The word “whom” is heading off to join “thou” and “ye” in pronoun heaven. Should we care?
Blog
London’s Skyrocketing Ticket Prices
Theatre ticket prices have gone “mad” in London’s West End. It’s £127 for some seats? “These prices weed out the poor, the young and the would-be first-time theatregoer and ensure that the gilded auditorium retains its Victorian smugness and rows of white hair and glinting jewellery.”
Broadway’s Twist On The Casting Couch Scandal
“Like any great headlining play, the newest sex scandal to hit America’s acting profession has a fresh twist: the top producer accused of sexually harassing the cast of a Broadway play is a woman.
Her alleged victims are also far from being wide-eyed starlets. Instead they are some of the top names on Broadway, including Irish actor Gabriel Byrne.”
de Montebello: Art Patrimony Laws Backfire On Countries
Metropolitan Museum director Philippe de Montebello on returning artwork to countries of origin:”Perhaps those countries will realize that the tougher their patrimony laws, the more they are victims of illicit looting. Are you suggesting that allowing countries to prohibit the export of artwork they deem to be part of their national heritage needs to be re-examined? Of course. Can you imagine if every Rembrandt were in Holland and every Poussin in Paris? It is safe to diversify a stock portfolio; it is also safe to diversify the shared heritage of mankind.”
Deeply In Focus…
There seems to be a sudden interest in “deep focus” and its original Hollywood practitioners. It’s a simple cinematic technique, and yet its history and meaning are somewhat misunderstood…
Art With Incite
“Does art incite violence? Hardly; it’s the ideas espoused in the art that get people so worked up. But art magnifies those ideas. It focuses them, gives them a sharper point and the velocity to drive that point home.”
A Debate Over Paintings Said To Be Pollocks
A few weeks ago a scientific study of a set of paintings said to be by Jackson Pollock was released, contending that the paintings were not authentic. But other experts disagree with the findings. “By authorizing only journalistic summaries of Taylor’s work, the Pollock Krasner Foundation has prevented disinterested scholars from reviewing his analysis. Instead, it has bolstered a negative view of the newly discovered paintings without giving anyone else a fair shot at critiquing.”
A Cincinnati University Builds Legacy
“Over the past two decades, Ohio has become an important venue for innovative buildings by star architects from around the world. Public agencies, museums and universities have used edgy, forward-looking buildings to change perceptions, to erase regional isolation and to broadcast optimism about the future. The newest sign of the trend is the nearly completed Campus Recreation Center at the University of Cincinnati.”
Culture Under Canada’s Conservatives
Canada’s new cultural agenda under culture minister Bev Oda? “Ottawa spends roughly $150 per capita on Quebeckers for culture, and less than $75 per capita on provinces from Manitoba west. But Oda will not be drawn into any facile promises to change that situation.” And the CBC? “People are starting to question, if nobody’s watching CBC Television, English-language, then does it justify the utilization of those dollars in that way.”
Toronto’s Building Boom – More Money Please
Toronto’s big six – the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet School, the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art and the Royal Conservatory of Music – have major building projects going, and $500 million to build them. One problem: as construction moves along, costs have gone up and…