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Why Do Artists Lean Left?

Patrick Goldstein wonders: “Why have most artists, be they poets, playwrights, painters, writers, musicians, actors or filmmakers, historically been far more involved with causes on the left than the right? The simplest explanation for this tradition of left-wing politics is that artists identify with the underdog. They tend to be disaffected outsiders and mavericks, skeptical of institutions, often uncomfortable with mainstream values. They find inspiration in change; their affection is with the dispossessed, not the ruling order.”

Art – The New (Old) Investment

“In a year when many business investments have suffered, the value of art has kept rising. Over recent decades, everyone from Madonna to the Queen Mother discovered that if you invested in a Monet, you could end up making a lot of money. Collecting art today is perhaps more widespread than it has ever been. Once the prerogative of those with inherited wealth, auction houses are enjoying a new and varied clientele, including millionaire rock musicians and actors. Professional collectors will tell you it is addictive: there is always another – better – acquisition on the next horizon. Part of the thrill is the chase.”

War As Entertainment/Reality TV

We watch war movies as entertainment in peacetime. But “with the new engagement in Iraq, however, the Pentagon and television news coverage are blurring the lines between movies and real life as never before, turning viewers into 24-hour couch voyeurs. The start of the war caused business at movie theaters to drop by 25 percent on Wednesday as people stayed home to watch the war, and snack-food sales and restaurant deliveries thrived. The opening salvos of the war had taken the place of prime-time entertainment, and television stations did their best to serve up gaudily produced coverage: the war in Iraq as the ultimate in reality television.”

More Musicals Than Stars

Many are predicting the return of the big movie musical. But there’s a hitch, writes Renee Graham. Where’s the talent to star in them? “Just a thought here, but isn’t the true magic of all that singing and dancing on film derived from having people who actually know how to sing and dance? Still, with the success of ‘Chicago,’ the first musical to win a best-picture Oscar since ‘Oliver!’ in 1968, just about every major studio is planning one, including possible remakes of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ and ‘The Pajama Game.’ Unfortunately, there are way more musicals than viable musical stars these days.”

Mid-Size Squeeze

It is a truism that in tough economic times large theatres cut back and small theatres continue doing what they do because their expenses are low. But mid-size theatres – they’re the ones that really get hurt. “With little in the way of economic cushions and small staffs that already have employees doing two and three jobs apiece, these theaters are struggling to economize without having to cannibalize.”