In South Korea, the popularity of musical theater is growing astronomically, even if many of the productions are Korean takes on foreign shows. “The size of the performing arts industry is estimated at 170 billion won, out of which musicals alone account for almost half (80 billion). Total audience numbers at musical dramas during the last year reached 700,000, almost double the 370,000 musical-goers in 2001. The musical industry is recording an average 15 percent annual growth, but experts expect even greater growth in this year.”
Tag: 02.23.05
Maxamir From Miramax?
What will the Weinstein’s’ new production company look like after they leave Miramax? “Some things seem evident about the Weinsteins’ future company: It will be an independent production company that will more than likely have a distribution arm. Many industry insiders believe that another partnership with a large studio for distribution is unlikely, considering their tumultuous relationship with Disney. Their financing—which will probably come from a Wall Street backer, or several—will be big enough so they can continue to finance pictures like Gangs of New York, Cold Mountain and The Aviator, while acquiring foreign and small independent movies. It may not be Miramax, but it will be close enough to be Maxamir.”
Will Broadcast Indecency Bill Be Fixed Before It Becomes Law?
The broadcast decency bill overwhelmingly passed by Congress last week contains hefty fines for individual performers judged to engage in indecency. But this provision might go away when the Senate and the House reconcile their bills. Performers’ unions are strongly opposed to the bill: “These fines are for any American, not just creative artists and broadcasters. Radio callers, politicians, virtually any individual is potentially subject to these outsized fines. While most speak about this subject as it relates to ‘Hollywood,’ John Q. Public has as much at risk as do our members.”
Canada’s Arts Spending Plan
How did the arts fare in this week’s proposed Canadian budget? There is one arts initiative, but it’s big. “Ottawa announced it would spend $688 million on its Tomorrow Starts Today program – $172 million a year for five years. Tomorrow Starts Today is a Canadian Heritage Ministry scheme to help develop the arts in Canada. It supports a variety of other arts groups, including the Canada Council, which receives $25 million annually from the program.”
Go To The Movies, See An Ad (and Another, And…)
More ads are showing up in movie theatres – “what might be called ad creep. According to the Cinema Advertising Council, $356m was spent on cinema ads in 2003, an increase of nearly 40% on the year before and way above the growth rates in the rest of the advertising industry.”
Court: FCC Anti-Piracy Rule Oversteps Authority
Saying the FCC overstepped its authority, “a U.S. appeals panel on Tuesday challenged new federal rules requiring certain video devices to have technology to prevent copying digital television programs and distributing them over the Internet.”
Culture Minister Defends UK Arts Funding: It’s Up 60 Percent In Six Years
UK cultural luminaries have been bitterly complaining about a funding freeze in cultural funding proposed by the government. But Culture Minister Tessa Jowell has “strongly defended the Government’s record of increasing spending on the arts by 60 per cent in the past six years. ‘You would have to be living in a parallel universe to say that is going back to the bad old days. It’s just a denial of reality’.”
Novelist Infante, A Cuban Exile, Dies At 75
“Guillermo Cabrera Infante, a Cuban novelist in exile whose lavishly textured prose conjured the country he knew before the revolution he once supported, died on Monday at a hospital in London, where he had lived for 39 years. He was 75.”
Charity To ‘Jerry Springer’: Go To Hell
“A cancer charity has refused a donation from ‘Jerry Springer – The Opera’ after a religious group threatened to protest. … Christian Voice said it had warned the charity that accepting cash from a show full of ‘filth and blasphemy’ would be a public relations disaster. The show’s star, David Soul, accused the religious group of ‘strong-arm tactics’ and blackmail – adding cancer was not just a Christian problem.” The show’s cast had waived their wages for a special benefit performance Feb. 18.
Podcasting Poised To Change Radio — Quickly
Podcasting “promises a future where anyone can make radio, instead of just listen to it. The biggest podcast audiences now number in the mere tens of thousands. Yet real radio, the kind with bona fide mass audiences, is starting to use the technology to make its shows available for download. Several US public radio stations, as well as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the BBC, are experimenting with the medium. … Given that podcasting didn’t exist nine months ago, this adoption curve is impressive. Podcasting – unregulated, low-cost, on-demand radio – is heading for a tipping point.”