Two English churches are demanding the return of three priceless tomb brasses stolen from the churches’ flagstone floors in the 19th century. The brasses were discovered in the vaults of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “The churches remain scarred by the holes left in the floor where they were prised out” and officials want them restored. But a spokesman for the churches says the museums have denied the request.
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West End Theatres Start Program To Fight Racism
Several theatres in London’s West End have banded together to start a program to promote diversity in theatre management. “There is a general feeling that theatres have got to sharpen up their act. They’ve got to diversify, they’ve got to refresh themselves. There was a danger of theatres being elitist, being out of touch and failing to reflect multicultural society. There’s quite a recruitment crisis and this is a real opportunity to recruit high quality people.”
Screen Actors Guild Issues Statement Against Blacklisting
The Screen Actors Guild has issued a strong statement warning against an industry blacklist of those who oppose war with Iraq. “While passionate disagreement is to be expected in such a debate, a disturbing trend has arisen in the dialogue. Some have recently suggested that well-known individuals who express ‘unacceptable’ views should be punished by losing their right to work. This shocking development suggests that the lessons of history have, for some, fallen on deaf ears. We deplore the idea that those in the public eye should suffer professionally for having the courage to give voice to their views. Even a hint of the blacklist must never again be tolerated in this nation.”
Setting The Price Of Music
“After years of denial and confusion, belligerence and panic, most of the big record labels have coalesced around a set of prices at which they will make almost all of their music available to an ever-expanding array of legal online services.”
Minneapolis May Postpone New Central Library
Minneapolis civic leaders are considering postponing construction of the new downtown central library. “Though voters approved the $122.5 million project, the library system faces a major problem: A $25 million shortfall in its operating budget over the next 10 years, even before likely cuts in state aid are taken into account. The shortfall is roughly equal to the entire cost of running the system this year.”
Norman Mailer On “Finding” The Book You’re Trying To Write
Planning out a plot isn’t always a good thing. “I look to find my book as I go along. Plot comes last. I want a conception of my characters that’s deep enough so that they will get me to places where I, as the author, have to live by my wits. That means my characters must keep developing. So long as they stay alive, the plot will take care of itself. Working on a book where the plot is already fully developed is like spending the rest of your life filling holes in rotten teeth when you have no skill as a dentist.”
The Woman Behind KaZaa
Nikki Hemming is the 36-year-old chief executive officer of Sharman Networks, Kazaa’s parent company. It is based on Sydney’s north shore with a staff of 18. Sharman is being sued by Hollywood and the American music industry for alleged breach of copyright over pirated music and movies. But Kazaa is fighting back, counter-suing household names such as EMI, Sony, Warner and Disney for alleged collusion and anti-competitive conduct.” Hemming says she’ll win, and that she still buys CDs and goes to the theatre for movies….
Children’s Books, Madonna Style
Joe Queenan’s excited at the prospect of Madonna writing children’s books. “The English Roses will be based on the adventures of a red fox and a young prince. Presumably, at least one will be androgynous; though probably not the fox, as the species already has enough image problems. It sounds quite fascinating. But better still are the brief outlines industry sources have leaked of the other four books in the series…” One working title: “Ricco Has Six Mothers and at Least as Many Fathers”
SF Opera Cuts Touring Program
San Francisco Opera, looking to cut its budget, has canceled its annual touring program – Western Opera Theatre. “When I looked at my budget, the most obvious thing to cut was (Opera Theater), because it’s a horrifically expensive thing that we always have lost money on.” The program was designed “to bring opera to remote and underserved locations,” but director Sheri Greenawald said the program had become “a dinosaur. In many ways, (Opera Theater) was no longer serving its initial mission, which was to take opera into the hinterlands – because as far as opera is concerned, there are very few hinterlands left.”
Venice – A Theme Park Of The Past
Venice – it looks so old, so preserved, so of another time. And it is. But it has been a battle – between those who believe it should always look the way it looked and those who wanted the city to evolve. So Venice now sits a prisoner of the past – but not really. Like all theme parks, Venice must be maintained and restored to keep the illusions alive. “In 1966 a great flood deluged Venice, and when it was repaired it looked exactly as it had done. After decades of restoration it looks as well as it ever has. Its international audience luxuriates in Venice. But the numbers of tourists rise uncontrollably and the city is flooded with monotonous regularity.”