“Actor George Clooney has quietly withdrawn from the Writers Guild of America after the union rejected his request for a writing credit on his new film Leatherheads.” Clooney actually made his decision before the writers’ strike, but kept it quiet because he supported the ideals behind the work stoppage and didn’t want to be a distraction.
Author: sbergman
National Gallery To Get Major Bronze Bequest
“The National Gallery of Art has been promised a major collection of Renaissance bronze sculptures, a significant addition to its collection of bronzes from the 16th and 17th centuries. The gift, which will be formally announced next week, is from builder-developer Robert H. Smith, the gallery’s president emeritus and a major financial supporter. It will be turned over to the gallery when Smith, 79, dies.”
Ballet’s Forgotten (Or At Least, Ignored) Innovator
Modernist choreographer Anthony Tudor, born 100 years ago this week, “yanked the weeds out of what he saw as a decaying art form, pruning away decorative excess and virtuoso tricks that had no dramatic value… Yet his centennial year finds this once-prized innovator half-forgotten.”
Rafael Azcona, 81
“Rafael Azcona, the Spanish novelist and scriptwriter known for films including the Oscar-winning comedy Belle Époque, died on March 23 at his home.”
Sonnabend Heirs Sell Off $600m Of Art
“In what experts described as the largest private sale of art ever, the heirs of the legendary dealer Ileana Sonnabend have parted with some $600 million worth of paintings and sculptures in two transactions to cover their estate taxes.”
Is England’s Cultural Sphere Falling Apart?
“Arts Council England would like to know which sex you fancy before letting you sit on one of its boards. A minister for culture wants more women to run the arts. A leading playwright calls for a national survey of sock colors. Three scenes from an Alan Ayckbourn farce? Nope, just a slew of evidence this week that the British way of running the arts has fallen into terminal disarray.”
Well, The Tragic Ending’s There For The Taking
The composer who created a surprise hit opera from The Jerrry Springer Show is setting his sights even lower, planning an opera based on the life of former Playboy centerfold and general train wreck Anna Nicole Smith. “The production, still in the early stages of development, is intended to be shown on the main stage at the Royal Opera House, accompanied by a 90-piece orchestra.”
Tabernacle Choir Finds New Director
“Mack Wilberg, who has earned international acclaim as a composer and arranger of religious music, is the new director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir… He replaces Craig Jessop, who resigned earlier this month.”
Meanwhile, The Old Boss Moves On
Craig Jessop, who resigned abruptly as director of the Mormon Tabernacle choir last month, will apparently become head of Utah State University’s music department. “Jessop’s resignation fueled widespread and continuing speculation about his reasons for leaving.”
Columbus Symphony Supporters Take To The Net
A group of fans and supporters of the beleagured Columbus Symphony are launching a web site designed to call attention to the CSO’s struggles and connect more music lovers to the orchestra. “Though the management’s call to cut both the symphony’s size and the length of its season has caused angry divisions between it and the musicians, the website’s founders plan to promote the orchestra without favoring one side over the other.”