We seem to be perpetually fascinated with the past; trying to figure out how Stonehenge was built, whether or not the Romans and Greeks read out loud or silently to themselves, how King Tut died. The only way historians and archaeologists have back into the past is the order on which things were built and the clues left behind. What kind of trail are we leaving for our successors? – The Atlantic 09/00
Author: Douglas McLennan
THE BOLSHOI’S HARD TIMES
Its theatre is crumbling, it’s artistic reputation has been battered, and its subsidies from the Russian government have fallen off. It’s probably not much of a surprise that the Bolshoi’s regime was sacked this week. – The Times (London)
POP GOES THE ART FILM
As our diversions become more and more tied to audience numbers and popularity, can difficult or subtle art films survive? The evidence is mixed. – New York Times
WHAT THE FALK?
An Argentine actor/director goes to the Falklands with a crew posing as tourists and without permission and films a movie covertly in nine days. The movie “tells the story of an Argentine man visiting the islands with the aim of… umm … impregnating as many British women as possible, thereby achieving the takeover that 72 days of fighting at a combined cost of 891 lives and $2 billion could not.” – Inside.com
“SEUSSICAL” FLUNKS KID-FRIENDLY TEST
Maybe the “Cat-in-the-Hat’s” biggest fans are the tykes. But producers of “Seussical,” the much-anticipated musical currently previewing in Boston have made a rule: No kids under five-year-old allowed. And that’s got some parents (and their kids) upset. – Boston Herald
GET WITH THE PROGRAM
You may take for granted that thin, glossy free program the smiling ushers hand out to you as you enter the theatre, but you should keep in mind not all arts-goers in the world are as fortunate as you: Says one deprived Australian, “Why can’t our theatres offer free, or at least cheap, information? Why do we pay six, 12, even 15 dollars for what should be a basic audience service?” – Sydney Morning Herald
ODE TO DANTO
Arthur Danto is a prominent philosopher as well as art critic for The Nation. “Philosophers, at least in theory, are seekers after truth. Truth, the poet says, is beauty. Thus it makes perfect sense that Danto, who philosophizes by day, should moonlight as one of America’s best-known art critics.” – Boston Globe
DIVING FOR THE PAST
Shipwrecks are a rich source of history and our artistic past. There are thousands of wrecks in international waters that have yet to be found. “Archaeologists warn that with no international legal barriers, highly-sophisticated and well-funded multinational corporations seeking specific shipwrecks for the booty they may contain, will turn the high seas into the Wild West.” – The Art Newspaper
DELAYED HEARING
It’s been thought for some time that playing music to your child while it’s still in the womb will result in a smarter kid. But expectant parents hoping to nurture the next Einstein can store the CDs for awhile. New research shows that fetuses don’t develop hearing until the 30th week of pregnancy. – National Post (Canada)
KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT
The Chinese government has cracked down on Taiwanese book publishers at a mainland book exhibition; in addition to warning one publisher not to speak to the mass media about lack of Beijing’s lack of freedom of speech, they have also stuck labels saying “Don’t violate the one China policy” on Taiwanese books. – China Times (Taiwan)