Author: Laura Collins Hughes

Love Means Sometimes Having To Say, ‘I Hate It’

“Loving music, to a critic, cannot simply mean bestowing praise. In fact, I think one of the biggest problems in the classical music field is that there’s too much praise. There’s an idea that our field is so small and beleaguered that we have to band together and all like everything all the time. … I happen to think that tough love is especially important now.”

Shining The Spotlight On Broadway’s Orchestrators

“In the world of Broadway musicals, nobody leaves the theater humming the orchestrations. But without the orchestrations, the songs would just be lonely little tunes. The Library of Congress recently convened a symposium on some of Broadway’s greatest orchestrators, many of whom remain little-known. Ever hear of Sid Ramin, Jonathan Tunick, Don Walker, Russell Bennett or Ralph Burns? Exactly.”

Collector Gets Go-Ahead On Suit Vs. Warhol Foundation

“A New York judge ordered that a collector of Andy Warhol artworks be allowed to pursue claims of fraud and unjust enrichment against a foundation that authenticates the artist’s paintings and prints. Joe Simon-Whelan, owner of a Warhol self-portrait, sued the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in federal court in New York in 2007, asking to represent other buyers of the pop artist’s works that were judged to be fakes.”

Sydney Theatre Company Sees 9.9% Ticket-Sales Drop

“Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton’s first year managing the Sydney Theater Company has been marred by a significant erosion of the company’s financial position. The result does not reflect the co-artistic directors’ programming, which began in earnest only at the start of calendar year 2009, but will impact their plans to expand the activities of Australia’s preeminent not-for-profit.”

Broadway League Changes Method Of Reporting Box Office

“The Broadway League will consolidate the reporting of Main Stem box office figures, with members of the org filing weekly receipts directly to the league, which will then distribute the information. Sales figures will represent ‘gross gross’ sales as opposed to net gross, which subtracts credit card transaction fees from the total. Attendance will be reported as total attendance rather than paid attendance, which does not count comped ducats.”

AMA’s Anti-Smoking Campaign Puts Hollywood On Notice

“The advocacy arm of the American Medical Association unveiled a summer-long campaign on Wednesday intended to publicly shame movie studios for depicting images of smoking in their mass-appeal movies. ‘Which Movie Studios Will Cause the Most Youth to Start Smoking This Summer?’ is the name of the effort. … The studio found to be the biggest offender will be named on billboards in September.”

Imperiled Film-Makers’ Coop Finds Home; Rent: $1 A Year

“After months of uncertainty, the Film-Makers’ Cooperative, whose future was threatened early this year when it received an order of eviction from a city-owned building in TriBeCa, has found a new home, and on terms that are likely to make it the envy of other arts organizations and tenants across the city.” Its new landlord is a developer/film aficionado.

In Upstate N.Y., Disgraced Salander Gets A Gallery Job

“Manhattan art dealer Lawrence B. Salander is trying to rise from the ashes of a 100-count indictment in a quaint storefront in pastoral Millbrook, New York, about two hours north of the city. … Dressed in a crisp, white linen shirt, Salander declined an interview request. He did say that he works at the gallery, that he didn’t own it and that his father-in-law, Donald Dowden, also works there.”

Bollywood Strike Shutters A Cinema In Queens

“In Mumbai, India, a seven-week-old strike by film producers has brought Bollywood, that country’s multibillion-dollar film industry, to a halt. The Eagle specializes in first-run Bollywood movies, and without a supply of new films, theaters like it around the world have had to screen old ones, dip into the pricier Hollywood and European film catalogs — or shut down.”