We Went To The Fights And An Opera Broke Out…

Patrons of the Vienna State Opera are getting increasingly unruly. “Police have had to step in after arguments over stolen seats exploded into fisticuffs. Other causes of conflict include bouffant hair styles that block people’s views and ringing mobile phones. A police spokesman told the Kurier newspaper: ‘It is becoming increasingly brutal. In the past few months we have had to intervene more and more. Before Christmas it was particularly bad’.”

Battle Of The Arts Center Chiefs

A week ago Kennedy Center chief Michael Kaiser wrote a piece in the Washington Post warning of the current perilous state of the arts in America. This week, Lincoln Center chief Reynold Levy responds, citing healthy signs of arts activity all over America, and concluding by urging Kaiser to “leave the predictions of Cassandra and the wailings of Jeremiah backstage.”

US Arts Funding Declines In 2002

A study by the National Assembly of Arts Agencies reports that for the second year in a row, state arts funding across America declined in 2002. This follows ten years of funding increases. “According to the study, 62% of the decline can be blamed on two states: California and Massachusetts. The study reports that, nationwide, legislative appropriations for fiscal 2003, including state appropriations, fell from $408.6 million to $353.9 million. California and Massachusetts had a combined loss of $33.9 million, making them the two states hardest hit by the faltering economy.”

Music As A Football Match

Football’s popular. So maybe classical music ought to be more like football, writes Julian Lloyd Webber. “In future, all concerts must be refereed. Points for performances will be awarded and performers’ league tables established. Issues of promotion and relegation will be keenly watched by merciless, gum-chewing managers, who will have their chosen substitutes from the youth team eagerly waiting on the bench. Wrong notes will be severely penalised and performers adopting too slow tempi will be yellow-carded for time-wasting. String players using over-sentimental portamenti – and pianists who over-pedal – will be justly punished ‘for bringing the music into disrepute’.”

Movie Locations As Tourism (And Branding) Opportunities

“Movie tourism is perhaps as old as the movies themselves, but with the recent phenomenon of individual films bestriding the globe, it has intensified.” All over the globe tourists are flocking to the “actual places” where this or that scene from their favorite movies were filmed. Some places are rushing to take advantage as a “rebranding” opportunity.

Book Your Blockbuster Early

Lead times for getting big movies into theatres are getting longer. “The familiar proclamation ‘Coming soon!’ no longer means what it once did. Indeed, the film biz is a long way from the comfortable days of picking a release date with a finished film in the can. The studios’ battered parent companies, desperate for predictable revenue, find plenty of virtue in long lead times, but it isn’t an easy adjustment for film execs accustomed to procrastination.”