“With a tiny electronic chip implanted in the motor cortex of his brain, a 25-year-old man paralyzed from the neck down for five years has learned to use his thoughts to operate a computer, turn on a TV set, open email, play a video game and manipulate a robotic arm.”
Blog
Spring Awakes (And So Does The Musical)
John Heilpern has seen a new musical he believes will change Broadway. “If we’re very lucky, once in a generation an unexpected new musical comes along and changes everything. That is the thrilling achievement of ‘Spring Awakening’, which has been brilliantly directed by Michael Mayer, at the Atlantic Theater Company.”
Study Say LA Gained Movie Jobs In 2005
The number of movie jobs in Los Angeles increased for the second year in a year last year. “In Los Angeles, the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and three smaller, nearby cities, ‘production days’ on feature films rose from 8,707 in 2004 to 9,518 last year, according to a midyear update from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. Until 2004, location production days had fallen for seven years in a row, a function of runaway production.”
Oscar Invites 83 Countries To Compete
Hollywood has invited films from 83 countries to compete for this year’s foreign-language Oscar. The countries “include the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, who have received their first invites this year. A recent rule change means that films entered for the award need no longer be in the country’s official language.”
COC Bumps Two Ringers
The Canadian Opera Company is shuffling the cast for its upcoming production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. “Bass-baritone Peteris Eglitis, who held the key role of Wotan/the Wanderer with the COC during recent Ring-opera performances, has been taken off the bill, and soprano Frances Ginzer has been moved into second-cast position as Brunnhilde, the god’s favourite daughter… Eglitis was seen by many as a question mark in the COC’s Ring plans. His appearances in Siegfried and Die Walkure, which the company produced in 2004, showed an artist of great persuasive presence, but also ‘a voice in serious decline,’ as The New York Times’ Bernard Holland put it.”
Who’s The Voice Of A New Generation?
“It’s not an idle question. The novel is one of the most vital cultural resources we have–a private, potent means of sharing the unspeakableness of daily life with one another. So it’s only natural to wonder who’s taking care of the novel–who’s taking up the torch and where exactly they’re taking it. Or whether it has gone out. The novel is one of the platforms from which the voice of a generation speaks. And if you listen closely, you’ll start to wonder if the current generation has a voice at all.”
Music vs. Profit, Round 872 (UK Edition)
Independent UK record labels are seeking a change in Britain’s copyright law that would hold internet service providers (ISPs) liable for illegal downloads by users. The industry also hopes to encourage the development of more legal downloading services.
Oh, And They Need To Know How The Music Goes, Too
What makes a great conductor? Musicianship plays a role, certainly, as does effective stick technique. But most musicians will tell you that they form their first (and often their last) impressions of a new conductor inside of a minute, so there’s clearly something else in the mix. “The greatest conductors have an energy that extends beyond the podium to engage the farthest chorister and the last viola player,” and the very best manage to be firmly in charge without ever betraying a shred of personal ego.
Finally, A Social Activity For Music Geeks!
“It is called a listening party. It is a loosely directed but passionately devised gathering held purely for the love and discovery of music. New music. Old music. Loud music. Music played at volumes you can’t even enjoy in your car without blowing out the sunroof and messing up your hair and drowning out all the urban sirens. But it is not solely about volume. It is about quality. It is about range. It is, perhaps more than anything else, about surprise.”
NAC Gets New Board Chair
Canada’s National Arts Centre has named prominent Ontario arts supporter Julia Foster as its new chair. Foster is credited with being a key presence in the turnaround of the Stratford Festival a decade ago, and has served on the boards of the Toronto International Film Festival and the Art Gallery of Ontario.