As the Republican convention opens in New York, “political fervor is being translated into art in mediums that range from painting and sculpture to Web art to political ephemera. At the moment, President Bush and the G. O. P. are the chief art-world targets: no one seems to have a critical word to say about the failings of the Democrats.”
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Florida Classical Radio Station Cuts Music Programming
South Florida is losing some classical music radio programming. “Radio station WKAT-1360 AM, which has helped fill the void left by WTMI’s demise since 2002, has to scale back its programming because of dips in advertising revenue. The station has, on average, 100,000 listeners, and the 35-and-older demographic prefers listening to news in the mornings and music in afternoons and evenings.”
Trying To Surpass Stradivari
Some 250 years after they were made, Stradivari instruments are still unsurpassed. “Perhaps his genius really is inimitable. But the violins Stradivari made are not perfect; they can be moody; they have off-days. Modern violin-makers benefit from the knowledge brought by history and science. It may need another genius, but surely one day someone will produce instruments that not only match Stradivari’s, they supersede them.”
Booker Prize LongList
“The 22 books that made it onto the longlist were chosen from a pool of 132 entries. The most distinguishing feature of this year’s lengthy longlist, which otherwise contained few great shocks, was the number of first-time novelists featuring in it – six out of 22.”
Warning – Plot Details To Follow
Movie publicists have lately been warning critics not to reveal plot details of movies they review. “It got me wondering: were we being asked to keep quiet about not only the twists and surprises, but also about the fact there are twists and surprises in the movie? Isn’t that a bit like telling a Peanuts reader that Lucy is going to pull the football away from Charlie Brown, again? (If you didn’t know she does that, sorry.)”
The Inevitable Business Of Media Consolidation
“As the tentacles of media conglomerates reach further into many of the programs Americans watch, concern is rising that the content of shows, particularly news programming, is putting the business interests of parent companies before the public interest in getting unbiased information. The impact of “vertical integration” (which breeds cross-promotion) and other issues related to concentrated media ownership are likely to take on greater prominence this fall as an issue on the campaign trail.”
Broadway Goes Single
Last season only two one-person shows made an impression on Broadway. But this season “no fewer than six one-person shows — some of which may be termed special events or plays, depending on the administration committee’s frame of mind — have been announced.”
Ticket Buyers Prefer Nude
Before Frank Wildhorn’s Dracula opened on Broadway, producers announced that a “G”-rated version would be shown at matinees (omitting a nude scene). Evidently audiences have voted with their ticket purchases, and the cleaned up matinees are being discontinued.
Plugging In To The Satellite Juke Box
A computer programmer has written a program that allows his computer to monitor satellite radio and search and record music in which he’s interested. Music companies (and the satellite radio people are understanably freaking out. The program makes satellite radio a kind of super-jukebox download system.
Debating The Meaning Of Scottish Culture
Is Scotland’s culture in crisis? Certainly following the fortunes (and, more often, misfortunes) of the country’s arts institutions of late gives the impression of a culture in difficulty. But is it really? Or is something more fundamental going on?