After losing its copyright case over music downloading last month, MP3.com says it will remove major-label music from its site. The company is said to be negotiating with recording companies over a million-dollar settlement. – Boston Globe
Author: Douglas McLennan
UGLY VICTORY
Time art critic Robert Hughes may have won his court battle, beating reckless driving charges in Australia yesterday. But he sure blew it in the court of public opinion. “With a phalanx of cameras surrounding him, the New York-based art critic rose from his wheelchair, limped down the steps of the historic courthouse, and launched a broadside at those in the other car involved in the accident, describing all three as ‘low-life scum’. And after making several jibes about the ‘curry-munching’ crown prosecutor Lloyd Rayney’s Indian background, Hughes accused him of being overzealous in his bid to score points by aiming for a high-profile scalp.” – Sydney Morning Herald
SINGING A NEW TUNE
Broadway is booming – 36 of 37 theaters are currently open for business. Though the years of the Big British Musical seem done for, a new breed of American musical play has taken over, one that appeals to one Brit reviewer. – The Telegraph (UK)
THEATER RECLAMATION
Contracts are signed to develop new theaters for the seediest end of 42nd Street in New York – including a new 499-seat Schubert and five others – pushing the rebuilding of that end of the Times Square theater district into high gear. – New York Times
THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA goes to court –
– to argue that an arbitrator didn’t have the right to order the company to reinstate a dancer the company fired. – CBC
HANOVER BAILS
NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s wife, actress Donna Hanover, who was supposed to perform in the sexually suggestive “The Vagina Monologues” Off-Broadway has postponed her appearance in the show, citing family circumstances. – Chicago Sun-Times (AP)
DEPICTIONS OF THE PAST
For decades, a statue of explorer Samuel de Champlain stood on a cliff in Ottawa, with a much smaller sculpture of a native scout kneeling beneath him. Last year, Native Canadians complained, saying the scout was depicted in a subservient position to Champlain, so the statue was moved. Now an artist complains that “discussion about how public landmarks depict the place of aboriginal people in Canadian society has stopped. Are we adjusting history to be politically correct? Now we don’t have that dialogue going on.” – CBC
DREAM MAYOR?
London mayor-elect Ken Livingstone’s recent promises have already thrilled the city’s art world. He plans to support the film industry, strengthen independent cinemas, and help make London a user-friendly environment for filming. He also “intends to maintain free entry to museums, and to introduce a “capital arts card” in partnership with business to give students, senior citizens and the unemployed the chance to attend theatres, cinemas and concerts for £3. And he wants to support cultural diversity in the arts.” – The Times (UK)
STATISTICS TO GIVE PAUSE
- While Black actors are now more numerous in film, it’s an open question as to how well they’re being represented. In the top movies of 1996:
- Black female movie characters shown using vulgar profanity: 89%.
- White female movie characters shown using vulgar profanity: 17%.
- Black female movie characters shown being physically violent: 56%.
- White female movie characters shown being physically violent: 11%.
- Black female movie characters shown being restrained: 55%.
- White female movie characters shown being restrained: 6%.
– University of Chicago Press
NEW TAXES FOR ARTS
A Cleveland area task force recommends creating a public entity to raise between $25 million and $35 million for the arts annually through a combination of new taxes and redirected spending of existing tax revenue. “The idea of taxes for the arts is viewed with both enthusiasm and skepticism by local leaders. Public funding is ‘more than just a stamp of approval. It shows that the community supports this as an integral part of the important activities of the community. It’s what makes life good and worth living.'” – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)