Cleaners have removed most of the paint on the Sydney Opera house. On Tuesday, anti-war protesters painted “No War” in large red letters on the side of the top peak of the opera house. “The cleaners, from graffiti removal company Techni-Clean, initially used five to six litres of a special white wax to cover the paint, stopping it from drying. Yesterday they blasted off the wax – and the pavement paint underneath – with high-pressure hot water hoses.”
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Making Magic – And Making A Living
“Once supported by kings, queens, vaudeville and Ed Sullivan, magicians have turned to corporate America. The trade show or the convention floor has taken the place of the old variety theaters and variety arts shows. Where else can magicians pick up a regular paycheck? Of course, the weird thing is, nobody’s ever coming there because they want to see you. You’re only there because some events planner booked you. That’s why Magical Nights can pay top-notch magicians a pittance.”
Maryland: Play The Slots, Support The Arts
Maryland arts groups were looking forward to a modest increase in state arts funding. But that increase could turn out to be cuts of five to 17 percent if the legislature doesn’t go along with Gov Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s proposal to “legalize slot machines at the state’s racetracks and use tax money generated by them as a revenue source.”
Dumping On The Dixie Chicks
When one of the Dixie Chicks said last week she was ashamed of George Bush, the blowback was immediate. “Country stations nationwide, responding to listeners, banned the group from their airwaves. One, in Portland, Ore., was encouraging listeners to burn Dixie Chicks concert tickets in public. By early this week, airplay for the group’s latest hit (ironically named “Travelin’ Soldier”) was travelin’ speedily downward. What to make of all this? The press is suggesting that the general public is finally ‘fed up’ with the nattering nabobs of negativism known as artists. In fact, this is a story that could only have happened in the country music world. That’s because country music is the embodiment of patriotism.”
FileTraders – Throw ‘Em In Jail, Says Congressman
A Texas Republican Congressman suggests that the way to stop college students from downloading music is to put them in jail. “What these kids don’t realize is that every time they pull up music and movies and make a copy, they are committing a felony under the United States code. If you were to prosecute someone and give them three years, I think this would act as a deterrent.”
Albertina Museum Gets A Redo
Vienna’s Albertina Museum has just reopened after a $100 million facelift to rave reviews. “Although this tradition-bound Viennese institution houses one of the world’s premier collections of graphic art, spanning artists from Michelangelo to Egon Schiele, it has never generated much public interest.”
Aussie Police Recover Thousands Of Stolen Artifacts In Raid
In a series of raids, Australian police have recovered thousands of items stolen from the Australian Museum. “The items include precious skulls, bones, rare species in jars of formaldehyde and even a stuffed gorilla.” A former museum worker is being questioned, and thousands of items have been returned to the museum. They were stolen from the museum between 1996 and 1998.
Gagosian Vs. The IRS
New York Larry Gagosian is jousting with the Internal Revenue Service on two front. He’s is under investigation for his dealings with tax cheat Sam Waksal. And he’s suing the IRS over tax claims the government is making over three painting.
IRS After Gagosian
“In a civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, prosecutors accused Gagosian, the Gagosian Gallery and three other men of failing to pay taxes on the 1990 sale of 58 works of art that earned $17 million in taxable gains.”
The One-Hour “Carmen”
The Welsh National Opera is producing a radical version of “Carmen.” It’s short – clocking in at about an hour long. “Its short span is not the only unusual thing about this production, which is currently on tour. It is also radically cheap – tickets cost £5 and £10 – and played at unfamiliar times. Performances are at 2.30pm and 6.15pm: the afternoon show is designed to allow visiting parties of kids to be back at the school gates by home-time, and the early-evening performance is aimed at an after-work crowd.” Will this really tempt people to get the opera habit?