Nominations are out for the Baftas (Britain’s answer to the Oscars,) and there aren’t many surprises on the shortlist. Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain is up for nine awards, and political thriller The Constant Gardener scored ten nominations. The other films nominated for best picture are Crash, Capote, and Good Night and Good Luck. The Baftas will be handed out on February 19.
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What Good Is A Plan If There’s No Cash To Back It Up?
The Scottish government is coming under increased pressure not to approve a proposed overhaul of the region’s arts funding system without also significantly increasing what it spends on the arts. “Unless the Executive can show a substantial injection of new cash, it will be ‘moving the deckchairs around on the Titanic’, said one pessimistic observer of the arts scene.”
Wilson Pickett, 64
“Known as ‘Wicked Pickett,’ he turned out a string of soul hits in the 1960s after signing a recording contract in Memphis with Atlantic.”
Baltimore Symphony Chief Quits
The controversial president of the Baltimore Symphony has resigned. James Glicker had been on the job only 18 months, and had drawn the ire of the BSO’s musicians over the appointment of Marin Alsop as music director designate. The orchestra has also been struggling with accumulating debt and disappointing subscription sales, and Glicker’s appointment as president roiled the organization from the start.
Marbles In Play?
Now that Athens is opening a museum in which it hopes to display the Elgin Marbles, will Britain consider returning its marbles? Not really. “Anyone who saw the condition of the west frieze in Athens next to the Elgin Marbles in London would immediately decide that the Marbles in London should stay there.”
Charleston Musicians: Don’t Rush Us
Musicians in South Carolina’s Charleston Symphony have walked away from the bargaining table after being given an ultimatum by the orchestra’s management that planning would not begin for next season unless a contract settlement was reached by February 1. The musicians’ contract doesn’t actually expire until the end of June, and the musicians claim that the ultimatum amounts to a “board strike.”
Well, Someone’s Lying
The Charleston Symphony’s board president is denying that musicians were ever given a February 1 deadline to sign a new deal. The musicians maintain that the ultimatum was real, and point out that they accepted an 18% pay cut in 2003 to help the organization right its financial ship.
Glicker – A Short Tumultuous Time In Baltimore
James Glicker’s tenure running the Baltimore Symphony lasted only 18 months, and it was filled with controversy. “Glicker said he had managed to increase revenues this season and to lower ticket prices, as well as raising average capacity at concerts to 70 percent from 60. The orchestra said subscriptions increased for the first time in 15 years. ‘I’m kind of a turnaround guy. That’s what I’ve been doing” since the late 1990’s’.”
When Technology Substitutes For Going To Class
Technology is a great thing for education, right? But teachers are increasingly finding that students who can get lecture notes and course materials online are giving up going to classes. This is good for learning?
Lincoln Center Redevelopment Gets New Blood
Is Lincoln Center’s big redevelopment back on track again? The controversial project has a new leader…