“They called me up and said, ‘Would you like to make a short film for the internet? You can do anything you want, you just need to show the handbag, the Pearl Tower and some old Shanghai.'” And he even got Marion Cotillard as his star. (video here)
Tag: 05.14.10
Post-Flood, Surveying The Nashville Symphony’s Basement
“More than 20 feet of water covered the heart of operations of the Schermerhorn [Symphony Center]. No room was spared in the damage, and the pianos in the storage room were barely recognizable.” Said the symphony’s president and CEO: “One thing we know for certain is [the cost of repairs will] be more than we have insurance for.” (With video.)
Has The Live Concert Album Passed Into History?
“The live album, once an obligatory component of a band’s discography and in some cases, a defining work, doesn’t seem as culturally prevalent as it did 35 years ago.”
Proposed NYC Arts Budget Calls For Major Cuts
“Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s $63 billion budget for fiscal year 2011, which starts July 1, calls for a 31 percent reduction in financing for arts groups and a 25 percent cut for libraries — steeper than any such measures he has proposed at this stage of the budget cycle in the last eight years. And the City Council will most likely have to draw from a smaller pool of funds to help make up the difference than it has in the past.”
Italian Soprano: Being A Singer In Italy Sucks
“I find the public a lot more enthusiastic here, because they allow themselves to be transported by the emotion. In Italy, because opera is such an integral part of the culture, everyone thinks they’re a critic. Being a singer is not considered a serious job in Italy. People say, ‘Oh, you sing, you travel the world, you should consider yourself lucky.’ I do consider myself lucky, but it’s also a life full of sacrifices.”
Today’s Culture – It’s All About The Curation
“The Age of Curation (see? anyone can coin a catchphrase) began long before today’s conversation about curated computing. In this Age of Digital Excess (oops, there I go again), we’re surrounded by too much music, too much software, too many websites, too many feeds, too many people, too many of their opinions and so on.”
Tricky Time – South Coast Repertory Theatre Plans A Change In Leadership
“A change of leadership can test the mettle of even the strongest cultural institution, pointing it towards greater success, a dogged continuation of the status quo, or over a cliff. That challenge is compounded when the ones being replaced are the founding leaders.”
Closing “Law & Order” Puts Legions Out Of Work
“The series employed nearly 4,000 people each season, more than any other prime-time show in the city, according to the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting.”
Recent Art Auctions Reorders Artists’ Values
“The major spring auctions wrapped up this week in New York with sales that nearly tripled last year’s totals. A few artists appeared unaffected by the recent ups and downs of the market. But the playing field has been transformed by recession, and dozens of other top artists have been boosted or derailed by the boom-and-bust cycle.”
Postwar And Contemporary Art Hit Big In Auction World
May 2010 might come to be remembered as the month when postwar and contemporary art became fully integrated into the broader art market.