The vote was taken by the country’s French television broadcaster. “The broadcaster said Brel edged out the popular late King Baudouin, who came in second. Father Damien, a 19th-century priest who cared for lepers in Hawaii, was third. Others in the running included painter René Magritte and former bicycling champion Eddy Merckx.”
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Hitler Paintings Auctioned On eBay
“A painting titled Muenchen, (Munich) bearing the signature of the Nazi dictator and described by the seller as a “rarity”, was put up for auction on Monday at an asking price of €2,100 (roughly $2,900) on eBay.at.”
A New Tulsa Orchestra
The Tulsa Philharmonic folded in 2002. Now there are plans for a Tulsa Symphony. “The plans include hiring 60 to 70 musicians. Former members of the defunct Tulsa Philharmonic are being contacted first. If positions cannot be filled that way, auditions will be held. Unusually, the musicians will be responsible for all aspects of governance, including marketing and fundraising. The orchestra will have a staff, but musicians will be expected to chip in and help with day-to-day operations.”
2005 – The Death Of Fiction?
“The big book story this year was the death of fiction. Literary media, like the make-or-break-an-author’s-reputation New York Times Book Review, have cut back on reviews of novels in favour of non-fiction coverage. Globally, fiction sales are down. Publishers and agents returning from the Frankfurt Book Fair reported that Canadian fiction, despite its stellar international reputation, wasn’t generating the heat it used to. Even J.K. Rowling was in a slump, with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in her wizard series, not flying off the shelves as quickly as in the past.”
Where Pop And Classical Meet?
“Musically speaking, the point where pop and classical meet is a no-man’s-land of melodramatic orchestration and trite melody: Il Divo, in other words. Their music is neither classical nor pop but a sort of easy-listening hybrid, and listening to it I’m painfully reminded of the gushy power ballads my Brazilian neighbours are fond of playing. Perhaps this is the true significance of popera, in the UK.”
French Lawmakers Legalize Online Filesharing
“A French government crackdown on digital piracy backfired Thursday as lawmakers rebelled by endorsing amendments to legalize the online sharing of music and movies instead of punishing it.”
Turkish Writer Fined For “Insulting Turkish Identity”
Turkish writer Zulkuf Kisanak “has been fined 3,000 lira (£1,300) under a much-criticised law against insulting Turkish identity. He was first given five months in jail, but an Istanbul court then reduced the sentence to a fine. He is among more than 60 writers and publishers, including novelist Orhan Pamuk, to face charges under the law.”
Scottish Theatre’s Busy Year
Scottish theatre has had a busy year. “There’s a curious sense, this year, of a theatre culture moving towards the extremes: either towards small, intimate and often site-specific micro-events like The Devil’s Larder, or back towards the luxurious Rolls Royce of a theatre experience, towards mainstream productions.”
What The Kimmel Needs
Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center has a debt of $30 million that is plaguing its finances. Peter Dobrin suggests looking at the things that could be right with Kimmel. “I’m not so much advocating a government or philanthropic bailout as I am making the case that the Kimmel today is unfinished – as surely incomplete as it would be if the glass dome were never fully glazed. Without proper endowment and a financial structure that allows the contents of the building – the art itself – to flourish, we will never know whether our huge civic effort was worth the work. Let’s finish the Kimmel. The building is done. Now it’s time to finish building the institution.”
Broadway Moves Despite Transit Strike
Broadway went on despite New York’s transit strike. In fact, there were more tickets available than usual for those who could make it to the theatre district…