“Hip-hop is widely misrepresented as a recent indulgence of loud-mouthed, flashily jewelled, gun-toting black gangsters, whose attitude to women, work and the law leave something to be desired. This is a great shame, because hip-hop is far more properly read as an life-affirming manifestation of the inborn human desire to make entertainment even in abject misery.”
Blog
An ABT Heritage
American Ballet Theatre’s new season gives a fair representation of the company’s heritage, writes Tobi Tobias. “Represented first and foremost was the idea of ABT as a custodian of what can loosely be called “the heritage”—classics from the nineteenth century and latter-day works explicitly declaring their adherence to that tradition.”
Las Vegas – America’s Best?
“In a city where the only currency is currency, there is a table-level democracy of luck. Las Vegas is perhaps the most color-blind, class-free place in America. As long as your cash or credit line holds out, no one gives a damn about your race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, address, family lineage, voter registration or even your criminal arrest record. As long as you have chips on the table, Vegas deftly casts you as the star in an around-the-clock extravaganza. For all of America’s manifold unfulfilled promises of upward mobility, Vegas is the only place guaranteed to come through–even if it’s for a fleeting weekend.”
Guthrie – Return To Musical Theatre
After a decade, Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theatre stages a musical. So what? Regional theatres in America have largely avoided musical theatre for a long time…
Protesters Shut Down Cannes
Protesting workers shut down the Cannes Film Festival for a time on Saturday. “The demonstration by about 500 entertainment industry workers over government cuts to their unemployment benefits paralysed the seafront area of the Riviera town for about two hours.”
Movie Execs Meet To Discuss Piracy
Heads of the world’s movie studios meet in Cannes to talk about how to shut down piracy. “Executives from Hollywood, France, India, China, and Russia held an “unprecedented” meeting on Sunday. They said directors should be involved in the campaign because “they are the major victims” of piracy.”
Eisner’s Michael Moore Mistake
Michael Eisner’s decision that Disney wouldn’t allow distribution of Michael Moore’s new movie was a blunder. “Eisner’s ill-conceived decision has managed to accomplish a rare feat in today’s poisonously partisan times: He has aggravated the left and the right simultaneously. Liberals are crying censorship while conservatives want to box Eisner’s mouse ears for giving Moore — an obnoxious publicity hound and longtime thorn in the right’s side — a tidal wave of sympathy and free ink.”
Moore: White House Tried To Stop Movie Release
Michael Moore says the Bush White House tried to stop release of his new film Farenheit 9/11. “The director told a Cannes audience the Bush administration wanted to keep the film off screens in the run-up to November’s US election. The film examines the Iraq war and alleges connections between the Bush and Bin Laden families.”
Music School Makes Big (Economic) Impact
A recent study shows that the Cleveland Institute of Music “as an annual economic impact in Ohio of about $92.3 million. The firm surveyed students, faculty, staff and audience members to come up with the figure, which surprised even the Impact Economics consultant who did the study.”
Death Of The Small Record Store
“Across the nation, record stores are being hit with a perfect storm of challenges. Aggressive competition from Best Buy and other big box retailers, Internet piracy, online music shopping and slumping CD sales have pushed many smaller stores out of business or to the brink of bankruptcy. The survivors are having to rework decades-old business models. And it’s not just store owners who are singing a sad tune.”