“Harry Potter author JK Rowling has received an outstanding achievement prize at the 2008 Galaxy British Book Awards in London. The writer was one of several honoured at the event, which also saw awards go to Ian McEwan, Afghan novelist Khaled Hosseini and actor Ewan McGregor.”
Author: sbergman
The New Proms: Evolution, Not Revolution
The BBC Proms is changing, that much can be said with confidence. But in its first year under a new director, the backbone of the festival remains the symphony orchestra, and the addition of Doctor Who and his TARDIS won’t change that. “It’s a basic test of this 150-odd page brochure if you find yourself suddenly wanting to go to a lot of concerts. And I do.”
Guggenheim Vegas To Close
“After nearly seven years on the Strip, the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in the Venetian will close its doors May 11… With the closure — and Steve Wynn’s dismantling of his own fine arts gallery — the only remaining Strip art gallery is at the Bellagio, where the effort to bring fine art to the Las Vegas masses began in 1998.”
“Serious Dinosaur” Thriving In Download Age
Record stores are supposed to be yesterday’s news to college students, rendered obsolete by iTunes and the easy availability of free pirated music. So what to make of the Princeton Record Exchange, which boasts 150,000 old media titles on everything from vinyl to disc? “The lesson of [the] store seems to be that if you’re going to be a dinosaur, be a serious dinosaur.”
Radcliffe’s “Equus” To Hit Broadway In The Fall
“Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe will make his Broadway debut in the US this September, playing the disturbed stable boy in a revival of Peter Shaffer’s play Equus. Radcliffe, 18, earned rave reviews for his performance in the London production of the Tony Award-winning play.”
Answer Hate With Truth, Not Violence
The viciously anti-Islamic film released this week in Europe by Dutch politician Geert Wilders does not need to be answered with censorship or fear, says Timothy Garton Ash. “Too many Dutch and international leaders have leapt to deplore Wilders’ film without first excoriating those who threaten him with death.”
Famed Flamenco Dancer Dies at 95
“Pilar López, who has died aged 95, was the last representative of the golden age of flamenco ballet in the 1930s and 1940s. She was considered a fine, serious classical dancer, but it was as a choreographer and teacher of young dancers that she excelled.”
Hey! Only I’m Allowed To Gouge My Fans!
“Although the last Star Wars movie came out three years ago, the battle over rights and ownership of the costumes used in the films is still raging. George Lucas, the director who dreamed up the lucrative series, is suing the prop designer who made the stormtrooper helmets and suits for the original 1977 film because he is selling replicas to fans for £1,800 a time.”
Saatchi’s Next Generation Of YBAs To Debut
“More than 20 years after he unleashed the first wave of Young British Artists on an unsuspecting public, Charles Saatchi is to present a new exhibition of work by the next generation of YBAs. New Britannia is due to open in summer 2009 at Saatchi’s new London gallery.”
Where Are All The Black Ballerinas?
Finding a black ballerina among the personnel at the UK’s major dance companies is a nearly impossible task. Neither will you find many faces of color in the audience, which can’t be unrelated. “Black ballerinas find it difficult to rise to the top, partly because of misconceptions about their body shape.”