Category: today’s top story

“After nine years of work, Ms. Taymor is stepping aside as director of the most expensive and technically ambitious musical ever on Broadway … [The producers] named a new director to replace her and a script doctor to rewrite the show, as they prepared to overhaul the production during the next three months.”

“She was respected by many at NPR for helping re-orient the organization in the digital media age. But she was chastised by the NPR board for her handling of Mr. Williams’s dismissal last fall, and she recognized on Tuesday that the video released by the Republican filmmaker James O’Keefe was a new hurdle for her and her organization.”

“That’s the talk of the town in Detroit, where members of the 555 Gallery removed a painting believed to be by street artist Banksy from a wall in an abandoned Packard plant.” Says one of the removers, “It’s a world-renowned artist who put something up in a place that is going to be destroyed.”

“A federal appeals panel, reversing a lower court, ruled in July against a group of orchestra conductors, educators, performers, publishers, film archivists and motion picture distributors who have relied on artistic works in the public domain for their livelihoods. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside arguments that their First Amendment rights were breached because they could no longer exploit the works without paying royalties.”

“The producers of Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark were negotiating on Monday with their director, Julie Taymor, for her to work with a newly expanded creative team to fix the critically derided $65 million musical or possibly leave the show.”

“Over 30 artists based in the 696 Weihai Road complex were due to be evicted at the end of the month. They have mounted a media campaign that has earned them a possible reprieve of a month or two.”

“Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s chief antiquities official for almost a decade and a cabinet minister since January, said Thursday that he would not stay on in a newly formed government. … In recent weeks, Mr. Hawass has been the target of criticism ranging from charges of corruption to complaints that he is a publicity seeker.”

“It’s sad,” said BSO managing director Mark Volpe. “He’s one of the great conductors in the world. The orchestra’s in great shape and he’s a terrific teacher. His health issues preclude him from doing what he wanted to do.”

“During the revolution nothing happened, but after the revolution many things are happening everywhere,” Egypt’s antiquities minister Zahi Hawass said. “People building houses, taking archaeological land, excavating at night — it’s like a nightmare, and I don’t know what I can do.”

A media advisory sent today said that the players would return “to work under the conditions management has imposed on the employees and without a new contract settlement.”