Classical Gas

“Ballet is very crotchy. Apart from gymnastics, it is the only job in which a female is allowed to make public use of the structures between her legs as an element of design. This may be one reason that so many girls want to go into ballet: they can use their whole bodies, just like men, and nobody makes rude comments. Indeed, no one comments at all. The Sugar Plum Fairy may turn, in supported arabesque, and show her full lower anatomy to four thousand opera-house patrons, and nobody says a word. Karole Armitage did say a word, or her work did. She took the pelvic action of the ballerina and pushed it further. Those legs were always open. She thereby extended ballet technique and got herself a reputation.”

TV’s High Definition (Worry) Lines

“Although high-definition television promises to bring sporting events into the nation’s living rooms in unequaled clarity, it’s also delivering something else to the television business: worry lines. With HDTV — which provides images five times sharper than those on a regular TV set — makeup cannot be caked on to hide acne scars because the heavy layers are plainly evident. Too much powder looks obvious.”

Florida Legislature Considers $21 Million In Arts Funding

A bill providing $21 million in state funding for the arts is being considered by the Florida legislature this week. “It marks the end of a one-year funding hiatus begun when the Legislature emptied the state’s arts trust funds, leaving no money for cultural grants. Florida’s museums and other arts centers have more than $8 million in private donations from as far back as 1999 that they can’t touch, awaiting matching state money.”

Waltz With Me

“Sunday marked the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss I, a hugely popular composer of nearly 300 works, whose legacy lives on long after his death in 1849. Strauss’ music, along with that of a contemporary named Joseph Lanner, sparked what became known as the Viennese waltz, a faster, more elegant and more intimate version of the rigid box-step that preceded it. Originally dubbed the “forbidden dance” because couples touched while twirling about, the Viennese version was highly controversial when it first emerged in Austrian ballrooms and dance halls.”

Rapped Attention – Is Police Scrutiny Of Rappers Proper?

Across America “police have been secretly keeping tabs on dozens of visiting rap artists such as 50 Cent, Ja Rule and P. Diddy. At issue: Are investigators violating constitutional freedoms by gathering dossiers and taking pictures of artists in public places — merely because they’re part of a hip-hop industry that has been tainted by murderous violence?”

Vagina Monologues Banned In Madras

A production of The Vagina Monolgue starring Hollywood actresses Jane Fonda and Marisa Tomei has been banned in the Indian city of Madras. The show, which has been a controversial sell-out around the world, explores female sexuality and strength through individual women telling their stories through monologues. Madras police refused permission to stage the show after finding certain portions of the script ‘objectionable’ and warning it could pose a threat to public order.”

Report: News Business In Transformation

A new report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism reports that the news business is in the midst of enormously challenging changes. “The news business is ‘in the middle of an epochal transformation, as momentous probably as the invention of the telegraph or television,’ the report says. ‘Journalism is not becoming irrelevant. It is becoming more complex’.”