Blog

Spitzer: FCC Is Undermining Payola Investigation

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has been investigating radio companies over illegal payola deals. But Spitzer now says that “the FCC is working against him. ‘We have asked them several times to participate and they have not only not done that, but they are now furtively going out there negotiating behind our backs’,” propsing mush smaller fines than Spitzer had in mind.

Prehistoric – Teenage Boys And Their Graffiti

Who drew most of the prehistoric cave paintings that have been discovered? Teen age boys. “The theory contradicts the idea that adult, tribal shaman spiritual leaders and healers produced virtually all cave art. It also explains why many of the images drawn in caves during the Pleistocene, between 10,000 and 35,000 years ago, somewhat mirror today’s artwork and graffiti that are produced by adolescent males.”

An Art Market – Can It Continue Its Winning Ways?

The art market is humming. But can it continue winning? “In the art world, there’s a clear delineation between those who experienced the last crash, in the early nineties, and those who didn’t. ‘This market is fueled by collectors who have never been through a correction,’ says art adviser Darlene Lutz, active since the eighties. ‘The generations who did are watching this with disbelief. It’s like teenagers who have unprotected sex thinking they’ll never get pregnant. And then, whoops . . . look what happened’!”

Does MoMA Need To Reinvent?

Has the Museum of Modern Art become too safe? Too museum-like? “No one doubts that MoMA remained the preeminent museum of its kind anywhere. But MoMA was traditionally a living idea, not a static monument. It aspired to be the center of an arts community. It considered itself an edgy institution that challenges and instructs.” And now?

Date Set For Denver Museum Opening

A date has been set for the opening of the new Daniel-Libeskind-designed Denver Art Museum building. It’s October 7. “Planning for the building began in 1999 when Denver voters approved a $62.5 million bond issue. The project also prompted the DAM board to raise more than $50 million in endowment funds, and another $28 million for upgrades in the project.”

Forecast: Bleak Summer Pop Concert Season

It’s shaping up to be a dry summer in the pop concert business. Few of the bigname stars of the 60s and 70s are touring And “steadily rising ticket prices, lack of proper development for promising young artists, stiff competition from other forms of entertainment and even age-old headaches like traffic snarls and limited (overpriced) snack-bar menus, are just a few of the reasons some fans have been staying away in recent years.

Merce Over Miami

Merce Cunningham is headed to Miami next year to help open the new Miami Performing Arts Center. But he’s not just doing dance. “This creative synergy, a hallmark of Cunningham’s career, will result in two MOCA exhibitions, an original work of dance and visual art in collaboration with a Miami artist, dance and music performances, classes and lectures.”