdy image as a venue reserved for old-master shows.”
Pio Leyva, 88, Of Buena Vista Fame
“Leyva shot to international fame late in life along with his Buena Vista bandmates after recording an album in 1996 with blues legend Ry Cooder in Cuba. The Grammy-winning 1997 Buena Vista Social Club CD introduced the world to traditional Cuban “son” music.”
Booker: We ‘Da Man
The Booker Prize has renewed its affiliation with financial company Man Group. “The five-year agreement means the UK’s most prestigious literary award will continue to be branded as The Man Booker Prize.”
Museum Attendance Up/Down In UK
“Since scrapping entrance fees, the national galleries and museums that used to charge have attracted 5 million extra visitors. There were celebrations yesterday at the 67 per cent increase in numbers through the doors of institutions from the Science Museum in Manchester to the National Maritime Museum, London, since they axed their admission fees. But of all the national museums and galleries in England – those regarded as so significant they receive funding direct from Government – seven which had never charged have experienced a fall in visitors during the last four years. Overall attendance has risen by only two per cent since 2001 at the museums and galleries that were always free.”
Is St. Luke’s Orchestra A Model For The Future?
The orchestra is flexible in its numbers and its management. “This flexibility — borne of necessity — has become a great asset, enabling us to sustain a financially viable model with no deficit. As the orchestra world grapples with top-heavy, inflexible, deficit-ridden organizations — many of which no longer respond to the changing needs of their communities — we believe the distinctive structure we have created could end up being a model for the orchestra of the 21st century.”
Going To The Movies, Without All The Baggage
As Hollywood continues to puzzle over the mystery of the shrinking multiplex audience, private “film clubs” are gaining traction in some cities across the country. “Organizers of film clubs — cliques in which film lovers can bond over movies in a more controlled environment than the neighborhood multiplex — say their associations are growing in popularity. It’s particularly so with those who prefer their film fare served up with respect, and minus the endless commercials, chatter and crying babies.”