The ending of the final Harry Potter book isn’t the slam-dunk, loose-ends-tied finish that some had hoped for, especially a certain oddsmaker who has had to pay out thousands in bets on what the ending would hold. “Fans who put their money either on Potter dying, killing himself or being killed by his nemesis Lord Voldemort all received a payout.”
Author: sbergman
Sotheby’s Sets A Six-Month Record
“Auction house Sotheby’s yesterday posted record results after bumper sales in the first six months of this year. The auctioneer generated income of $132m (about £65m) in the first half, 92% higher than a year earlier and more than any full year in its history.”
What Can ITV Do To Regain Its Footing?
The head of a UK television network says that the industry has a lot of work to do to win back viewers’ trust following a series of high-profile scandals involving doctored footage and faked phone-in contests. ITV chief Michael Grade spoke of an “apparent and casual contempt towards viewers” that needs to be overcome.
Kid Arrested For Translating Deathly Hallows
“A French teenager suspected of posting his own complete translation of the latest Harry Potter book on the internet has been arrested. The 16-year-old, from the southern city of Aix-en-Provence, has been released but could face charges for violating intellectual property rights.”
Poland Rejects German Calls For Cultural Returns
“Poland has rejected calls for it to return German cultural treasures, including original manuscripts of Goethe, Beethoven, Mozart and Bach held in Polish archives since World War II, calling such demands ‘entirely groundless.’ Any mention of German claims from World War II is a sore point in Poland, which was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1939 and subjected to a brutal five-year occupation in which 6 million Polish citizens died.”
Dallas Opera Chief Resigns
The general director of the Dallas Opera has stepped down unexpectedly, prompting a fast-tracked search for a successor as the company prepares to make a big move to a new home in 2009. There are few clues as to why Karen Stone decided to depart early, except for a prepared statement in which she said that she was a bit fatigued with the fund-raising aspect of her job.
The Musical Conscience Of America?
“Dull as he pretends to be in a worn tweed jacket and conversational drone, [John] Adams has not been out of the headlines since 1987, when he became the first composer to put current affairs on the opera stage with Nixon in China… He is the artist to whom America turns to make sense of its confusions.”
Whatever Happened To Respect For The Masters?
Guy Damman says that “when Pollock is pushed out in favour of Stingel, it’s time for galleries to stop sacrificing their permanent collections for crowd-pulling temporary shows.” Specifically, Damann questions why the Whitney would push aside so much high-quality art for temporary exhibits that don’t approach the quality of its in-house collection.
Legendary Acoustician Dies At 83
“Russell Johnson, the acoustical consultant whose design for Dallas’ Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center helped revolutionized thinking about concert hall sound, died Tuesday at his home in New York. He was 83 and was on the job through Monday… In addition to the Dallas hall, Artec has been acclaimed for its work on the Culture and Congress Center in Lucerne, Switzerland; Symphony Hall in Birmingham, England; and many other facilities around the world.”
Gillinson Defends Carnegie Eviction Plan
The battle between Carnegie Hall and its soon-to-be-evicted tenants seems to be genuinely paining the hall’s executive director, Clive Gillinson. But “Gillinson said the hall had explored every other option before arriving at wholesale eviction. He noted that all rent-control tenants have been promised accommodations at least as nice as their current studios, with any rent differential to be paid by the hall.”