“Rachel from Friends, as seemingly inoffensive as any sitcom character can be, has cost the latest box set of the series a PG rating under new, tighter age guidelines announced yesterday. … Although the [British Board of Film Classification] described the revised guidelines last night as ‘a tweak’, nonetheless they will subtly alter the nation’s viewing habits. They always do.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Hidden Inside A Wall At The MFA, A Letter From The Past
“[O]n June 4, a laborer working on construction of the new American Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts knocked a hole in a wall and saw an envelope sticking out of the rubble.” It was “a typewritten note from 1926, a letter to the future from a long-ago laborer who helped build the wall.” A historian who directs the museum’s libraries and archives “has enlisted the help of history buffs, genealogists, and archivists – as well as the power of the Internet – to piece together his story.”
Filmgoers Shocked — Shocked! — When Judi Dench Swears
“Judi Dench is so loved by the UK’s filmgoing public that viewers are almost certain to make complaints whenever she swears on camera. The phenomenon was identified after the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) revealed in its annual report that a small number of viewers had complained about Dench’s foul mouth in the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.”
Second Banksy Mural Is Vandalized In Bristol
“A second mural in central Bristol by the graffiti artist Banksy has been defaced. The Mild Mild West, which depicts comic policemen and a bear, has been splattered with blue paint. On Monday, a picture painted on the side of a wall in the city’s Park Street was vandalised with blue paint splashes.”
Passages In Chris Anderson’s Free Appear Plagiarized
“In the course of reading Chris Anderson’s new book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price (Hyperion, $26.99), for a review in an upcoming issue of VQR, we have discovered almost a dozen passages that are reproduced nearly verbatim from uncredited sources. … Most of the passages, but not all, come from Wikipedia.”
Yvonne Rainer To Take Stage For First Time Since 2007
“The news in L.A.’s dance world this week has been the West Coast premiere of works by choreographer Yvonne Rainer. But today’s bigger news is that when Rainer’s ‘RoS Indexical’ and ‘Spiraling Down’ are performed at REDCAT on Thursday through Sunday, the esteemed 74-year-old will be on stage as well.”
Every Movie Has At Least Two Versions
“Nowadays, when somebody says, ‘I’ve just seen a movie,’ we don’t necessarily know whether the speaker saw it in a theater or on a mobile phone, alone or with a thousand other people, on celluloid or on a disc. These aren’t really the same experiences, even if we choose to call them all The Godfather or Up. And when it comes to distinguishing between film history and advertising, we may be even more confused.”
Tate Britain Director Deuchar Leaving To Head Art Fund
“Stephen Deuchar is to become the new director of the Art Fund, the U.K. charity announced today. Deuchar, 52, is director of Tate Britain and chairman of the 2009 Turner Prize jury. He will take up his new post on Jan. 4, 2010, the Art Fund said in an e-mailed statement.”
London Impressionist Auction Sales Plummet 74 Percent
“A painting by Claude Monet and one by Pablo Picasso sold for 12.1 million pounds combined ($20 million) at Christie’s International in London last night as the auction market for Impressionist art contracted 74 percent. Christie’s 44-lot sale tallied 37.1 million pounds with fees, just above the low estimate of 36.85 million pounds, based on hammer prices.”
Off-Broadway Claims Economic Impact Of $461 Million
“Off Broadway business generated a citywide economic impact of $461.3 million during the 2007-08 season, according to a report from the Off Broadway Alliance. Tickets sales hit $173.02 million, according to the report, from 5.47 million ducats sold. The OBA … compiled the data for use as a tool in advocating for and promoting the Off Broadway scene.”