The whole iPod cult is getting a wee bit out of control, says Kevin Cowherd. Yes, it’s a fine invention and all, perfect for those people who feel the need to be on the cutting edge of every new technological revolution, but honestly, it’s just a music player! “Not all of us want to live every moment of our lives in a cocoon of blaring music. Not all of us want to sit at our office computer terminals, bopping our heads to an invisible beat, a blissed-out expression on our faces… Why, some of us even enjoy extended periods of silence, which we use to think about things.”
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Putting It Together In San Antonio
The San Antonio Symphony, one year removed from bankruptcy and hoping to stabilize its financial situation, has received a $250,000 challenge grant from the Kronkosky Foundation. The money “will help fund five free concerts, co-sponsored by Radio Disney, that will target youth and families and, symphony leaders hope, reinvigorate interest in the orchestra among old and new audiences.”
Underwhelmed At Humana
This year’s Humana Festival of New American Plays was something of a disappointment. “If the playwrights showing new works at the festival earned marks in the category of social significance, their grades in other, more artistically relevant subjects were middling at best. Admiration for their desire to inspire audience interest in tangled social and political issues mingled with disappointment at their inability to channel these concerns into potent theatrical forms.”
Philanthropist To Head Dance Theatre Of Harlem
The troubled Dance Theatre of Harlem has named Catherine B. Reynolds as its new chairwoman. “Mrs. Reynolds is chairwoman of the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, a nonprofit group based in McLean, Va., that supports education and the arts. She is also the chairwoman and president of EduCap Inc., which administers privately financed student-loan programs. She founded Servus Financial Corporation, which creates and markets consumer loan programs. She has been a major benefactor of a number of organizations, including the Kennedy Center, the National Gallery of Art, Ford’s Theater, the National Symphony and the Black Student Fund.”
Pub Radio Finds Success In Alternatives To Pledge Drives
Public radio listeners hate on-air pledge drives. So some stations are looking for ways to eliminate the drives… and finding success. “With the help of well-timed renewal letters and on-air plugs for the mailings and website, WUWM’s fall donations were 73 percent higher without a pledge drive than in last year’s same period — with a nine-day on-air drive. The station also increased renewals by 296 percent and saw a slight upward bump in underwriting income.”
Bourne: Let Me Tell You A Story
Matthew Bourne is reinventing storytelling through dance. Bourne says it is “modern” but that the storytelling aspects make it “dance theatre,” or “narrative dance,” or “theatrical dance.” That should make it apparent that one had better be able to tell a story to be onstage in his works.
Comics: Edinburgh Fringe Has Priced Us Out
Comedians say that the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is becoming too expensive to perform in. “Venue charges, accommodation and promotional costs have prevented new acts from taking part, they claim.”
Christie’s Expands To Middle East
Christie’s is trying to tap into a wealthy Middle East market. “London-based Christie’s, which had auction sales of $2.5 billion last year, will open as many as four offices in the Middle East during the next five years, starting with Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.”
Public Broadcasting To Get In-House Critiques
Journalist Ken Bode and former Readers’ Digest editor William Schulz have been appointed to the positions of ombudsmen for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “Bode and Schultz periodically will review public radio and TV shows after the programs have aired and report on their journalistic balance and accuracy. The appointments come after a long history of conservative complaints about alleged bias on PBS and NPR.” Observers say that the appointments are a clear reaction to the firestorm of controversy over an episode of a PBS children’s show which featured a lesbian couple and their children.
Feds Displeased With Kennedy Center
Washington’s Kennedy Center is under fire from the federal government’s General Accounting Office for cost overruns on several construction projects, and for failing to install what the GAO considers adequate fire safety equipment. Kennedy Center president Michael Kaiser has called the GAO report “misleading,” and argues that it is based on incorrect and outdated information.