“The enemies of Damien Hirst have been lined up in massed ranks for years, firing hopelessly at his platinum and diamond success. And I – still – don’t want to join them,” Jonathan Jones writes. But why is Hirst, with all his fame and riches, pursuing a legal campaign against a graffiti artist? And does he really need that £195?
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
From Burns At 250, Two New Poems & Some Sexual Gossip
“His love might have been like a red red rose, but it turns out that Robert Burns may also have been suffering from a rather nasty STD, according to a collection of explicit writing apparently by Scotland’s national bard, due to go on sale in January 2009.”
Au Naturel, En Plein Air, Paris’s Life Models Go On Strike
“Paris is now being accused of showing such philistine ingratitude to its life models that scores went on strike yesterday, taking to the streets to pose naked in freezing temperatures to shame the state. In front of the tastefully decorated Christmas trees outside Paris city hall’s culture department, the naked and goose-pimpled models demanded a pay increase, proper contracts and, most of all, respect for their craft….”
Rat, Mole, And The Wonders Of The Wind In The Willows
“There are certain books that become a permanent part of your life, like an old tree that stands at the bend of a favorite path. You may not notice them, but if they were taken away, the world would be less mysterious, less friendly, less itself. ‘The Wind in the Willows,’ published 100 years ago this year, is one of those books.”
The Year-End Lists We Love To Hate
“The media likes to assault readers at this time of year with year-end summaries, predictions and random ‘best-of’ lists and they’re coming hot and heavy this year (there aren’t enough ads to fill the space). The lists are designed to make media gurus seem thoughtful and profound; instead, they often leave readers wondering, ‘Why did I trust that critic all year long?'”
Citing Economy, Stars Urge ‘No’ Vote On SAG Strike
“Pointing to the weak economy, more than 130 stars — including George Clooney, Matt Damon and Tom Hanks — have strongly urged SAG members to vote down the guild’s strike authorization. … In a letter sent Monday to leaders of the Screen Actors Guild, the stars said a strike would create more economic hardship and called for SAG to unite with the other Hollywood guilds in three years when the current rounds of contracts expire.”
NEA’s Theatre Report Doesn’t Reflect Current Reality
“Nonprofit theaters experienced robust growth and ‘general financial stability’ from 1990 to 2005, even as audiences for nonmusical productions were declining, according to a report from the National Endowment for the Arts. However, the study, which is being released today, does not reflect the current economic downturn, which has resulted in staff cuts and closed doors for some theater companies.”
When Art Goes Missing, The FBI’s Team Is On The Case
“The FBI now has an entire team of agents devoted to art theft. … Though the job sounds like a sexy one — conjuring up images of an art collector storing fine works of art in a cave somewhere on the other side of the world — the reality is somewhat less glamorous. Museums in the U.S. have become so well-protected — so heist-proof — that museum thefts have become rare.”
Shakespeare Santa Cruz Has 1 Week To Save Its Own Life
“Shakespeare Santa Cruz … is now itself facing a dilemma worthy of Shakespeare. After 27 years it has come to this: Either the SSC board raises $300,000 by Monday, Dec. 22, or the 2009 summer season will be shelved. And if that happens, the company will likely face ‘the most unkindest cut of all,’ to quote Marc Antony in ‘Julius Caesar’: extinction.”
Macmillan Lays Off 4 Percent Of Staff
“The drumbeat of grim news from the publishing industry continued on Monday as Macmillan, the company that operates imprints including Farrar, Straus and Giroux, St. Martin’s Press and Henry Holt, laid off about 4 percent of its staff and restructured its children’s book division.”