Colin McGinn argues that we’re wired to like them. “Movies offer us a transformed reality in which the body is stripped of its material bonds and becomes united with our essential nature as centers of consciousness.”
Tag: 01.18.06
Ever Younger, Ever Stronger
The issue of age is omnipresent for ballet companies. Dance careers are so physically demanding that troupes must constantly replenish their supply of dancers, and the result is a near-constant tension between younger dancers and their aging mentors. New York City Ballet is currently in the midst of an “unusually intense replenishment,” and John Rockwell says that the results are visible onstage.
Washington Painting Could Go For $15 Mil
“A life-size 1779 portrait of George Washington, projected to sell for as much as $15 million at Christie’s International, will be one of the highlights of this week’s Americana auctions in New York. Christie’s and Sotheby’s Holdings Inc. are hoping to bring in $61.5 million during the auctions that begin Friday.”
Geisha May Be Blocked By Chinese Censors
“Memoirs of a Geisha has China censors stumped, with officials and state press saying yesterday the film may be banned due to concerns that it could rouse anti-Japanese sentiments. Several state newspapers reported that the movie… was scheduled for general release on Feb. 19 but that had now been scrapped. The main issue of concern is that two leading actresses who play geishas are Chinese, which could evoke memories of Japanese wartime aggression toward mainland women.”
Egyptian Sculptures Find Themselves Unexpectedly Popular
Two ancient Egyptian sculptures recently set back-to-back records, selling at auction for $2.25 million and $2.8 million within the space of an hour. The sale prices may have surprised many, but the Texas-based Kimbell Art Museum, which bought the more expensive piece, believes that it is one of the few surviving works of art which can put a face on a notoriously remote civilization.
Is Digital Filmmaking Ready For Its Closeup?
Do-it-yourself digital video technology was supposed to have brought a new brand of populism to alternative filmmaking by now, but there haven’t been many high-profile success stories as yet. Still, this year’s edition of the Sundance Festival may well be a hint of the digital video revolution yet to come…
New UK Touring Rules Will Bite Large Groups Hard
Major changes are being proposed to the rules governing international touring groups who want to perform in Great Britain. “At present, non-EU touring stars can ‘sign in’ an army of musicians, bodyguards and manicurists on one temporary work permit… Under changes proposed by the Home Office any person wishing to travel to Britain as part of a touring group will have to make an individual application at a British consulate in their home country.” The new permit applications will cost £100 per person, where the group permits now cost only £153. Critics fear that large groups such as orchestras may cross Britain off their schedules rather than jump through the new hoops.
Consolidating At Cooperstown
The upstate New York-based Glimmerglass Opera will lose its artistic director this year when Paul Kellogg steps down from the position. Rather than replace him, the company has announced that general director Michael MacLeod will assume the duties of artistic director as well. “While MacLeod has no experience with an opera company, Glimmerglass emphasized in a press release that he had worked with such leading singers as Barbara Bonney, Ian Bostridge, Rodney Gilfrey, and Bryn Terfel while leading the City of London Festival”
Embezzlement Alleged At Charlotte Opera Company
Opera Carolina says that its former finance director embezzled nearly $50,000 from the company over the course of the 2004-05 season. Mary Lopes, who resigned from her position with the company last fall, is also accused of using a company credit card for personal expenses. “After an interim finance director took over last fall… the company discovered in mid-December that ‘the financial records were in disarray.'”
A Common Theme Through Movies Celebrated At This Year’s Globes?
Big Issues. Serious issues. “Movies honored at the Globes offer a peek into the industry 18 months ago, when film executives were on high alert about the war, about the election, about the growing divide in the country. It was way back then that feel-good, the vibe that Hollywood is largely in the business of manufacturing, took on this new gravitas.”