Singing seems to have disappeared from British public life. “The main reason people don’t sing is that it’s a very exposing thing to do. In Britain we’re especially good at using the voice to cover our real thoughts and feelings. But in singing you can’t help revealing yourself. It’s like suddenly going naked, vocally speaking.”
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Norman Foster Takes New York
“In the city that perfected the skyscraper then repeated the formula endlessly, Foster is the European who has taken on the apparently impossible task of rescuing the high-rise from creative exhaustion. His just-completed new headquarters for the Hearst magazine empire, on Eighth Avenue, close to Central Park, succeeds in doing that, and deservedly is getting astonishingly enthusiastic coverage.”
Needed: A Smithsonian Showplace
Some of the Smithsonian’s museums suffer from a lack of physical prominence. What’s needed? A central exhibition facility, and Blake Gopnik nominates: “The Smithsonian’s glorious 1881 Arts and Industries Building, shuttered since early 2004 and neglected or underused for many years before. In architectural terms, it is one of the most important landmarks in Washington.”
Berlin’s Looming Opera Funding Crisis
Berlin has three major opera companies. But the city has struggled to pay for them, and “some kind of funding crisis is almost certain to occur perhaps as early as late this year.”
Difficult Word – Writing About Music
It’s a tough time for music critics. “Along with the usual horrors that print pubs endure now, the music press has its own particular headaches. Not only are publications reigning in their use of freelancers (Rolling Stone, Red Flag), others are cutting their word count (Washington Post, Village Voice) or cutting their pay rates (the Voice again, which is also dealing with a recent takeover). And while ‘zines are generally more open about accepting material, they’re also feeling the crunch of ad dollars and the pressure from record companies to include more–and thus, shorter–reviews to make up for the space.”
Lou Rawls, 72
Rawls died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was hospitalized last month for treatment of lung and brain cancer.
CD Stores – The Squeeze Is On
Independent CD stores are having a tough time. “Album sales are in decline, music consumers continue to migrate to music downloading and CD-burning. The loss-leader approach to CD sales at giant chains such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy have smothered mom-and-pop outfits. And when prerecorded CDs are sold, more and more often it’s through new-approach merchants that are as varied as Amazon.com and Starbucks.”
Men – They’re Just Not That In To Reading About It
“According to Barnes & Noble, 80% of customers who bought books on relationships are women. Relationship books for women outsell those for men by a ratio of 4 to 1, the company reports. But if it indeed takes two to tango, if on a very basic level men and women are seeking the same thing — each other — why are women so much more keen to study the ins and outs of dating and relationships? Where are the advice books for men? Why aren’t books being written for men?”
Italy And The Returning Artifacts Game
While Italy is getting aggressive about demanding the return of artifacts it believes have been stolen, othe countries are pressing Italy to return objects it has taken. Ethiopia, for one, has some claims it would like to talk about…
Tim Rub To Head Cleveland Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum director Timothy Rub has been named director and chief executive officer of the Cleveland Museum of Art. “During his six years in Cincinnati, Rub oversaw the creation of the $10 million Cincinnati Wing, renovations of the courtyard and auditorium, reinstallation of the African and American art collections, and free general admission.”