There is plenty of musical theatre going on in New York. Most of it isn’t first-rate. “New York is awash with performing talent, so why, aside from the obvious factors of cost and the inherently high failure rate for any collaborative art form, aren’t the new works worthy of their actors?”
Blog
French Author Sues Disney Over Nemo
“A French children’s author is suing Disney, saying the international box-office hit Finding Nemo may have been lifted from his own work.”
Patrons Protest Orchestra Conductor’s Dismissal
“One of the Kitchener-Waterloo (Ontario) Symphony’s most generous financial supporters is demanding the resignation of the entire board of directors for the “unjust dismissal” of conductor Martin Fischer-Dieskau.”
Theatre Vulture
New York theatre columnist Michael Riedel is “one of the most influential (and feared) media figures in Manhattan today,” writes Richard Ouzounian. It’s because of his “take-no-prisoners style of reporting.” Says Riedel: “I think of Broadway as a very important industry for New York, and so I write about the business of Broadway. The shows that are making money and hiding it, the shows that are losing money and lying about it. I cover it all.”
Bay Area Publisher Goes Out Of Business, Drags Down Authors
Creative Arts Books had a long and distinguished history of publishing. But when times turned tough, the owner made deals with authors promising much but delivering little. When the publisher finally declared business and went out of business, dozens of writers were left bilked out of effort and money they’d poured into their projects. Now they’re banding together trying to get back rights to their work.
Poetry – The New Spam
“With Congress joining Microsoft and New York’s sharp-shooting attorney general in the war against spam, e-mail marketers have pulled out the heavy artillery to get their messages across: Poetry. Their cryptic e-teases appear in subject lines and, more frequently, in auto-preview panes that allow a peek at the body of an e-mail without actually opening it.”
Outside Censorship In Shanghai
Shaghai is the cultural capital of the new China. But still, censorship means that watching some of the country’s most interesting new movies requires going to underground screenings. “Since 1999 China has had about 100 independent movies. They are insightful, powerful and tell the real China.” But they happen outside the approval of official censors. Wider acceptance may be coming though. “People beyond the elite were beginning to respond to these movies, which speak of their own lives.”
Bollywood Awards Pass On Canada
Bollywood is the largest producer of movies in the world. Instead of being held in India, the annual Bollywood film awards – the equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscars – are staged in other cities around the world. They’ve been held in London, South Africa, and Malaysia, and this year, Canada wanted to host them. “Organizers saw B.C. as a natural fit because of the province’s large Indo-Canadian population as well as a thriving film sector that many in Bollywood would have been interested in checking out for co-production possibilities as well as options for making movies here.” But alass it’s not to happen.
When News Is Entertainment Is News
The back-scenes dealing between Michael Jackson and CBs that resulted in a 60 Minutes interview and the airing of an MJ music special this week further blurs the lines between TV “news” and entertainment. “Critics regularly warn about the narrowing line between news and entertainment. Now that line is downright disappearing. The news and entertainment branches of the network are mere offshoots of much larger corporate enterprises, in this case, Viacom. News and entertainment are equally engaged in the pursuit of profits. The news division, once a special enclave with a higher calling, is now a cog in the business machine. The “divisions” are less divided than they are team players.”
Art On A Shirt
“It’s fashion. It’s art. It’s advertising. It’s a political statement. It’s one of the most versatile pieces of clothing ever made. It’s a staple ingredient of 21st-century culture. Once upon a time, Julius Caesar said: “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”). These days it’s: “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt”.”