Yes, the Royal Shakespeare Company is performing the complete works of Shakespeare. But some of the productions will be… shall we say, unconventional.
Blog
How The Internet Was Saved (The First Time)
It was ten years ago that Congress passed a sweeping law that would have stunted the Internet (it was later challenged and defeated in the courts). “The Communications Decency Act, or CDA, was passed by Congress as part of the Telecommunications Act and signed into law by President Clinton on Feb. 8, 1996. The law aimed to extend to the internet the same “decency” standard that applies to broadcast TV and radio, and is now most famous for leading to fines for Howard Stern and CBS television for explicit language and a wardrobe malfunction respectively.”
Hollywood in For Slow Years?
Job growth in Los Angeles’ entertainment industries is expected to slow in the next two years as business models change. “Video-on-demand and mobile entertainment are two of the new opportunities, but they also threaten traditional business models and network broadcast television in particular.”
China Becomes Leader In Visual Art Exports
“China has now become the second largest exporter of ‘visual arts’, accounting for 19% of world exports in this category (particularly statuary). World trade in all categories of cultural goods (including visual arts, heritage goods, books, newspapers, recorded media, audiovisual, etc.) almost doubled from $39 billion in 1994 to $59 billion in 2002, representing around 1% of total world trade.”
New Orleans Theatres’ Future In Doubt
“The storm took out all four of New Orleans’ major performing arts theaters, severely flooding two of its oldest — the Orpheum and the Saenger, both listed on the national registry of historic places. But in the five months since Katrina, as renovations have been under way at the Saenger, recovery at the Orpheum — which had no flood insurance — has been all but stagnant. And the future of the 85-year-old theater, which for years has served as home to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, is uncertain.”
Poll: Welsh Want To Keep Arts Funding Separate
Only 22 percent of Welsh want their government to fund the arts directly. “Some 56% wanted the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) to continue funding and developing the arts. The survey followed a defeat for Labour, which had tried to take over responsibility for arts funding.”
The 80-Year-Old Ballerina
The world may never see a better advertisement for 80 than Maya Plisetskaya. Gliding on to the stage at Moscow’s Kremlin Palace Theatre, at the end of a glittering gala on her actual birthday, the stunningly fresh-faced ballerina dances a lilting solo piece written for her by choreographer Roland Petit. And then, after a standing ovation from the 6,000-strong audience, she does it again.
NY Phil To Record American
The New York Philharmonic is back in the recordinjg business. The orchestra has announced “an agreement with New World Records to issue two CD recordings per year of live performances of contemporary American repertoire.”
Computer Turns Up Fake Pollocks?
A physicist has used computer pattern analysis to identify consistent patterns in the drip paintings of Jackson Pollock. He’s “determined that half a dozen small paintings recently discovered and claimed by their owner to be original Pollocks do not exhibit the same patterns.”
Soviet-Era Preservation
Moscow has been tearing down much of its Soviet-era architecture. But now “Moscow is seeing a rash of cool industrial conversions that draw inspiration from projects like London’s Tate Modern. It has yet to turn the tide of destruction but embattled preservationists believe it’s a sign of hope for the future:”