One of Norways political parties proposed that the Munch Museum rent out some of its paintings to help raise money. “One can raise money to take care of these great paintings and bring art to the Norwegian people. Today some of these works are in storage and this would make them available for viewing at firms or at public facilities,”
Tag: 07.01.05
Uh-Oh – DVD Sales Are Slumping Too
There are “small but troubling signs are emerging that the DVD market’s growth could be trailing off faster than Hollywood expected. On June 30, Pixar Animation Studios (PIXR ) cut its earnings-per-share estimate for the second quarter to 10 cents from 15 cents, due to slower-than-expected DVD sales of its blockbuster The Incredibles. The stock of Dreamworks Animation (DWA ) dropped sharply in mid-May, after the studio reported that returns of its own blockbuster Shrek 2 left sales 5 million short of its forecasts. Major retailers have noticed that DVD sales have been softer than anticipated recently, too.”
What Happened To Sexy Music?
“Switch on the radio, grab a glance at MTV. Because something odd is happening, and it’s been going on for a while now. Here, it appears that there are few women or men anywhere to be heard. There are the breathy voices of ingenues; the mewling of babies; the shouts of a teenage tantrum; the whines of adolescent boys. BoyzIIMen? Please.”
How Filesharing Decision Will Chill Innovation
Fallout from this week’s Supreme Court decision on filesharing? Lawrence Lessig says it will chill innovation over the next decade. “By making it a process that goes through the courts, you’ve just increased the legal uncertainty around innovation substantially and created great opportunities to defeat legitimate competition. You’ve shifted an enormous amount of power to those who oppose new types of competitive technologies. Even if in the end, you as the innovator are right, you still spent your money on lawyers instead of on marketing or a new technology.”
Canadian Movie Box Office Slide Worse Than US
Canadian movie box office grosses are down even more than those in the US. “Figures compiled for the Toronto Star by the Nielsen EDI box-office tracking firm show that since the slide began in February for weekend movie attendance in North America, the drop has been worse in Canada for 14 of the 18 weekends. The average weekend drop during the slump is 12.9 per cent for North America and 17.36 per cent in Canada.”
CPB “Bias” Report Attacked
A report commissioned by Corporation for Public Broadcasting head Kenneth Tomlinson on the political bias of public broadcasting shows is “amateurish.” The report labels guests on these programs “liberal,” “conservative” or “neutral,” or categorizes them by such descriptions as “pro-Bush,” “anti-Bush,” “support administration,” “oppose administration.”
The Busy Mr. Wheeldon
“Christopher Wheeldon has split a lot of pants lately. And if his rehearsal antics aren’t quite as outre as those of Mark Morris, no one in the dance world would be surprised to learn that Wheeldon’s demeanor is tilting in that direction. Just as Morris emerged in the ’80s as the savior of modern dance, Wheeldon has, since 2000, been tagged as the great hope of classical ballet. And he’s busy.”
Ballroom Dancing Gets New Fans
Ballroom dance studios across the US are reporting a surge of interest as a new film about kids dancing and the TV series “Dancing with the Stars” attract audiences. “Two generations have missed ballroom dancing; they haven’t partner-danced. There’s a resurgence now because people see it and want to know how to look like that. When you do non-partner dancing, you’re both doing your own thing. Now people want to do the same thing.”
The Museuming Of America
“Cultural buildings in the United States are being supersized, with newly enlarged museums opening this year in cities including Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and Davenport, Iowa.” Why? It’s competitive out there. “Jazzing up older edifices is one way institutions can stay competitive at a time when millions of tourists are flocking to museums of every kind. Recent estimates of visits to US museums – including zoos and historical sites – range from 640 million to 865 million annually.”
Paul Klee On A Mountain
A new museum devoted to the work of Paul Klee and designed by Renzo Piano, opens in Bern, Switzerland. “Along with presenting the world’s largest collection of Klee works, however, the new center also promises what it calls a “Klee experience,” including concerts by a newly formed Paul Klee Ensemble, and theater productions with décor evocative of Klee’s work. Children are invited to their own museum, Creaviva, while every summer a dozen or so young international artists will join academics, curators and critics at a 10-day seminar here.”