Joseph Hokai Tang was taken into custody just after a performance in Eugene, Oregon, and charged with “bilking Bay Area violin collectors and dealers out of thousands of dollars in the sale of fine instruments.”
Author: sbergman
Pittsburgh Symphony Subsidy Is Safe
The Pittsburgh Symphony has officially been informed that it will continue to receive a $2.5m subsidy from the government of Pennsylvania. The money, which represents 8% of the PSO’s annual budget, had to be approved by the state legislature, which has been looking for ways to trim spending.
Well, That’s Just Gloating, Isn’t It?
“Italian cultural officials say they’re offering art and history lovers an early ‘Christmas present’ this week with the opening of a new exhibition showcasing priceless artifacts recently repatriated to Italy… More than half of the exhibit’s artifacts are pieces returned by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.”
FCC Reins In Comcast
The FCC has voted to limit the exponential growth of cable TV giant Comcast. “The new regulation will limit Comcast to 30 percent of the pay-TV market in the United States, halting the billion-dollar acquisitions that have made it the largest cable company in the nation.”
Interim Writers’ Deals In The Works
David Letterman’s production company will meet with officials from the Writers’ Guild later this week in an effort to craft an “interim agreement” that would allow striking writers to return to CBS’s two late-night talk shows when production resumes in January. The Guild is hoping to negotiate multiple such agreements with individual production companies, thereby giving them leverage over the major studios.
Leadership Changes Afoot At TIFF
“Noah Cowan, co-director of the Toronto International Film Festival for the past four years, is leapfrogging into a new role as artistic director of Bell Lightbox, the new home of the festival and its sister organizations in the TIFF Group. Cameron Bailey, veteran film critic and festival programmer, will take over Cowan’s old job as co-director of the festival.”
Hollywood’s Tricky Pregnancy
Comedies about unwanted pregnancies have been abundant this year. (Abortions as a result of same have been nonexistant.) Does the wave of baby films signal a change in Hollywood morality?
Chaperone To Take The Long Nap
“The Drowsy Chaperone, the Canadian musical that went from bachelor-party sketch to Tony Award-winning musical announced yesterday that it would play its final New York performance on Dec. 30… The show played to capacity audiences for a long time and moved into the profit column, but for the past six months the crowds had stopped coming.”
NY Library Unveils Major Restoration Plan
“Today, the New York Public Library is to announce… a three-year restoration of the facade, stairs and plaza that is to be completed in time for the building’s centennial in 2011.” The aim is to restore the Beaux Arts building to its original glory, and add new touches such as nighttime illumination to make it a true civic landmark.
Who Will Be Talking On Late Night?
“The late-night talk show hosts are returning. But the stars are not yet ready to come out for them” if it means crossing the writers’ picket line, it would seem. Or, more to the point, no star wants to be the first to accept a booking on Jay or Dave or Conan and face the wrath of the writers alone.