“About 65 full-time musicians, as well as part-timers and other staff members, were told late last week that the Honolulu Symphony Society did not have enough money to meet its $60,000 biweekly payroll.” The musicians, who are among the lowest-paid in the American orchestra business, say they will continue to play.
Author: sbergman
America To Get Glimpse Of Afghanistan’s Best
“A selection of Afghanistan’s ancient artistic treasures — from a dagger hilt carved with a Siberian bear to Greek coins from an excavated city called Woman of the Moon — is scheduled to come to Washington next May and continue on a 17-month national tour.”
Oprah Boosts CD Sales At End Of A Dismal Year
It’s been a brutal year for the recording industry, but Oprah Winfrey provided a nice Christmas bonus when she gave her endorsement to a Josh Groban Christmas album. Groban’s CD has now sold close to 3 million copies, and is officially the best-selling album of the year.
Writers Can Work Spirit Awards
“The Writers Guild of America says its members will be allowed to work for the Spirit Awards honoring independent film despite uncertainties surrounding other awards shows because of the Hollywood writers strike.”
From Fact To Fiction, Back To Fact Again?
A new film focuses on the (mostly) true story of the debate team at a historically black college in the 1930s, and the college is hoping that the movie will help revive its own sagging fortunes. “The film’s director and star, Denzel Washington, recently pledged $1 million to restart Wiley’s now-defunct debate team… [And] the latest windfall has extended beyond the college’s debate legacy.”
SAG Nominations Announced
“Trying to handicap the Oscars didn’t get any easier Thursday with the release of the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Award nominations: The top nominee was Into the Wild, which had been shut out in the acting categories of the Golden Globe nominations last week, while two Golden Globe favorites, Atonement and Sweeney Todd, got nothing.”
Russian Art Loan On Again, With Caveats
Russia will reverse course and permit paintings from its museums to travel to London once newly proposed legislation in the UK is in force. Russian officials “would not say whether the exhibition would open on schedule in London, saying it will be up to organizers to decide whether they could ship the paintings quickly enough.”
Behind The Booker Judges’ Curtain
“One of the pleasant aspects of judging the Man Booker, I have realised, is that bonding between judges is considered a serious part of the process, presumably because when our decisions are announced and the brickbats start flying, we will be able to console ourselves that we still have some mates left.”
Stewart, Colbert Coming Back (Under Duress?)
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central’s pair of late night satirists whose shows have been in reruns since the writers’ strike began, have announced that they will resume production, sans writers, in January. Both hosts are members of the Writers’ Guild, and are therefore crossing their own picket line.
It’s Not Just Baseball Players Popping Pills
Scandals over the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports always provoke outrage and disgust from fans. But take a look at plenty of professionals working outside sports, and you’ll find a seemingly endless parade of “performance-enhancing” drug use. From musicians popping beta blockers to poker players swallowing attention deficit drugs, artificial enhancement is everywhere.