Dreamworks Animation has posted a lost because of high DVD returns of its hit movie Shrek 2. “Some analysts have blamed the fall in sales reflects a shift in the DVD market. While overall sales have risen, studios are releasing more titles which are now having to compete for shelf space in stores. As a result, instead of reducing the price of films in sales, shops are now quicker to return unsold goods to the studios.”
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After A Criticism… A Fight (And A Public One At That)
“Michael John LaChiusa, who has written serious-minded musicals like “Marie Christine” and “The Wild Party,” committed what many in the industry consider an unforgivable breach: he published a scathing attack on many of his colleagues in the August issue of Opera News. The article, titled “The Great, Gray Way” began by declaring, “The American Musical is dead,” and went on to assail a large percentage of the musicals that have played Broadway in the past few seasons, and their creators. That might have been that, had not Marc Shaiman’s wildly popular show, “Hairspray,” come in for particularly stinging criticism…”
Adopt A Documentary
Boston public radio station WGBH was falling short of funding a documentary on adoption. The station said “a pending commitment for partial funding of the documentary would be jeopardized unless the remainder is raised by year’s end. So, the station and the program’s co-producer launched a Web site, adoptionfilm.org, where individuals can make tax-free donations to the projected $1.6 million production budget.”
Could Scotland Become A Cultural Powerhouse?
Scottish funding support for the arts has lagged behind the UK. But “Scotland could become a “new Celtic tiger” if politicians committed to boosting investment in the arts by £100m” as recommended by a recent report….
When TV Guide Mattered
TV Guide was the first publication to take television seriously. And it had high aspirations. “Would you believe that Margaret Mead and James Michener penned articles for TV Guide? Yes? Then how about John Updike and S.J. Perelman? Lewis Mumford and Arthur Schlesinger Jr.? Alfred Kazin and William Saroyan? And, not least, there’s Salvador Dalí, who painted the magazine’s cover on June 8, 1968, and offered his unpasteurized thoughts on the future of the cool medium (“Laser beams … DNA … holograms!”).”
Saratoga’s Makeover
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is reinventing after a tough year. “Many summer venues are reporting challenges this year. Attendance for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s recent run of concerts at the Mann Center was down a whopping 17.5 percent, despite decent weather and more populist programming. That decline is on top of last year’s 9 percent downturn from the previous year. But the speed and seriousness of the unfolding crises in Saratoga has leaders seeking major changes in the way the center operates. They say that everything from ticket prices to the mix of programming is up for reconsideration.”
Artistic Liability – My Latte’s Not Hot Enough!
So Sony lost a lawsuit for falsely luring people to movies. What’s next, asks Steven Winn. Prepare for an onslaught of cases brought by audiences unhappy with their artistic experiences. Say, San Francisco Opera patrons suing because the supertitles have been moved. “And what’s going on with the Irish coffee? Is that real whipped cream in those cans or what?”
Security Measures Discourage Crowds In Italy
Added security at Italian cultural sites is causing higher admission fees and longer waits to get in. “At the Uffizi, the first site where security was tightened after the deadly London bombings on July 7, the new measures are prompting crowds to turn away. The thousands who brave long lines and summer heat to glimpse Botticelli’s Birth of Venus have found the wait is getting longer because of metal detectors and a limit of 780 visitors allowed inside at a time. Ticket sales fell by 11 percent at the Uffizi in July, but rose by 1 percent at all of Florence’s museums combined.”
London Art Sales Beat New York
London has pulled aheaad of New York in art sales. “London racked up a 38.2-per-cent share (or $854 million)of the $2.23-billion of fine art sold by Sotheby’s Holdings Inc., Christie’s International and other houses between Jan. 1 and July 18, Artprice said in an e-mailed report. New York sales in the period totalled $833-million or 37.3 per cent of the total, which rose 10.2 per cent from a year earlier, it said.”
Christie Is Brooklyn Phil Music Director
The Brooklyn Philharmonic has appointed Michael Christie (recently named music director of the Phoenix Symphony) as its music director. “He takes over after a two-year search that left the orchestra leaderless after the departure of Robert Spano, who had stayed on as an adviser. Mr. Christie, who was Mr. Spano’s former student, will conduct three of the orchestra’s four subscription concerts at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this season.”