“Marilyn French, a writer and feminist scholar whose provocative 1977 novel ‘The Women’s Room’ captured the frustration and fury of a generation of women fed up with society’s traditional conceptions of their roles, died Saturday at a hospital in New York City.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
S.F. Has No Great Buildings? That’s OK, AIA Members Say.
“Talk to San Francisco architects for any length of time and unless they worship at the shrine of Victoriana, the complaints begin. Our buildings are too conservative. Our skyline lacks drama. Sharp designs are dulled by small-minded neighbors and planners. Talking to out-of-town architects is a much different story….”
Online, A Big, New (Old) Musical World Awaits
“The means to discover music we don’t even know exists has been threatening to die for a while – an ancillary fatality as the CD store threatens to go the way of the auk. But now, massive musical archives – some of them previously inaccessible – have parked themselves online, which is particularly good news for classical-music types….”
Past Rears Up, And Black Watch Playwright Declines Honor
“Playwright Gregory Burke has turned down an honorary degree from his old university after a row over an attack he carried out as a student. The award-winning writer of Black Watch said he decided to refuse the offer from Stirling University to prevent any embarrassment to the establishment. He was banned from the campus about 20 years ago after violently assaulting a 17-year-old student.”
This Year’s Special Tonys Go To …
“Jerry Herman, Phyllis Newman, publicist Shirley Herz and the Signature Theater in Arlington, Va., will receive the annual Tony honors in noncompetitive categories.”
Canadian Govt. Sprinkles A Few Million On Toronto Arts
“The federal Conservatives continued their road-show of announcing support for the endowments of non-profit cultural organizations yesterday with a visit to Toronto announcing a contribution of $3.63-million this year to 11 arts groups in and around the city.”
NY Drama Critics Circle Hands Ruined Another Win
“‘Ruined’ took the award for play and Brit import ‘Billy Elliot’ scored the laurel for tuner, while Scottish production ‘Black Watch’ nabbed the title for foreign production. A special citation went to director Matthew Warchus and the cast of ‘The Norman Conquests’ on Broadway. Career citations went to Angela Lansbury, currently appearing in ‘Blithe Spirit,’ and to Gerard Alessandrini, creator of the long-running ‘Forbidden Broadway’ series of legit spoofs.”
Libraries Ask Court For Safeguards On Google Settlement
“Three organizations representing 139,000 libraries today asked the judge overseeing Google’s settlement with authors and publishers to make sure that the company doesn’t violate the privacy of readers who would use its vast digital books collection. They also petitioned U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin to ensure that Google doesn’t set the price for access to its digital books ‘beyond the reach of many libraries.'”
Madoff Victim Puts A Picasso On The Block
“A collector who lost money in Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme is quietly selling a major Picasso painting on Wednesday at Christie’s International in New York. Jerome Fisher, co-founder of the footwear company Nine West Group, has anonymously placed a yolk-yellow, nearly 5-foot-tall 1968 Picasso titled ‘Mousquetaire a la pipe’ on the block, estimated to sell for $12 million to $18 million.” And, yes, he got a guarantee.
Paradise Lost Is Multiplex-Bound (Bonus: It Has A Sequel!)
“It’s time to brush up on your John Milton because the 17th century English poet’s ‘Paradise Lost’ is suddenly on Hollywood’s radar. Veteran producer Martin Poll has joined with Granite Entertainment and STV Networks to mount an indie version of ‘Paradise’ that has been gestating for nearly four decades and could enter production as early as the summer. If so, it could find itself going up against a competing version of ‘Paradise’….”