The traditional Last Night at the BBC Proms went off without a hitch this weekend, as 6,000 people gathered to hear the BBC Symphony pump their way through such traditional Last Night tunes as ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Rule, Britannia.’ In a slight departure from the norm, intended to placate critics who dislike the ‘classical lite’ atmosphere of the annual show, a new work by a young British composer was premiered as well. The concert was broadcast nationwide on television and internationally on radio, and the BBC’s various orchestras performed their own concerts throughout the UK in conjunction with the Last Night celebrations in London.
Blog
15 Yards For Unintentional Satire
This week, the National Building Museum in Washington will confer a major award for urban design on… the National Football League. Seriously. A collection of billionaires, who specialize in extorting money from cash-strapped cities which they then use to erect concrete bowls full of seats that no one but the economic elite can afford to rent for a few hours, is receiving an award for responsible and forward-thinking urban planning. And did we mention that many of these stadia are not in urban areas at all, but in suburban sprawlville? And did you see that tacky monstrosity of a kickoff show they mounted on the National Mall a couple of weeks back? Linda Hales did, and she’s not pleased with the NBM’s decision.
Atwood’s Adolescent Alliteration
“If Margaret Atwood’s mighty novels give you morbid migraines, don’t miss her mesmerising manuscript for mini-readers, in which her mission is mainly mayhem and mischief. Also to massage the mood of her publisher Anna Porter by maybe making her millions. But after you read Atwood’s new book for rugrats Rude Ramsay And The Roaring Radishes, rolling in letters R, resist the relentless repetition of the same sound at the start of every word. You will resemble a robot and be repellent to your relatives and roommates. Ridiculous? Just try to refrain.”
Barnes Finally Moving To Philly?
The Barnes Collection, an internationally renowned art collection which resides in a suburban community outside of Philadelphia, is one step closer to moving into the city itself. The Barnes move has long been a desire of local politicians and arts leaders, but internal and external politics have conistently intervened. Now, a deal has been struck between the Barnes and Lincoln University, a local state school which has historically held the right to appoint board members for the Barnes, under which Lincoln will drop its objections to the move. The deal must now be approved by a county judge.
What The Heck Is A Fascist, Anyway?
People seem to be throwing the term ‘fascist’ around a lot these days, and when you think about it, no one really seems to have any idea what it means anymore. Oh, sure, everyone knows that fascists are bad guys, and no one wants to be publicly identified as one. But how exactly can Osama bin Laden, George W. Bush, Saddam Hussein, John Ashcroft, and parents who send their children to bed early all be fascists? Alexander Stille is concerned that such a fascinating and evocative word may be losing its meaning altogether. It may be time for a gentle reminder that ‘fascist’ is not a synonym for ‘powerful person who makes me want to scream.’
Dali And The Mouse
“In 1946, Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí, in one of cinema’s oddest collaborations, teamed up on a short film called Destino. But Disney’s studio ran into financial trouble and put the unfinished film on the shelf. Now, 57 years later, a team of Disney animators has finished what Dalí started… Destino will likely be shown in theaters next year before a Disney feature film, and eventually will be released on DVD.”
Outflashing The Flash Mob
The founder of the now-global “Flash Mob” movement, in which seemingly random groups of people appear at a designated location and do something odd for a few minutes before dissipating, has decided to end his New York City-based mob’s performances. The founder, known as “Bill,” organized one final flash mob which was supposed to eventually lead participants to a party celebrating their common love of befuddling the public. But instead, the mob was thrown for a loop by a single man with a briefcase and a neon sign, and participants wound up as puzzled as the passersby they were supposed to be confounding. Naturally, Bill thinks the whole thing was just great.
Charlotte Talks Make No Headway
With a federal mediator attempting to bring the Charlotte Symphony’s striking musicians and management closer together, two days of contract talks have apparently gone nowhere. Talks broke down this weekend after the orchestra pulled several conciliatory portions of their latest offer off the table, and reverted to a flat demand that the musicians accept pay and benefits cuts to make up a $650,000 deficit.
The Ups And Downs Of TIFF 2003
If there is one lesson to be learned from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, says Ty Burr, it may be that audiences don’t want to see ‘sweetheart’ stars like Meg Ryan strutting around naked or cursing up a storm. But aside from Ryan’s jarring performance in Jane Campion’s much-maligned “In The Cut,” Burr says he found much to like at TIFF 2003. “The common threads this year were eye-catching star performances by women, striking ensembles of male characters, and the sort of visually stunning, hermetically sealed worlds that are only possible in cinema.”
Reason To Review
“It stands to reason that book reviewers enjoy reading. After all, as was noted in the first two installments of this series, they must choose (often with the help of assigning editors), from the immense heap of books that accumulates each year, the titles to read and write about—in fewer and fewer words, under deadline, and for not much pay. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call book reviewing a labor of love, except for the fact that it is so often a vilified profession. Reviewers are accused of having agendas and of cronyism, are called show-offs and career-killers. It’s a lot of heat to take for some free books, a few bucks, and a byline. So what’s the draw?”