“The review is likely to reveal that problems in the Getty’s collection go far deeper than the nearly 50 looted objects returned since 2007, according to Getty records and interviews with antiquity dealers and former museum officials.”
Month: January 2013
Why America Needs A Secretary Of Culture
“Clearly Obama has had other preoccupations than cabinetizing culture. But that divisiveness is precisely why we need a Cabinet-level spokesperson for culture.”
Blockbuster To Close 300 More Stores
“The closure over the next several weeks will target struggling locations or those with leases winding down. Overall, 3,000 employees will be affected by the move, which will leave Blockbuster with just 500 stores in the U.S., after boarding up 500 stores last year.”
Did Vatican Endanger Sistine Frescoes When It “Restored” Them?
“Ironically, the ‘cleaning’ of the ceiling, which arguably constitutes the greatest single restoration calamity of the 20th century, occurred at a time when picture restorers had skilfully rebranded themselves as safe, scientifically validated “conservators” of all that is valuable.”
Epic Failure – A Show Goes Bust
“Being new to the business, never having done entertainment, I think they didn’t know what to expect.”
Bolshoi Ballet Director’s Eyesight Saved Following Acid Attack
“Russian doctors said Monday that the Bolshoi ballet’s artistic director,” Sergei Filin, “would regain sight in at least one eye following a brutal acid attack his co-workers blamed on infighting at the famed theatre.”
Turkey Plays Hardball To Get Antiquities Returned
“According to cultural chiefs in Berlin, Paris and New York, Turkey has threatened to bar foreign archaeologists from excavation sites in the country by not renewing their digging permits if governments refuse to return artefacts that Ankara says were unlawfully removed from Turkish soil. It has also threatened to halt the lending of its treasures to foreign museums, they say.”
Are Discount Ticket Buyers More Discriminating?
Actors at London’s Royal Court Theatre say that the audiences at their £10 Monday performances are “often warier and more discerning than other audiences, somehow harder to impress.” Are the people who pay top price easier to please? Lyn Gardner considers.
Michael Winner, 77, Death Wish Director And Restaurant Critic
“In the course of a film career lasting 40 years, he made more than 30 pictures, among which were sharp social comedies such as The System (1963) and The Jokers (1966). But he derived his wealth and lasting reputation from later Hollywood hokum – notably the frenzied and graphically violent Death Wish series.” Late in life, he became a notorious restaurant critic for London’s Sunday Times.
How An Agnostic Can Approach Religion
“To evaluate a religion, we need to distinguish the three great human needs religions typically claim to satisfy: love, understanding, and knowledge. Doing so lets us appreciate religious love and understanding, even if we remain agnostic regarding religious knowledge.”