Was Brian Kennedy forced out as director of the National Gallery of Australia? At the least, he was politically isolated. So now who will succeed Kennedy? “John McDonald, the gallery’s former head of Australian art, will not apply. He resigned after a falling out with Kennedy, and says the new director needs to reverse the steady decline in visitor numbers and morale that happened under Kennedy. ‘Kennedy should have gone in disgrace several years ago. It will take a while to repair the damage’.”
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What Your iPod Says About You
“The iPod records what songs have been played both most recently and most often, so it quickly becomes a record of the owner’s internal aural landscape. Listening to someone else’s iPod is thus an intimate, almost invasive activity. On the scale of personal exposure, it’s not exactly trading diaries, but it’s much more revealing than a mix tape.”
Writing Improves Your Health
“Experiments have shown that writing boosts health in myriad ways, including strengthened immune function, a decreased reliance upon pain medication, improved lung function in asthma patients, and reduced symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Some studies have further demonstrated reduced blood pressure and improved performance at work and school.”
The Marketing Of Miss Jones
After Norah Jones sold 18 million copies of her debut album and won eight Grammys, the conventional take on her success was that “she’s a homegrown success who prevailed in an era of pre-manufactured and overmarketed pop stars. The truth is a little more complicated.”
Columbia University’s Arts Initiative
Columbia University wants to become more involved in the arts. How to do this? First, Columbia has hired director Gregory Mosher. “All of us believe there should be far less separation among intellectual and creative activities. We don’t know exactly how we will do this. But we are going to make an effort. We hope to build something quite distinctive, and to make a contribution.”
Shanghai Not Ready For Vagina Monologues
This just in: “Shanghai has abruptly banned the U.S. play ‘Vagina Monologues,’ said the theater that had planned a one-month run beginning Tuesday, adding that conditions in China are ‘not ripe’ for the taboo-breaking drama.”
RSC – Ready For A Turnaround?
The Royal Shakespeare Company has faced nothing but problems over the past year. And yet, there are encouraging signs that the company is turing itself around…
Disney Signs On For Microsoft Protection
Disney has signed a deal with Microsoft to incorporate the software maker’s digital protections into its movies. “The deal with Microsoft will wrap the software giant’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) system around the media being made available to stop it being illegally copied. The system being developed should allow buyers of the Disney films a limited ability to move the movies between PCs and media players.”
Doran Is RSC White Knight
Who’s leading the Royal Shakespeare Company’s revival? Gregory Doran. “It wouldn’t be too strong to suggest that he has redeemed the RSC’s battered reputation at a time when it was reeling from the sudden resignation of its former artistic director Adrian Noble and the crisis that followed the company’s precipitate decision to quit the Barbican.”
Shreveport Times Ditches Arts Reviews In Drive To “Improve” Arts Coverage
The editor of the Shreveport Times has some interesting ideas on how to “improve” his paper’s arts coverage: Starting immediately, “the Times will no longer do reviews of plays, symphonies, ballets and art shows. The Times will expand and improve its arts coverage during the coming year. These last two sentences are not mutually exclusive. Not running reviews does not mean The Times is cutting back on its arts coverage. We want to improve it.”