It wasn’t too long ago that many of Canada’s independent filmmakers were calling for the death of the National Film Board. But in 2001, the NFB got a new leader, and “most independent producers like the changes instituted in the past two years, and some even now dare to cautiously believe that the NFB — not long ago considered a colossal waste of taxpayer money — might have a shot of becoming what it once was: an effectual promoter, supporter and producer of top-quality Canadian stories.”
Tag: 02.25.04
A Canadian Choral Fest’s Glaring Omission
A Canadian choral festival arranged to present the country’s professional choruses together, made a major omission – it forgot to invite the country’s “only professional choir dedicated to Afrocentric music. The concerts are taking place this weekend in Toronto, during the final days of Black History Month.”
Acropolis Museum Stalled
It looks like the Acropolis Museum in Greece is much behind schedule. “Athens had initially planned to have the 94-million-euro museum in place for the Olympics, hoping to shame the British Museum into complying with Greece’s demand for the return of the Parthenon, or Elgin, Marbles. However, some 20 months after the foundations were supposed to have been laid under the Acropolis, nothing has materialized.”
Michael Crawford and Sir Andrew – Together Again
Singer Michael Crawford and theatre composer/producer Andrew Lloyd Webber are reuniting for a new musical in London. “The connection made almost 20 years ago with Phantom of the Opera will be renewed in May in Lloyd Webber’s semi-operatic musical The Woman in White when it replaces the 19-year run of Les Misérables at the Palace theatre in London.”
Miserable In Manhattan
The Manhattan Theatre Club has had a terrible season “marked by backstage strife, artistic feuds and very public cast defections. The season’s woes have also highlighted complaints from upset subscribers and upset artists.”
“Gray” Tuesday Web Protest Draws RIAA Warnings
On Tuesday, numerous websites staged a protest against EMI who moved to try to block distribution of a remix of the Beatles’ White Album. “The protesters billed the event as “Grey Tuesday,” calling it “a day of coordinated civil disobedience,” during which more than 150 sites offered the album for download. Recording industry lawyers saw it as 24 hours of mass copyright infringement and sent letters to the Web sites demanding that they not follow through on the protest.”