Public radio stations are rallying their listeners to lobby Congress not to pass deep funding cuts to public broadcasting. But “jarring juxtaposition of news programming and self-interested promotion exemplifies the fine line that public broadcasters are walking as they mobilize to combat threats to their financing. It is always a delicate task for a news organization to cover itself. But when the organization in question is financed in part by the government, when the news centers on the prospects for that money and when a station floods its airwaves with spots urging viewers or listeners to contact their Congressional representatives, the undertaking becomes much more challenging.”
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Public Access TV Vs. Denver
Denver’s public access TV station is in a fight with the city’s government. “The Denver City Council and management at DCTV are butting heads over the latter’s budgetary habits. Like, spending too much. City funding for a public-access channel – $500,000 annually – was part of the deal. That contract ran out last year. To keep the channel on the air, the city fronted DCTV $115,000 for operating expenses and $150,000 for equipment. A divorce is imminent.”
Herbie, Fully Loaded… With Product Placement
“In an era when on-screen advertising is routine — even unobtrusive when done well — the makers of “Herbie” use every opportunity to stick a parade of Cheetos, Pepsi, Dupont, etc. in your face. Not only is this supremely distracting, but Disney’s hyper-marketing even slows the dialogue as actors struggle to say such things as “Nextel Cup Series” as if they’re reading off cue cards held by stern-looking corporate lawyers.”
No Stuntmeister Oscar
Movie stunt coordinators are thwarted again in their attempt to get a new Oscar award category for stuntmasters. “At a time when the academy is trying to find ways to reduce the numbers of statuettes given out, and looks at categories with an eye more focused on reduction than addition, the board is simply not prepared to institute any new annual awards categories.”
Midori In Asia: Of East And West
Midori begins a tour of Asia, and blogs about it on ArtsJournal: “To be reminded that Japan was completely closed (at least officially) to the West and its influences for over 250 years until 1854, and at what lightning speed some elements of the Western culture have become part of Japanese society is absolutely breathtaking. More to the point, in my case, I grew up thinking (and feeling) that music was Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, even Stravinsky, Bartok, and Prokofiev. There was classical music, which was “music,” and then everything else bulked together in one. All other genres of music were exotic and mysterious including jazz and Traditional Japanese music. For me, a Schubert lieder was much more “normal” and “understandable” than the infamous Japanese song “Sakura, Sakura.”
Moscow Bookstore Closes As Corruption Increases
In 1998, Mary Duncan opened Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Moscow. The store thrived, selling English-language books. “But we didn’t survive the election of President Vladimir Putin. Within a month of his inauguration in 2000, new, slickly dressed city officials claimed our sign did not conform to proper standards, our wiring was a fire hazard and our paperwork was incomplete. Fifty-dollar fines escalated to $1,500.”
Study: US Authorities Have Asked Libraries For Records 200 Times
“The Bush administration says that while it is important for law enforcement officials to get information from libraries if needed in terrorism investigations, officials have yet to actually use their power under the Patriot Act to demand records from libraries or bookstores.” But a survey by the American Library Association reports that “agents are coming to libraries and they are asking for information at a level that is significant, and the findings are completely contrary to what the Justice Department has been trying to convince the public.”
The Cynical Side Of Live 8
“It’s easy to get cynical about Live 8, the much-touted, multi-venue mega-concert aimed at raising the West’s consciousness on poverty in advance of the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. No question the July 2 event is getting huge hype. Didja hear that Pink Floyd is getting back together for the occasion? Or that the memory of the 1985 Live Aid is being desecrated? Or that 2 million text messages in London alone — at about $4 Canadian a pop — were sent during the e-lottery for freebie tickets? Or that some of those tickets landed on eBay for up to $1,000? Yet there’s hardly been a peep about, just to name one thing, the heart-rending videos of orphans and street kids, and the effect of the crushing debt faced by many nations.”
Suzanne Farrell Teaches Don Q
Suzanne Farrell on working with dancers on staging Balanchine’s Don Quixote for the first time since 1978: “Somebody did it for me when I was young. All I had to concentrate on then was dancing and being the best I could be. Now it’s my turn, so they can be the best dancers.”
Live 8 – The Responsibility Of Artists?
Are we getting numb to big celebrity-promoted causes? There have been a lot of them. Live 8 doesn’t aim to raise money though; it’s looking to shine some celebrity attention on an issue. “It’s what artists have always done – comment on society and raise awareness. The question to ask is, ‘Are you an artist or an entertainer?’ Because artists do more than entertain.”