In a world of human connections frequently reduced to brotherhoods of similar technological interests, the cult of Netflix is emerging as the new dorky connection point of the high-minded film buff. The online movie-rental service, which offers a nearly unfathomable catalog of foreign and independent films, is the hottest thing in movie rental, but can it be sustained in an industry so bent on constant reinvention?
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Vettriano Prices Don’t Indicate Quality
The sale of Jack Vettriano’s painting at a major-league price doesn’t mean its great work. “They are not connected to any enduring artistic value, only to current commercial success and that is a very different thing. Remember when, at the Millennium, the greatest musician of all time was chosen by popular vote? It turned out to be Robbie Williams. He left Mozart, Beethoven and all the rest standing. You can’t compare Vettriano to the great Scottish painters just because of his fancy prices any more than you can compare Williams to Mozart.”
The $3.6 billion Traveler Holding Pen
Is there any structure more depressingly predictable than an airport? How much would a truly envigorating airline terminal be worth to travelers? Would it be worth, say, CAN$3.6 billion? The city of Toronto is hoping so, since that’s what its new Terminal 1 cost to build. Lisa Rochon is impressed, if not overwhelmed: “So laborious has become the experience of travel that we no longer expect to find in it moments of pleasure. But at the new Toronto terminal there are delights to be had… Many who have lost faith in the power of public art will find themselves happily restored at the new terminal.” And really, isn’t a bit of post-travel restoration worth a few billion?
Taking The Measure of a Prodigy
“Whatever Platonic fascinations they might hold, supremely gifted young musicians also live in a bruising real world of managers, agents, recording contracts, talented and carefully cultivated rivals, standard-bearing critics and a listening public fine-tuned by CDs, pirated downloads and the world-wide whir of Internet music sites and chat rooms.” In other words, do not envy the prodigy: all the talent in the world can’t spare him from the inevitable backlash of a world obsessed with the rapid rise and fall of celebrities. Case in point: the omnipresent Lang Lang…
Building A Downtown Neighborhood (We Hope)
As mid-sized American cities go, Minneapolis has a fairly thriving urban center. But what the city has always lacked is a heavily populated downtown neighborhood to anchor its impressive cultural scene. A new building spree aims to create that sought-after mix of residential and commercial space, but Minneapolitans have seen this type of ambition before, only to see the grandest plans fall to the budget knife or the wrecking ball. And at the core of the debate is the question of what makes a neighborhood vital: is it upscale boutiques? Affordable housing? Lots of coffee shops and bars? Easy access to theatres and baseball games? The goalposts seem to move with each passing year.
D-Day For Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera’s day of reckoning has come, as its funding fate is being decided. “It has been told it must repay a £4 million advance against its £7.5 million funding from the Scottish Arts Council. One plan on the table is said to involve as many as 80 job losses, including the opera’s staff chorus.”
Is Passion Too Violent For TV?
“Despite being the year’s biggest blockbuster so far, The Passion Of The Christ seems unlikely to find a home on a U.S. network. Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions has been shopping the movie to TV. Only ABC has confirmed turning it down, but executives speaking on condition of anonymity said it was doubtful for CBS, NBC and Fox, too. The movie’s graphic scenes of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion were said to make broadcasters skittish, particularly in the post-Janet Jackson era when government officials are closely watching what goes on television.”
Disney Fires Two ABC Execs, Hires More of the Same
“To the surprise of no one, unless you’re counting the Hollywood trade papers that called it ‘stunning’ and a ‘surprise,’ Disney has ushered out ABC entertainment division chief Susan Lyne and ABC Television Entertainment Group Chairman Lloyd Braun.” ABC finished fourth out of four major broadcast networks in the February “sweeps” period, and has been hemorrhaging viewers for several years. Replacing Lyne is Touchstone TV exec Stephen McPherson, who, ironically, was in charge of creating many of the ABC prime time shows which have tanked so spectacularly over the last few seasons.
Emin Lashes Out At Press
Artist Tracey Emin, fresh from being attacked in the press over a dispute about a quilt with a class of 8-year-olds, strikes back at the press: “That’s an invasion of my privacy. If I muck up, I’m going to be one of the first people to say. I don’t need a paper to write lies about me, to say that I’ve done something that I haven’t done.”
Post-Rukeyser, A Public TV Net Struggles Mightily
Maryland Public Television just hasn’t been the same since it fired Louis Rukeyser from the popular “Wall $treet Week” program two years ago. Since letting Rukeyser go with the stated goal of taking the program in “a new direction,” MPT’s paying subscriber rolls have dropped by 15%, and there is an undeniable credibility problem with viewers. The appointment of a new private-sector businessman to run the network is providing some hope that a turnaround may be in the works, but others worry that knowledge of how to wield a sharp budget knife is only the first skill set that MPT needs in order to stay relevant.