“Chetan Bhagat, an investment banker, has become the biggest-selling English-language novelist in India’s history… The novels, deliberately sentimental in the tradition of Bollywood filmmaking, are priced like an Indian movie ticket — just 100 rupees, or $2.46 — and have won little praise as literature… But he has touched a nerve with young Indian readers.”
Author: sbergman
Okay, So It’s Not Exactly Glamour Activism
A celebrated sculptor from Minnesota who uses sticks, twigs, and other natural materials in his work is taking on an unusual issue, and using his art to raise awareness of it. The issue: buckthorn, a devastatingly destructive plant that destroys entire forests from below.
Sydney Opera Revamp Unveiled
Could Sydney’s world-famous opera house soon become as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside? “This is the vision conceived by the original architect, Joern Utzon… But most of the changes will not be visible to the public. And that is where the political challenge lies.” The planned renovation will cost the public AUS$700 million.
Looking Back At Toscanini
He was the first conductor to become a true media star, and dominated the American music scene for decades. But who was Arturo Toscanini, and what does his career tell us about the music world then and now?
Is Shreveport Symphony Plan Short-Sighted?
The Shreveport Symphony’s plan to convert all its full-time musicians to per-service players and slash their annual pay 75% is not sitting well with some of the city’s residents. “To pay professional musicians this rate is a disgrace and an insult… If this city wishes to attract young professionals then it would serve its best interest to fund the arts.”
New Play Generates Chicago Heat
A new play by a Chicago writer that focuses on a brutal heat wave in the city that killed more than 700 people in 1995 has premiered in the very neighborhood hit hardest by the tragedy. The production is prompting a reexamination of the “social fault lines” that led to so many dying so quickly.
Canadian Video Award To Vancouver Artist
“Stan Douglas has won the $10,000 Bell Award in Video Art for 2008, the Canada Council has announced. The prize has been awarded annually since 1991 for exceptional contribution by a video artist or artists to the advancement of video art in the country.”
How Offensive! We Must See It!
“Proponents of Ottawa’s controversial tax bill have pointed to the upcoming Canadian film Young People Fucking as a reason to curtail public funding for movies some deem offensive, while opponents of the bill from all sectors of the arts community are accusing the government of censorship.” None of this, of course, is hurting the film’s publicity efforts.
Limited Exposure
Marketing your film to the American public is hard enough under the best of circumstances. But how do you sell your lighthearted comedy when your star is known to have attempted suicide recently? Keep him away from the cameras, apparently…
Philly Doles Out More Than $2m In Arts Grants
“More than 200 arts and cultural organizations in Philadelphia have been awarded grants totaling $2.1 million through the city’s Cultural Fund.” The grants are unrestricted, designed to fund general operations, which is frequently one of the hardest areas for cultural organizations to raise money for.