Two of Russia’s best dancers – Altynai Asylmuratova and Irek Mukhamedov – come to London and talk about British dance: “Here you can teach anybody – even when there’s no talent. Even if they’re like this [his hands mime pigeon toes] or like this [he conjures a fat little troll] if their parents pay. And what happens to this person-who-is-not-quite-talented? They go to school; they dance; they become a teacher.” – The Telegraph (UK)
Author: Douglas McLennan
NEVER NEUTRAL
“In 1991, Pauline Kael decided to stop writing movie reviews for The New Yorker, which she had been doing more or less continuously since 1968. Nine years later, everyone still wonders what the most influential movie critic of all time thinks.” – Toronto Star
VIRTUAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Virtual reality now lets viewers wander through ancient cities. “Although virtual exhibitions and computer-based museums have been a promising possibility since the first works of art were scanned and stored, technology has only just caught up with the expectations placed upon it. – The Art Newspaper
MONET TROVE
A new museum in Paris is home to the world’s largest collection of Monets. “The elegant building, now called the Marmottan-Claude Monet Museum, is one of Paris’ best-kept secrets.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
OVER TO OVITZ
Thriller-writer Tom Clancy shocked the publishing world Friday by leaving his long-time agent for super-agent Mike Ovitz. – The Telegraph (UK)
WHAT MAKES A GREAT FILM?
A new survey purports to explain all. “It found that, unless a film fitted a recognisable genre, the odds would be heavily stacked against it – crime stories, prison dramas, sci-fi and bio-pics figure in many all-time great lists of films. Another asset was a conventional boy-meets-girl love story running through the film. And, though it may seem blindingly obvious, strong plots helped, as did a few big name stars. Keeping the title short, preferably one or two words, did not do any harm either. – The Age (Melbourne)
CULTURAL ASSET?
Dick Cheney is George Bush’s running mate, but of interest to cultural people is his wife Lynne, who was chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities in George Sr’s administration. When she left NEH, though, she attacked it. Cheney appeared on ABC’s ‘This Week’ last Sunday, “and told interviewer Cokie Roberts that she had tried to eliminate the agency because ‘the Endowment, under the Clinton administration, evolved into something outrageous,’ and that ‘it was such a misuse of taxpayer money.'” – Backstage 08/04/00
HOW COMPUTERS CHANGE US
Computers are useful tools, to be sure. But using them is also changing the way we think. “The computer is a new semiotic channel. When it processes information it changes that information. Consider, for example, the hunt-and-browse method of research one does when actually working in library stacks. Compare this to the Boolean search procedures one uses when doing computer assisted research. This change is bound make a difference in the knowledge produced, but as yet we do not know in what way.” – The Idler 08/04/00
INVESTMENT IN CULTURE
Various levels of Australian governments spent a combined $199 per person on cultural activities in 1998-99, says a new report. That was up $9.40 from the previous year. – The Age (Melbourne) 08/04/00
WHO ARE WE?
There are plenty of prominent Aussie actors and directors who have made it big worldwide – Mel Gibson, Cate Blanchette, and Geoffrey Rush, just to name a few. But what version of Australia are they presenting to the world (and to Australians)? “A bloke could be forgiven for starting to wonder exactly who owns this country.” – Feed 08/04/00