“While it was once believed that Marxism would overhaul notions of ownership, the combination of capitalism and the Internet has transformed our ideas of property to an extent far beyond the dreams of even the most fervent revolutionary. Which is not to say that anything resembling a collectivist utopia has come to pass. Quite the opposite. In fact, the laws regulating property—and intellectual property, in particular—have never before been so complex, onerous, and rigid.”
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Philly Mayor Proposes Big Cut In Museum Funding
Philadelphia Mayor John Street proposes big reductions in the city’s support of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “Street’s austerity budget proposes to cut city support for the Philadelphia Museum of Art by $250,000 to $1.75 million. City funding for the art museum provides for security and maintenance. By 2010, under the mayor’s proposed five-year financial plan, city support would be scaled back to $500,000. Art museum officials called the proposed cuts a “major setback” and noted that there already had been a 7 percent reduction in staff and elimination of Wednesday-evening programs due to city funding cuts last year.”
Whitney’s New Expansion Plan
New York’s Whitney Museum has a new expansion plan. It calls for a new, nine-story building just a few feet south of the current museum. “The new plan, by Italian designer Renzo Piano, is “more moderate” than previous iterations, said Adam Weinberg, the Whitney’s director. “What we want to do is balance the needs of preservation and the needs of the neighborhood with making great architecture,” he said. Piano’s design calls for demolishing two brownstones next to the museum, and using that space for a new entrance that would feed onto a plaza.”
Esbjornson Named To Lead Seattle Rep
David Esbjornson, the 52-year-old, New York-based stage director, has been named artistic director of Seattle Repertory Theatre. Esbjornson has numerous Broadway and off-Broadway credits, and close ties to such major American playwrights as Edward Albee, Arthur Miller and Tony Kushner.
In Virginia: Squabbling Over An Arts Funding Plan
There’s a proposal in Virginia for the state to borrow $86 million for arts and cultural projects. But officials in Hampton Roads and the mayors of Norfolk and Virginia Beach said their cities are being shortchanged since 35 percent of the funds go to Richmond. Then there is the state legislator who attacks the funding plan as “vulgar.”
Death Knell For Sitcoms? (Or Do We Reinvent?)
Is the traditional TV sitcom dead? Dome think so, and there hasn’t been a breakout hit now for a few seasons. So how do you reinvent the form? Or is it more a problem of writing?
Madrid Museums Aim For Higher Profiles
Three prominent Madrid museums are upgrading their fracilities in a long-awaited move. “The Prado, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums have each embarked on ambitious renovation and expansion that, along with improved pedestrian access, promise to raise the Spanish capital’s cultural profile.”
What Does It Mean To Be Indie?
Independent film is a serious genre in the marketplace these days. “But what does “indie” really mean – assuming it means anything at all in this age of globalized mass media? Opinions are varied, as are the movies grouped in its ever larger tent.” Is it a movie made outside the studio system? Or is it a “style” of filmmaking?
Australian Films Swamped By Hollywood
Australian films accounted for just 1.3% of the country’s gross movie revenues last year, even as the total Australian box office take rose 5%, sparking fears that the local film industry is in serious danger of collapse. “The highest-grossing Australian film was the Paul Hogan-Michael Caton comedy Strange Bedfellows which took $4.8million and the critically acclaimed drama Somersault with $2million. In comparison, Shrek 2 took $50million. American films were even more dominant than in the previous year, taking $780million or more than 85 per cent of box office.”
Activists Call For Eastwood Spoiler
The film critics’ code of never revealing surprise twists of a movie is coming under fire this week as disabled-rights activists launch a nationwide push for critics to condemn what they describe as the horrifying ending of Clint Eastwood’s latest film. Million Dollar Baby has won accolades from many of the critics now being targeted, but none have yet revealed the controversial fate which befalls lead actress Hilary Swank’s character at the film’s conclusion.