A year ago, the county’s only professional opera company closed. “Getting another company going will be a tough proposition; it would be even if the times weren’t as hard as they are. It’ll take imagination and stamina and a lot of money. The cheapest way may not be the best way artistically (then again, it might), but it’s probably the most likely way that opera will regain its foothold.”
Tag: 04.25.10
Oakland Museum Reopens Interactively
“After being closed two years for renovation, the Oakland Museum of California will reopen next weekend with an inviting new look, new amenities and new interactive features. The changes include redesigned, reconceived art and history galleries, new acquisitions, a new gourmet cafe and an expanded gift shop.”
National Ballet School Of Canada Turns 50
“The special sense of kinship among NBS alumni comes from having shared their formative years in a necessarily hot-house environment where striving for seemingly unattainable goals is a daily routine.”
Nicholas Serota On Ten Years Of Tate Modern
“Serota’s warmth, acuity and dedication – not to mention the amused gleam in his eye – make it easy to understand exactly why he has more than prospered in his job. His passion for art is unmistakable in everything he says.”
“Avatar” Is Fastest-Selling Blu-Ray Ever
“Avatar” is maintaining its popularity in the move from box office to home video, with sales of 6.7 million DVDs and Blu-ray disks in the first four days.
How 3D Will Change The Movies That Get Made
Filmmakers say “3-D will affect much more than whether a filmgoer picks up a pair of glasses: It will change what films get made, and even the very nature of cinematic storytelling.”
Writer Alan Sillitoe, 82
He “was one of the most important British writers of the postwar era. He made his name with the novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1958) and the collection of short stories The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1959), and he is still routinely perceived as a member of the kitchen-sink branch of the Angry Generation.”
Does The World Still Need Art Chicago?
“Depending on whom you ask, the fact that Art Chicago has soldiered on for three decades is either a no-brainer or a miracle. Its longevity is admirable. Its financial stability, especially now that it’s in the hands of a trade-show giant, is undeniable. But the questions remain: Do we still care about one of the longest-running art fairs in the United States?”
3D – On Which Hollywood’s Hopes Are Pinned
As with every hot trend in Hollywood, it’s uncertain whether the 3-D onslaught is simply a flash, like the push in the 1980s to colorize black-and-white films, or a fundamental transformation akin to the advent of sound in the 1920s. “The real question now is: ‘How many movies per year does the audience want to put on glasses and pay a premium for?’ “
How Long Can Humans Go Without Sleep?
“Nobody knows for sure, but we do know that sleep deprivation is eventually fatal. Rats that are kept awake die after two weeks, less time than it takes them to starve to death. There are no records of a human having been intentionally kept awake long enough to kill them.”