Author: Douglas McLennan

NOT RATED FOR VIOLENCE

A new study of movie violence published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that a “G” rating doesn’t guarantee no violence. “G”-rated movies “averaged 9.5 minutes of violence, with the 1998 King Arthur tale ‘Quest for Camelot’ topping the list with 24 minutes of violence, or almost 30% of the movie.” – Los Angeles Times 05/24/00

“G”-SPOT

“The amount of cinematic violence–ranging from body blows to swordplay to gunshots–so alarmed researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health that they recommended that the Motion Picture Association of America consider changing its age-based rating system to one that provides specific warnings about a movie’s content.” – Washington Post 05/24/00

AND FAIRNESS FOR ALL

One of the big promises of the internet is that it will allow fairer better deals for recording artists. Says a record exec: “Cathartic as it is to vent at record companies and carry the banner for artist empowerment, it seems to me that many of the attacks on the inequitable sharing of the pie have been overstated. The problems most artists have with record companies (and there are many legitimate problems, don’t get me wrong) have nothing to do with how the money is divided up, so long as we are talking about acts that actually sell enough records.” – Inside.com

AMICABLE SPLIT

A Cleveland orchestra splits in two. “Previously a 40-member ensemble that played repertoire for small orchestra, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra is set to become a 13-member, concertmaster-led group. The society also will sponsor a larger ensemble, the New American Orchestra, to play ethnic, educational and themed programs.” – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

PLAYING WITHIN THE PLAY

Novelist/playwright Michael Frayn’s new book “Celia’s Secret” is a literary practical joke: a story of how, during the run of his play “Copenhagen,” he received letters that seemed to shed new light on the nuclear physicists Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr (whose mysterious meeting in 1941 is the subject of the play). The letters, of course, soon turn out to be fakes, forged by one of his actors. – The Independent (UK)

DIRTY LAUNDRY

UK Arts Minster Alan Howarth has selected a panel of experts to examine ways to crack down on Britain’s growing black market for smuggled art and antiquities. An estimated £500 million is laundered every year through the sale of looted artifacts from the Middle East and Africa, all of which can then be legally bought and sold in the UK. – Ananova