The Actors Equity union and Broadway producers have broken off talks on a new contract. “The two sides couldn’t even agree on who ended the talks. Equity said bargaining stalled at 11 pm “when negotiators for producers walked out.” The League of American Theatres and Producers issued a statement just after midnight that began, ‘Actors’ Equity broke off negotiations…”
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A Measure Of The Arts In America
An Americans for the Arts study reports that “arts-related businesses make up 4.3 percent of all the companies in the United States, and employ almost 3 million people, according to the most detailed account yet of their economic impact. The New York metropolitan area ranks No. 1 nationally in arts-related businesses, with nearly 55,000.”
Hawaii Governor Proposes Major Arts Funding Cut
Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle proposes cutting state arts funding by 61 percent. “The Legislature allocated nearly $1.2 million for the foundation for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Thursday. Lingle’s plan is to reduce that amount by more than $730,000. The foundation, which has taken budget hits since 1994, when it received more than $6 million in state funding, supports more than 110 nonprofit arts organizations.”
New Laws For American Non-Profits?
Last week’s US Senate hearings on how non-profit organizations work is likely to lead to new legislation in the fall. “Like the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act targeting public companies, the draft seeks to make non-profits’ dealings transparent and accountable. It proposes, among other things, increased and timelier financial reporting and auditing, more reliance on independent directors, limits on board size and on pay, and stiffer penalties for violations. It also would create restrictions on donor-advised funds, a fast-growing area of philanthropy not now subject to any special government rules.”
Boss: Stern Will Stay On Air
Howard Stern, who has been telling listeners for months that he probably wouldn’t be on the air much longer because of an FCC crackdown on content, has got a vote of confidence from his bosses, who say they’ll keep him on. “Stern’s syndicated show was dropped by six stations in February for indecency. But his audience figures went up between January and March in the three biggest US markets – New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Stern had blamed his show being dropped on a conservative backlash.”
A Singular New Museum For Vienna
Prince Hans-Adam II, 59, the current head of the Liechtenstein dynasty, opens a new museum in Austria. “Does Vienna, already crowded with some 160 museums, need one more? The Liechtenstein Museum is different, not only because it can tap one of the world’s largest private collections, but also because it reflects the idiosyncrasies of generations of private collectors. Further, the museum, which opened in March, contains works by Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, van Dyck and others.”
Race Narrows For Kansas City Symphony Director Job
The list of candidates to lead the Kansas City Symphony is down to three. Critic Paul Horsley has his favorite, but reports that the race is divided. And, he says, some changes to the makeup of the selection committee are worrisome.
Art Sales Signal Shifting Art Appetite
Last week’s London art sales signalled a shift in taste in the art markets, writes Carol Vogel. “Buyers’ appetites consistently moved from the 19th century toward classic modern and contemporary art. Prices soared for 20th-century masters like Egon Schiele, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francis Bacon, while pretty, Impressionist canvases by household names like Renoir or Monet either didn’t sell or brought lower prices than auction house experts had predicted.”
Erring On The Side Of No Progress?
The ‘precautionary principle’ is the idea that “scientists, medical researchers, technologists and just about everybody else these days should err on the side of caution lest they cause harm to human health or the environment.” But one of Britain’s leading medical experts says the principle inhibits knowledge. “He wonders whether, if the precautionary principle had been about for the past 200 years rather than the past 20, breakthroughs such as blood transfusions would ever have been made.”
The Fall Of Mr. DVD
Warren Lieberfarb is known in Hollywood as the “father of the DVD.” DVD’s of course, have earned movie studios billions of dollars of revenue, eclipsing what movies make in the theatres. So why did such an important guy get bounced out of his job?