Want to invite a celebrity to your next party? Better pony up the presents (or should we call them bribes?) and we’re talking big-ticket items. “Instead of a small token of appreciation given to celebrities at parties, now it’s a ‘swag suite’ full of long tables of iPods, digital cameras and designer clothes, which VIPs stuff into luggage. The practice has become so excessive, so key to luring stars to awards shows and parties, that there’s now a college class devoted to it.”
Blog
Are Audiences Retreating From Movie Theatres Because Of Ads?
“Advertising increased on the principle of creeping tolerance. If we put up with two commercials for a while, why not give us three? If we kept coming, try four. After the hissing in the theatres stopped, owners assumed that we had adapted to the new order. We hadn’t. We had simply fallen into a sullen silence. After all these years, some, like me, still grit our teeth and acknowledge that we’re so desperate to see movies on a big screen with an audience that we’ll tolerate almost any indignity. Other patrons apparently decided that enough was enough. They began staying home. Even if they saw movies on commercial TV, they at least had a mute button to protect themselves.”
Newfoundland Gallery Director Firing Roils Community
Newfoundland’s arts community has been shocked by the sudden dismissal of Gordon Laurin as director of the provincial art gallery just two weeks after the gallery officially opened the doors of its new home. “Speculation is rampant that Laurin’s departure is linked to disagreements over what art the new gallery should show. Said one observer of the local scene: “One of the problems the art gallery has had in general is a lack of understanding by the government and others about the nature of contemporary art spaces, which are by definition vibrant, vocal, ever-changing places.”
Italy’s Plan To Protect Art From Terrorists
Italy has announced heightened plans to protect cultural sites from terrorist attack. “Measures will include placing metal detectors in museums, a complete ban on backpacks and bags, the cordoning-off of areas adjacent to monuments, and monitoring of queues. Florence, Venice, Rome and Palermo, as well as Assisi and Pompei are likely to top of the list of cities where the anti-terror measures will be deployed.”
Detroit Is Closing Its Arts Office
Many cities in Michigan have been “building economic development strategies based on the strengths of vibrant cultural activities.” But Detroit has decided to close the Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism in an attempt to reduce the city’s $300-million budget shortfall. “We all understand that Detroit’s policymakers have more demands than they have dollars, but arts and culture pays for itself many times over. And if a stronger economy is the destination we seek, arts and culture in Detroit is one of the best ways to get there.”
How The Post Office Threatens To Kill Rural Canadian Libraries
“Since 1939, Canada Post has offered libraries across the country a subsidized shipping rate of less than $1 per book when sending books back and forth for inter-library loan programs. Under a new plan proposed to take effect April 1, 2006, libraries will be charged commercial rates, which can be as much as $14 per book. If this change goes ahead, many rural libraries won’t be able to afford to take part in the service and many Canadian readers will have access to fewer books.”
A Decision For The Baltimore Symphony Today?
The mess surrounding the appointment of a new music director for the Baltimore Symphony comes to a head today as the orchestra’s board meets to decide whether to hire Marin Alsop. “The hard-to-define chemistry between musicians and conductor that produces and sustains a long-term relationship is difficult to predict, let alone guarantee. Whether Alsop and the BSO could achieve such a connection is a question that the orchestra’s board may consider this morning.”
A New Maestro For Calgary
The Calgary Philharmonic has a new music diretor. Roberto Minczuk, the recently appointed music director of the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro, has signed a three-year contract with the orchestra. “Minczuk, who until last May was principal guest conductor of the Sao Paulo State Symphony, recently completed a nine-year tenure as co-artistic director with the same orchestra as well as a two-year term as associate conductor of the New York Philharmonic.”
Orchestra For Rent
Some Australian orchestras are earning a nice side income hiring themselves out. “Want an ensemble for your next corporate do, musicians for a film soundtrack, a backing band for a pop diva? Your state orchestra will be happy to oblige – and no wonder. Despite union claims that it’s been stripped of more than $2.2 million in government funding in real terms over the past five years, the Sydney Symphony has notched up a surplus every year since being corporatised in 1996. Driving this is the money that has been coming in from hiring out the orchestra for commercial events. Last year was the fourth consecutive year that income from this sector has grown.”
Guthrie Reports A Mixed Year
Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theatre reports its lowest number of subscribers in seven years. “The Guthrie, which has been led since July 1995 by artistic director Joe Dowling, reported total revenues of $18.6 million and total expenses of $20 million. After a $1.4 million transfer from other funds, the Guthrie had a surplus of $25,874. The theater reported 27,172 subscribers for the 2004-2005 fiscal year — 3,000 fewer than the previous fiscal year.”