The Banff Television Festival never got much respect. It was about TV, for goodness sake, so the cinema people didn’t find it glamorous. It didn’t offer up many stars either, so it didn’t get a lot of press. But it was about the business of quality TV. So when the festival almost died for lack of funding, a benefactor was found to save it. And it’s business back as usual. But shouldn’t there be some attempt to glamor-up?
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Inside Organized Piracy
Last week international police seized computers and arrested 100 digital pirates, who were part of a highly organized efficient international piracy operation. It’s a sophisticated business designed to copy thousands of movies and video games and distribute them. Busting the operation has given police new insight on how pirates work.
The Future Of Movies On Display
A faded historic LA movie theatre is a testing lab for the future of movies. “On the roof is the future: a battery of satellite dishes. And along the back wall of the Hollywood’s projection booth, a bank of 12 powerful computer servers blink furiously. Peering out at the five-story screen are three projectors: A high-end model by Kinoton able to handle 35-millimeter and 70-millimeter film and two high-resolution digital projectors, all cooled with a dedicated air conditioning system. The $1 million worth of equipment represents a fraction of the $1 billion the seven major studios believe they can save annually by embracing a future without film, when movies shown in theaters will be the result of streams of 0s and 1s flowing either from a high-speed Internet connection or from optical discs.”
Big Increase For Florida Arts Funding
“Florida lawmakers agreed Saturday to boost spending on arts and cultural programs by millions of dollars in the coming year — but killed a plan that would guarantee future funding.” The increase cheers arts supporters, but leaves the arts vulnerable in future budgets.
Timbuktu: City Of Letters
Timbuktu is legendarily at the ends of the earth. “But it is here that some of the most astonishing developments in African intellectual history have been occurring. In recent years, thousands of medieval manuscripts that include poetry by women, legal reflections and innovative scientific treatises have come to light, reshaping ideas about African and Islamic civilizations. Yet even as this cache is being discovered, it is in danger of disappearing, as sand and other grit are abrading many of the aging texts, causing them to disintegrate.”
The Poets Die Young
Why is it that poets die younger than most other artists? A new study is revealing: “Overall, poets lived an average of 62.2 years, compared with nonfiction writers, who lived the longest at 67.9 years. Playwrights lived an average of 63.4 years; novelists, 66 years. The differences between poetry and prose were pronounced among Americans, where poets lived an average of 66.2 years, and nonfiction writers lived an average of 72.7 years.”
Who Should Succeed Barenboim?
John van Rhein has some very definite opinions on the subject whom the Chicago Symphony ought to select for its next music director. “Audience numbers have fallen during the Barenboim years, internal morale has sunk and the orchestra remains an orphan of the airwaves and recording studio. The CSO badly needs a music director who can restore the orchestra’s luster in these and other areas. The eyes of the music world are upon Chicago.” Chief among van Rhein’s criteria: the new guy needs to be an American.
Chicago Waits For The Great Northern ‘Bean’
“In three months, downtown Chicago will get one of the most significant additions to its outdoor gallery of public art in decades, yet while the abstract sculpture by British artist Anish Kapoor has been in the works for five years, few people in town know much about it beyond its lighthearted nickname — ‘The Bean.'”
CSO Needs Substance Over Stardom
Alan Artner would like to see the Chicago Symphony abandon its decades-long fascination with “superstar” conductors in favor of a leader who truly understands the importance of engaging the community. “Absenteeism does nothing to encourage audience identification and involvement with an orchestra,” but the biggest names in conducting invariably spend most of their time somewhere other than Chicago. “Musicianship, inquisitiveness and commitment to the city are what counts — the three together. And if they’re not all present, the CSO should not engage.”
Two London Orchestras Facing Eviction
The massive renovation of London’s Royal Festival Hall is being billed as the city’s last, best chance at gaining a truly world-class classical music facility. But in the short term, the one-year period (beginning summer 2005) when the hall will be completely closed is causing major headaches for the two London orchestras which make their home there. “Viable alternatives are thin on the ground. The only other full-scale classical concert hall in London is the Barbican hall, but that has a busy schedule with its own resident band, the London Symphony Orchestra, and a host of visiting ensembles.”