“London is home to many of the world’s leading dealers, auction houses and museums, and Britain accounts for a quarter of the global art market worth $23.5 billion a year. But until now the city has never tried to promote its huge range and depth of expertise cohesively. That will change today, with the announcement of a major new initiative to celebrate London’s unique place in the international art market.”
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Meet “Lit Idol”
The literary version of Pop Idol was crowned in London this week. “Paul Cavanagh was named winner of Lit Idol, a contest designed to unearth Britain’s ‘hottest fiction talent’. Cavanagh, from Ontario, Canada, secures representation by the literary and media agency Curtis Brown after winning the contest, the first of its kind, with his work, entitled Northwest Passage. The 1,466 entries were asked to submit up to 10,000 words from the opening chapters of a novel and a two page synopsis when they entered the competition.”
Out, Damn Obscenity!
America’s morality police are on the warpath again. “The threat of tougher punishment for those who outrage public decency has the broadcast industry in a semi-panic. The National Assn. of Broadcasters issued a statement last week that, somewhat nervously, said, ‘We hear the call of legislators and are committed to taking voluntary action to address this issue.’ One wonders exactly what that portends.”
Movie Directors Vy For The TV Screen
“In a remarkable crossing of media, 23 feature directors, including Rob Reiner, Ivan Reitman, Barry Sonnenfeld and Bryan Singer, are preparing pilots for shows vying for placement on all six broadcast networks. At most, only a few will be picked up. But the effort shows an important swing in the entertainment pendulum: the acceptance of television as a creative and thriving medium that no longer stands as the stepchild to the big screen.”
Tsing Loh Offered Job Back, Refuses
A week after firing commentator Sandra Tsing Loh for uttering an obscenity in a commentary, the Santa Monica public radio station KCRW offered her her job back. “Late last week, station General Manager Ruth Seymour apologized to Loh and reversed her decision to terminate the commentator for using a four-letter obscenity on KCRW-FM (89.9). But Loh turned down the station’s offer Monday, citing what she called a “toxic” environment there.”
Are Public Broadcasters Wimping Out?
Why do public broadcasters seem even more afraid of an FCC crackdown than commercial broadcasters? “That no broadcaster has ever lost its license for obscenity or indecency, however, seems entirely lost on public broadcasters. Although they preen over their intellectually superior, cutting-edge programming, they have devolved into some of the most timid and conformist contributors to the programming mix. In this environment, the government need never take any real action to accomplish a chilling effect on an already jittery broadcast community. The head of the FCC or an influential congressional committee chairman need only clear his throat, and industry ‘leaders’ are set scrambling to shoot their wounded.”
Another Cuban Artist Denied Visa To US
The US continues its puzzling policy of denying visas to artists wanting to visit the United States. Latest victim, reports a gallery in Washington DC, is Cuban artist Sandra Ramos, whose work is in the permanent collection of American museums including The Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She’s visited the US many times, but her visa was denied to attend the opening of her new show at DC’s Fraser Gallery.
Larsen: Women Composers Making Progress
When composer Libby Larsen started out, there weren’t many women composers successfully making careers writing music. “After 30 years, it’s ‘like night and day.’ The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers has 900 entries. There is now community, history, a consistent body of professional work and generations upon which to build. ‘I can see the next one coming,’ says Larsen knowingly. ‘You need seven generations to make a big change. We can now, at least, find five’.”
Tower Records’ New Lease On Life
Tower Records emerged from bankruptcy court Monday. “Tower leaves bankruptcy protection with a far lighter debt load and a sunnier outlook. The music business seems to be coming back – CD sales nationwide are up 14 percent this year, according to Nielsen/SoundScan market research – and Tower’s revenue has inched up since August, reversing a multiyear decline. Tower says 90 of its 93 stores make money.”
The End Of Hip-hop?
“For a genre that is 25 years old this year, hip hop has little to show for its maturity. Repetitive images of material excess and recidivism continue to dominate the commercial rap market, and while production techniques have evolved to become the most sophisticated in pop music, rapping itself – the essence of hip hop culture – has not developed in at least a decade. As the ideas have dried up, celebrities and industry investors have been forced to promote the most sensational aspects of the culture. Even loyal fans are now claiming that hip hop’s message to the disenfranchised is one of confusion and self-destruction. For a musical form that once claimed to offer meaning, and even hope, this must spell the end.”