“The US Senate passed a scaled-back version of a controversial copyright bill Saturday, keeping a provision that imposes severe penalties on people caught with camcorders in movie theaters but scrapping other provisions that copyright-reform activists had criticized.”
Blog
The Software Art Connoisseur
A group of Dartmouth researchers have developed software they say can detect whether artwork is authentic or not. “There are properties in an artist’s pen and brush strokes that aren’t visible to the human eye, but that are there nonetheless. And we can find them, through mathematical, statistical analysis.”
The British TV Crisis
British television is in trouble. “Everything about British broadcasting at the moment points to too much television relying on the unsustainable business model of the 30-second ad slot. The current industry woes are mere detail against the broader ongoing issues of imminent analogue switch-off, BBC Charter renewal and the droning cultural lament about the general depravity and worthlessness of current screen fodder. We know from experience that crises are a cyclical part of the business, but the changes in technology, audience behaviour and the expectation society has of its linear media mean that we are now at a turning point for our great broadcasting institutions, some of which, at least, will not survive the next decade.”
America’s Top Arts Private Fundraisers
Which American arts organizations raised the most money from private donors last year? Carnegie Hall came first, bringing in $82.7, and the Met Opera was second with $68.6 million. But No. 7 was the Nashville Symphony?
Signals – The Death Of VCR’s
Britain’s largest electronics store will no longer sell VCR’s. “The final nail in the coffin for VCRs is the low price of DVD players, which can now be bought for as little as £25. The cost of DVD recorders are also falling to a level within reach of many consumers.”
Greeks Threaten To Sue Stone Over Alexander
Greek lawyers are threatening to sue Oliver Stone over his depiction of Alexander the Great as bisexual. “The lawyers have already requested that a credit is added to the start of the film to make it clear it is pure fiction. Warner Bros and Stone have not made any direct comment about the request.”
Is Liberal Arts Education Endangered?
Ivy League educators got together recently to worry about the future of liberal arts education. “The fact that professors at Harvard, Princeton, and Dartmouth are worried about the health of liberal education is noteworthy. If the liberal arts are perceived to be struggling at these institutions, does liberal education stand a chance anywhere?”
The Honorable Terry Teachout
AJ blogger Terry Teachout has just been confirmed by the US Senate as a member of the National Council on the Arts. As the most voracious consumer (and connoisseur) of art we’ve ever met, the honor is well deserved. Congratulations Terry.
Christo Gates To Begin Central Park Installation
Installation of artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 7,500 gates in New York’s Central Park will begin next week. “The Gates,” as they are called, will be festooned with saffron-colored fabric panels and will line 23 miles of pedestrian paths from Feb. 12 to 27. They are being made in Queens and are nearly finished. The artists say they have been working on the project for 20 years.”
America’s Orchestras And Their New Deals
With ratification of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s new contract with its musicians, four of America’s top orchestras have signed new deals. So who won and who lost? “Negotiations this time around were generally more bitter than in the recent past. Attendance and endowments were down, and costs and deficits were up. Strikes loomed, angry rhetoric flew and mediators were called in.”