Category: people

Ever since Richard Florida published his groundbreaking book, The Rise of the Creative Class, in 2002, cities have been embracing his formula for success. But the backlash against Florida’s arts-first agenda has been brutal, and has come from both sides of the political spectrum. “The one side accuses Florida… of having a ‘gay agenda’ or an ‘arts agenda’ and of undermining the Judeo-Christian foundations of our society. The other asserts that he has abandoned the working class in favor of promoting a group of elites.” For his part, the author claims that his work has been over-simplified and misinterpreted, and is getting tired of knee-jerk reactions.

A former ballet dancer has been sworn in as the new king of Cambodia. “”The new king has never held political office, but he was Cambodia’s ambassador to UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organisation, a post he left only recently.”

Being dead isn’t really an impediment to earning lots of money. Celebrities can do very well indeed – this year’s Forbes list of high-earning dead people is topped by Elvis, who earned $40 million in 2003. “Elvis Presley’s estate earns tens of millions of dollars annually, not from music sales–Elvis’ manager famously sold the rights to pre-1973 recordings to RCA (now part of Sony (nyse: SNE – news – people )) for $5 million–but from merchandising and admissions to Graceland.”

In a world where the pretense of gentility is a rule of thumb, agent Herbert Breslin is, in the parlance of Hollywood (where he would be less distinctive than he is on West 57th Street), a ‘screamer.’ He’s also, as those of us who’ve been on the receiving end of his screams know, inordinately persistent, funny and knowledgeable about the nuts-and-bolts of the classical music world.”

“Lilian Kallir, a pianist known for her elegant Mozart performances, both as a soloist and in duet recitals with her husband, the pianist Claude Frank, died on Monday at her home in Manhattan.”

Singer Robert Merrill, who had a long career singing opera, but was more widely known for singing the national anthem at New York Yankee games, has died. “Clad in a pinstriped shirt and a tattered Yankees necktie, Merrill sang the national anthem at the Yankees’ season opener for three decades, beginning in 1969.”

Bill Kling is the man behind Minnesota Public Radio, the broadcasting juggernaut that is, by its own admission, hoping to change the landscape of public broadcasting across the country. Once a mild-mannered regional network best known for producing A Prairie Home Companion, Kling’s MPR has become the 800-lb. gorilla of the industry, acquiring competing stations like a for-profit company would, and expanding its reach well outside the Upper Midwest. Whether these are positive or negative developments in the genteel world of pubic radio depends entirely on whom you ask.

Bernard Haitink is not a superstar in the way that Simon Rattle is, or even in the way that Riccardo Muti has become. But Haitink has quietly cultivated a reputation as one of the world’s top conductors, and the respect with which he speaks of the world’s great orchestras mirrors the love and respect musicians seem to have for him. Still, Haitink has strong opinions about the ensembles he leads, and his peers on the podium, and he isn’t afraid to express them.

British playwright Sarah Kane committed suicide five years ago, and today, her plays are some of the hottest properties on the European theatre scene. But how much of that posthumous success has to do with the quality of Kane’s work, and how much can be attributed to the power of her personal story?

“To say there was only one Edith Head is an understatement. As the movie industry’s most well-known costume designer (her career spanned 1923 to 1982) Head worked on more than 750 movies, received 35 nominations and won eight Oscars – more than any other woman. For 44 years, she was the fashion queen of Paramount Studios’ design department. And she ruled her empire with a royal fervor. In a world where the Hollywood power brokers were men, Head proved to be one tough cookie, staying on top of her field with cunning, ruthlessness and skill.”