Can “War of the Worlds” send people back into the movie theatres? “In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, Hollywood was squeamish about making any movies that touched on the themes of 9/11, even tangentially. Any number of movies about terrorists were either scrapped or rewritten. As time went by, though, a group of filmmakers realized that 9/11 played such a dramatic role in the nation’s psyche that ignoring it would be foolish.”
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Of Brainstorms and (We Kid You Not) “Thought-Showers”
Want to generate lots of ideas with other people? Great! Just don’t call it “brainstorming,” at least in Belfast. “Instead staff at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) in Belfast will use the term ‘thought-showers’ when they get together to think creatively. A spokeswoman said: ‘The DETI does not use the term brainstorming on its training courses on the grounds that it may be deemed pejorative’.” To whom? People with brain disorders, of course…
Narrowing Free Speech On US Campuses
A US federal court ruling this week threatens free speech on college campuses. “Seventh Circuit ruled by a 7-4 majority that administrators at public colleges have total control over subsidized student newspapers. But the scope of the decision is breathtaking, since the reasoning of the case applies to any student organization receiving student fees. Student newspapers, speakers and even campus protests could now be subject to the whim of administrative approval.”
One Movie Chain Turns To Money-Back Guarantee
The movie theatre business is so spooked by declines in box office in recent months that AMC, one of the biggest chains, is offering a money-back guarantee. If you don’t like “Cinderella Man” you get your money back. “The no-hassle money-back guarantee is a rarity in the business, where fans who sit through awful flicks usually leave with little more than bad memories. But AMC’s results are encouraging enough that CinemarkInc., another big exhibitor, is planning a similar promotion for the three-day weekend.”
A Crisis In Jung Bio?
A biographer of Carl Jung says that a new German edition of her work has been marred. “This is a chilling moment in the annals of Jungian scholarship. The heirs of C.G. Jung, led by their spokesperson Ulrich Hoerni, have raised objections concerning the alleged invasion of their privacy that, due to German law, has forced Knaus Verlag [the publishers of the German edition of Jung: A Biography] to include their opinions of Jung’s life and work within the pages of my book. These will appear as annotations to my extensive notes that follow the text. This unprecedented invasion of my book by the Jung heirs is an appalling act and is happening against my will.”
Making A Mess At The WTC
The newly redesigned “Freedom Tower” is a mess, writes James Russell. “It’s a monument to bureaucratic bungling and political gutlessness. [Daniel] Libeskind stood up today to endorse the design, even though the scheme ashcans everything he did that touched people. His willingness to defend the continued gutting of his plan is beginning to look pathetic.”
Frick Charges For Concerts
The Frick Museum starts charging $20 for its concerts which have been freefor decades. “The Frick, which has an endowment in excess of $200 million, said it can no longer afford to subsidize the concerts completely. In the past, the series of about a dozen concerts a year has featured major names like Wanda Landowska and Kiri Te Kanawa. In recent years, new stars like Ian Bostridge and Matthias Goerne have made their New York recital debuts there.”
Settling For The Freedom Tower
The new version of the “Freedom Tower” at the World Trade Center site is not nearly good enough after all the compromises. Instead of proclaiming “Here is what we are capable of,” the new tower mutters “It’s the best we could do, under the circumstances.”
A Crisis In UK Historic Buildings
The man in charge of watching over England’s historic buildings says the country’s significant buildings are in danger. It is, he says, “one of the biggest historic buildings crises since the Reformation”.
Corcoran Hikes Admission, Moves To 5-Day Schedule
Washington, D.C.’s Corcoran Gallery of Art is raising admission prices 18% and closing on Mondays in an effort to deal with an ongoing deficit problem. (The museum is also closed Tuesdays.) “The changes come weeks after an upheaval at the museum, which has been struggling with deficits for years. Fundraising problems caused the gallery to cancel an ambitious project to build a new wing, designed by the internationally known architect Frank Gehry. The project excited city leaders and museum officials, but not the necessary donors… The museum’s director, David Levy, resigned as part of the shakeup. And the board announced that it was developing a series of strategic plans for the 136-year-old institution.”