In America, it’s often said that baseball attracts more writers than it does athletes. In Britain, the same is apparently true of… um, fishing? “Fishing is about the closest you can get to physically experiencing poetry. It is a pursuit based on contemplation and solitude that involves an appreciation of the elements; it is a game of chance, hope, escapism; a step into the murky waters of the unknown.”
Author: sbergman
Aboriginal Painting Breaks Auction Record
An Aboriginal artwork sold for over AUS$1 million at auction this week, setting the all-time record for a painting by an indigenous Australian. The auction was controversial, as a leading arts organization had called for the Aboriginal art to be withdrawn from sale, as few of the original artists would see any monetary benefit.
Licensing Law Hurting Those It Was Meant To Help
The UK’s freelance musicians say that the country’s heavily monitored licensing practices are making it difficult for them to earn a living. “Under the act, the maximum penalty for the unlicensed provision of even one musician is a £20,000 fine and a six month prison sentence. Critics claim fringe musicians such as jazz and folk artists, who were the main beneficiaries under the rule, are losing gigs because small venues are abandoning informal live music events to avoid the trouble and expense of getting a licence.”
Charges Possible In Pops Fight
A court hearing has been scheduled to determine whether either or both of the men involved in the now infamous Boston Pops brawl should be charged with a crime. At the time of the fight, both men were ejected from Symphony Hall, but not arrested. “A few days later the police department reversed its decision not to pursue charges and assigned a detective to investigate.”
The Myriad Horrors of the Amateur Manuscript
Take it from one whose job was to sift through unsolicited manuscripts: there’s a reason that many publishers don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. “By the time I left my job in publishing a few weeks ago, my idealism was in tatters, destroyed by the piles of typescripts I received from people who told me that their fondest desire was to write full time while sitting in a villa overlooking the Mediteranian, despite the fact that they didn’t know how to spell it.”
Cleveland Still Waiting On Trombone Talent
The Cleveland Orchestra has been without a permanent principal trombonist for more than two years now, and at this point, “just about every interested, top-notch trombone player in America — and some from overseas — reportedly has come through Severance Hall with hopes for a future in Cleveland.” So what’s the holdup?
Slap Fight Breaks Out Over Tony Telecast
“For the past 24 hours, the Tonys have been plunged into turmoil. Producers and Tony officials have been shouting at one another; the two organizations that oversee the awards – The American Theater Wing and The League of American Theaters and Producers – have been at war; and CBS, which broadcasts the Tonys, is fuming because it has so little control over a telecast whose ratings are always in the cellar.”
The Arts Also Cure Cancer And Make You Beautiful
“Nonprofit arts groups, including museums, orchestras, theaters and dance companies, contributed $166.2 billion and 5.7 million jobs to the U.S. economy in 2005, according to an advocacy group urging more funding for the arts… The economic effect of these nonprofits grew by 24%, or 11% adjusted for inflation, between 2000 and 2005, according to the report.”
Can A Creative Type Be An Effective CEO?
The National Film Board of Canada has looked within itself to find its new commissioner, appointing NFB director-general of English programming Tom Perlmutter to the top post. Perlmutter has been given credit for much of the NFB’s recent international success. “But is it a good thing to have an ideas guy mired in institutional thinking?”
Crack All You Want, We’ll Make More
The rush to create new modes of digital encryption for music and movies has been matched only by the stampede to defeat them. But with legal threats against those suspected of illegal file-sharing proving to be an expensive and controversial strategy, those in charge of protecting copyright have little choice but to work to stay one step ahead of the hackers and pirates through technological means.