In recent times, the mark of good academic writing has been in the information contained. But what of style? Doesn’t it convey useful information too? “Everyone understands that the content is constant, frequently ordinary, and sometimes banal; that the (wide) variation, the arena for expression and excellence, the fun, the art – are all in the individual style.”
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Shouldn’t Research Be Free For All?
“For centuries, printed journals destined for university libraries have been the focus of publishing activity. The winds of change, though, are sweeping through these quiet and dusty corridors. Because of the internet, cost and distance are no longer barriers to providing the results of research to more than just a restricted and privileged few. This is leading people to ask why those results are not, in fact, freely available to all.”
Aussie TV Dramas In Decline
Australian TV is producing less drama. “The numbers are stark: the National Drama Production Survey, released last week by the Australian Film Commission, shows TV drama spending at its lowest level for 10 years; the number of hours of adult TV series being made is only just above the lowest annual figure for a decade, and the spending on foreign and co-produced TV dramas has plummeted an astonishing 78 per cent since 1998-99.”
Disney Negotiating Miramax Future
Disney is negotiating with Miramax head Harvey Weinstein over Weinstein’s departure from the studio. “Weinstein’s status has been thrown into doubt in recent months, with reports increasing that he will leave Miramax behind while brother and fellow co-head Bob Weinstein could hang onto the reins at Miramax’ s genre arm Dimension.” Miramax is having a slow summer, having spent its budget.
New Funding For NY Arts?
The New York State Legislature is considering setting up a new funding source for the arts. “The state Assembly has approved a bill establishing an arts fund that would receive money when individuals mark a personal income tax return check-off. The funds would go to the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), which funds arts programs statewide.”
Actors Unions: Another Try At Merger?
Are the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) talking merger again? Last year a proposal to merge the two actors unions failed in a vote. “Some 75% of AFTRA members voted for the AIMA proposal. But SAG needed a supermajority — 60% of voting guild members — to approve the merger, and received only 58%.”
Zimbabwe – Little Theatre, Big Role
Zimbabwe has little theatre, but what theatre it has is making an impact. “Since the Zimbabwean government introduced tough media laws in 2002, theatre has taken on a new and edgy role. It is a place where entertainment can express, yet mask, deep-rooted anger; where in the face of a dying culture, humour and humanity can be tended like glowing coals, ready for igniting in the future. And since the media crackdown, audiences have started to grow exponentially.”
Australian Aboriginal Artists Paint New Paris Museum
“Australian indigenous artists will spend next year painting the ceilings of a new museum in Paris, the French embassy has confirmed. The Musee du Quai Branly, a museum of ancient arts and civilisations, is under construction on the banks of the Seine near the Eiffel Tower and the Australian embassy. It is expected to open in early 2006.”
Orchestra Beats Turmoil With Better-Than Expected Financial Year
Ontario’s Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony has suffered under controversy since dismissing its music director Martin Fischer-Dieskau earlier this year. But the fuss hasn’t damaged the orchestra financially. “The symphony had set itself a target of $1.28 million for the fiscal year that ended July 31. It has managed to raise $1.43 million.”
Carnegie Hall’s Fresh Blood
Carnegie Hall is one of the world’s great concert halls. So everyone is wondering what London Symphony Orchestra manager Clive Gillinson – a “London orchestral musician, raised on grit and gruel, bring to this lavish, long-running party? Personal qualities apart – and Gillinson has been head-hunted, to my knowledge, by at least six of the top US musical institutions – he will add a dimension of difference, a whiff ofrenewal, which is exactly what is needed.”