“The new acquisitions are a manuscript of Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata for violin and piano and an engraved proof copy of the piano-vocal score of Mendelssohn’s oratorio ‘Elijah,’ each with scribblings by the composer.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Disney Returns To Hand-Drawn Animation
“Disney in 2003 announced that it was abandoning traditional animation in favor of computer-generated imagery, after a string of hand-drawn flops,” but it “didn’t exactly strike pay dirt with its new all-computers, all-the-time approach.” Now the cofounders of Pixar are overseeing Disney’s return to the technique.
Rocco Landesman’s Offensive Play
“In a freewheeling conversation…, Mr. Landesman was true to form–brashly candid. But his provocative words in both [a recent Brooklyn] speech and our discussion suggest that he doesn’t see what’s looming between him and the goal–political opponents, waiting to tackle him.”
NYPL Gets Papers Of Annie Proulx And Eloise Illustrator
“The library has acquired Proulx’s research notes, short stories, screenplays, more than 1,060 pages of holograph diary and thousands of pages of correspondence, the institution said. The [Hilary] Knight acquisition includes sketches for about 60 books, personal contracts, publicity materials, Broadway posters and reviews.”
Our Common Offense: Living While Distracted
“Good intentions and police action may be no match for the encroachments of gadgetry and wirelessness. Life is and always has been full of distractions, yes; it may be that life itself is a distraction–from death. But our attention flits and wanders as never before. The consequences, outside the cockpit and the driver’s seat, are as yet unclear.”
Why DVRs Have Helped, Not Harmed, TV Revenues
Turns out TV viewers, DVR owners included, want to lounge, not expend precious energy skipping commercials. “Against almost every expectation, nearly half of all people watching delayed shows are still slouching on their couches watching messages about movies, cars and beer.”
Stieg Larsson’s Partner, Family Battle Over His Estate
Swedish writer Stieg Larsson, who was “largely unknown before his sudden death at 50, has become one of the most successful writers in the world,” with an estate estimated to exceed £20 million. “But because he and the architect Eva Gabrielsson, his partner of 32 years, never married and he died without making a will, the proceeds have defaulted to his blood relations….”
Puppeteer Ronnie Burkett Wins $75K Siminovitch Prize
“With the prize allocated for a designer this year – it also rewards playwrights and directors on a three-year cycle – Burkett won for crafting marionettes. … In addition to $75,000 for the winning artist, the prize comes with $25,000 for a protégé of their choice.”
Children’s Top 10 Classical Favorites
Topping the survey is John Williams’ “Harry Potter” theme. Whether or not the piece actually counts as classical music, the choice “shows that children love lavishly orchestrated music, and that they understand that you can create worlds of magic and mystery with a symphony orchestra.”
Defacing Banksy Mural, Vandals Trump Voters
“Sutton Council asked residents to vote on whether the ‘punk’ mural should stay on its Beddington Farm Road site. More than 93% of the 250 voters urged the council to keep it but as the vote was taking place, the work was defaced by graffiti ‘taggers’.”