The new box-office hit “U-571″ takes some liberties with World War II history and the Brits are none to happy about it. ‘Hollywood is stealing our history – again!’ complained BBC anchor Jeremy Vine. ‘Why don’t they make a film about brave American fliers winning the Battle of Britain?'” – Washington Post 05/17/00
Author: Douglas McLennan
FIGHTING U.S. MOVIES
South Korean filmmakers call for an international coalition to break the domination of Hollywood internationally. They “urged governments to resist what they say is the United States’ attempts to use free trade treaties to expand the reach of American movies,” echoing sentiments expressed last week in Cannes by French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. – CBC 05/17/00
BORN TO WATCH
Live TV and internet access on airplanes? It’s coming. – The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) 05/17/00
“ELEGY FOR A DEAD SOLDIER”
- Poet Karl Shapiro died Sunday at age 86. The longtime editor of “Poetry” magazine won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945 for poems he wrote during World War II while serving with a medical unit in the Pacific. – NPR [Real audio file]
HOW TO MAKE BIBLIOPHILES DROOL
Christie’s in London is abuzz over the upcoming sale of famous book William Foyle’s entire library. His collection includes 40 painted books of hours, all four of the Shakespeare folios, a 12th century Bible, an atlas hand-colored for the Medicis – estimated to bring in £10 million or more. – The Times (UK)
A BUILDING OR A METAPHOR?
“Up close, the latest offering from architect Frank Gehry looks like a cross between a giant spaceship and globs of playdough.” – National Post (Canada)
IF YOU BUILD WILL THEY PAY?
For decades Philadelphia has talked about a new concert hall. Now the ground has been broken and one is being built. But there are still issues – the Philadelphia Orchestra still hasn’t signed a contract to use it. And then there’s money – where’s the rest of it going to come from to complete the thing? – Philadelphia Inquirer
A WINNING FORMULA FOR MUSIC
Dutch violinist-turned-conductor Andre Rieu has “stumbled onto a magic formula for bringing classical music to what are snobbishly called ‘the masses.’ His CDs – like his latest, `100 Years of Strauss,’ on the Philips label – are instant bestsellers. Videos of his concerts with his 35-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra are PBS fund-raising staples. And spectacle is the word most people use to describe his live shows.” – Boston Herald
THE REAL MUSIC VILLAINS
The FTC estimates consumers may have paid as much as $480 million more than they should have for CDs the last three years because of what is known as the Minimum Advertised Price program. Last fall, compact disc prices hit an all-time high of $18.98. Yet artists usually make less than $2 for every CD sold, once they’ve repaid the record label for recording and promotional expenses. That’s why Metallica’s decision to go after their own fans for downloading Metallica music off the Internet is so absurd. Musicians moan about fans ripping them off via the Internet, but the true villains are the record companies who shortchange artists and overcharge record buyers. – Chicago Tribune
LICENSE TO PLAY
The recording rights organization BMI announces a plan to license internet companies to be able to play music over the net. “The licenses give Internet companies the right to perform publicly all of BMI’s 4.5 million copyrighted works from its 250,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers.” – Wired