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Union Man

David Lennon may not be a familiar name to most theatergoers or classical music lovers, but he may be the most powerful man they’ve never heard of. Lennon is the new president of Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, succeeding longtime head man (and union legend) William Moriarty. 802 is New York City’s local, and as such, Lennon speaks for the workers of one of the largest professional music scenes in the world. From the Broadway pits to the New York Philharmonic, Local 802 is the final authority in which professional musicians place their trust, and the president of the local has historically been a figure of national prominence in the union.

In Defense Of Cell Phones

Musicians are becoming increasingly agitated by the plague of ringing cell phones and beeping watches in the concert hall, but composer Gavin Bryars takes a more zen-like view of the uninvited chirps, beeps, and squawks. Having once endured the humiliation of having his own phone ring (with a tone he himself had composed) during a performance of his own music, Bryars has come to accept the unscheduled interruptions as nothing more than spontaneous extensions of the concertgoing experience, and sometimes, as legitimate musical enhancements.

Osama, Saddam, and The Humor Columnist

Before the 9/11 attacks, James Lileks was just a lightweight humor columnist for a Minneapolis daily. Before the Iraq war, he was best known nationally for his quirky retro web site cataloguing the myriad horrors of food, pop culture, and interior design that the America of his youth was forced to endure. But these days, Lileks is making a name for himself as a “war blogger,” one of an increasing number of angry right-wing freelancers giving over their personal bandwidth to cheering American forces and brutally shredding anyone who dares oppose the Bush administration’s policies. Bloggers can write what they like, of course, but Dennis Perrin is concerned that Lileks and other war bloggers like him seem to consider truth secondary to bluster, and reasoned analysis inferior to blind machismo.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

With the campaign by the American recording industry to eradicate online music piracy through lawsuits against the pirates having a demonstrable chilling effect on sites which enable illegal file-trading, the British Phonographic Industry is saying it will soon begin a similar campaign of its own. As industry-backed download sites such as Apple’s iTunes begin to gain market share, the record companies have more interest than ever before in wiping out the myriad no-pay alternatives, or at least steering the bulk of music consumers away from them.

Taboo Closing

“Taboo” is closing on Broadway after less than three months. Taboo was “the first Broadway show produced by Rosie O’Donnell, who financed it with $10 million of the fortune she had made on her television talk show, which ran from 1996 to 2002. Beyond that original outlay, the production has been losing money week to week.” The show is expected to have lost $10 million by the time it closes.

Dario Fo Being Sued For Latest Play

Italian actor/playwright Dario Fo is being sued for his latest work. “A member of Silvio Berlusconi’s party, Forza Italia, is suing Dario Fo, the literature Nobel prizewinner, for defamation in his new play. Marcello Dell’Utri, a Forza Italia senator, is demanding €1m (£700,000) for damages caused by ‘unfounded, personal attacks’ made by Mr Fo in his satirical play The Two-headed Anomaly.”

PBS Funding Up, But Still No ‘Masterpiece’ Sponsor

Corporate sponsorship for PBS is up, but no underwriter has yet been found for Masterpiece Theatre, despite much looking. “I have no answer on why we haven’t been able to attract an underwriter to replace Exxon Mobil, expect for the obvious answer it’s a pretty high price tag. We are all concerned and unhappy about it,” she said, vowing the series will continue for the next two years no matter what.”

Celeb Journalism In All Its Sorry State

The Conan O’Brien Show banning the National Post in Canada from access to a visit to the show’s set in Toronto is a sign of how celebrity journalism is compromised. “Banning the Post, or even threatening a ban, from something that the taxpayers are funding merely gives it more ammunition. It’s unprofessional and out of line. It’s bad publicity. And it’s undemocratic.”

Sing-along With Dorothy And Toto

People are lining up to pay $26.50 to see the sing-along Wizard of Oz on the big screen. “Oh, sure. You get a little goodie bag at the door — bubbles and a magic wand for when Glinda the Good Witch appears and a kazoo and noisemaker for … well, we’re not really sure for what. There’s a comedian/singer/emcee who oversees a parade of those audience members who come in costume. And then there’s the film itself — a digitally remastered version equipped with lyric subtitles, just on the off chance that you blank out on the words to ‘Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead.’ But, as Dorothy herself might say, why oh why would someone pay three times the going rate of a movie just for the pleasure of singing along?”