Today’s theory is that you can tell a lot about your future president by what music he listens to. George W is partial to Van Morrison and the Everly Brothers, John McCain likes the Platters, Al Gore goes for Bob Dylan, and Bill Bradley is rumored to have a thing for Bruce Hornsby. And what should that tell you? Oh well, there goes another theory. – Washington Post
Author: Douglas McLennan
“SHOCK” OF THE NEW
Only a few months into the 21st Century, all manner of contemporary classical music for the new millennium is bursting out in Ireland. – Irish Times
THE HOTTEST THING IN MOVIES?
Family movies, especially children’s movies. The last four months have been winners for the family fare. – New York Times 03/07/00
THE FUTURE IS NOW
Digital technology is transforming the movie industry before our eyes. The Sundance Film Festival presented a record 17 digital films this year, and filmmakers George Lucas and Spike Lee plan to shoot and produce their next features digitally. Images are clearer. Editing is easier. Shooting can be done on cheap $4,000 cameras. And the dramatic decline in costs gives filmmakers greater freedom. – San Francisco Chronicle 03/07/00
CHINA’S JUST SITTING THERE
American film distributors are eager to push into China, Russia and other largely untapped markets. But first the distributors want a better deal from studios. – Variety 03/07/00
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HOLLYWOOD
“Art takes its inspiration from two sources, religion and entertainment–the heavenly and the festive. But today, everything is conflated with entertainment as Hollywood conceives it. In 1999, U.S. movies earned about $29.8 billion out of a total global take of $33.4 billion. And that figure does not include income from video sales, merchandising, licensing, concessions, and other tie-ins.” Is Hollywood’s view of the world so compelling that it has to crush everything in its path? – Civilization 03/00
LATEST MERCHANT IVORY FILM —
— draws protests from Indian community for the movie’s depiction of an Anglo-Indian character. – BBC 03/07/00
BEGINNING OF THE CORPORATE END
So American Airlines supported the arts by giving New York’s Roundabout Theater $850,000 a year for 10 years. In return the airline gets its name on the theater. But “American Airlines isn’t supporting the arts, bless them. They are paying a tax-deductible fee in order to advertise and sell their corporate logo on Broadway. Philanthropy has sweet zilch to do with it.” – New York Observer
SPOLETO BOYCOTT
Several artists have decided to boycott this year’s Spoleto Festival in Charleston, as NAACP calls for economic boycott of South Carolina to protest confederate flag. – New York Times
YOUR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND YOU
Know where your US presidential candidate of choice stands on arts issues? Now might be a good time to find out. – Boston Herald
- AN LA TIMES SURVEY:
- McCain: “I oppose federal funding of the National Endowment for the Arts because of the obscene and inappropriate projects this organization has supported with tax dollars.”
- Bush: “I want to continue federal funding for the arts, but give states a greater say in how the money is spent.”
- Bradley: “He has always supported funding for the NEA; he has voted against efforts to cut it and efforts to censor it.”
- Gore: “…the administration is proposing doubling arts in education programs, which Gore strongly supports.”
Los Angeles Times