What would Duke Ellington have thought of the decision by the Pulitzer board to broaden the prize’s music category to include jazz? He would have thought, writes Nat Hentoff, that it was damn well about time.
Tag: 07.06.04
Politically Yours (On London Stages)
London theatre has become very poiltical in the past 18 months. “In theaters all over London these days, debates rage about power and justice, about leadership and its abuses. From the National’s production of Euripides’ 410 B.C. Iphigenia at Aulis to the New Ambassador’s up-to-date Guantánamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom, curtains rise on works that confront the morality of the coalition’s invasion of Iraq and inquire into government’s dubious motives.”
Successful Art – It’s Who You Know
“One of the hardest things in art, outside of creating it, is to be that very first person who looks at an unknown and his or her work and says: I like it. Any idiot can second the motion. But to look at an unknown and say, ‘You, yes you, you are worthy’—that is different. That means taking a risk, to say yes where probably dozens have already said no. It is also what changes the course of an art form. And this is why I sometimes nurse the suspicion that the real gatekeeper of American literature is not the publisher, not the critic, and not Jack Warner’s fabled ‘schmucks with Underwoods’—i.e., writers. No, it is the schmuck with a Rolodex: the literary agent.”
Sell-Out Dance
A new London play celebrates ballroom dancing. “Ballroom dancing is very much back in fashion, with the success of Strictly Come Dancing on TV giving it a new lease of life. It is estimated that more than one million people regularly go to ballroom-dancing classes, while the monthly gay tea dance in Brockley in south-east London is always a sell-out.”
The Movies’ Billion-Dollar Month
For the first time, American movie theatres sold more than a billion dollars worth of tickets. “The North American box office took $1.03 billion during June, Hollywood Reporter found – a 14% increase on June 2003’s previous monthly record. Takings were boosted by blockbusters including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Shrek 2.”
Study: Link Between Violent Video Games And Violence
New research suggests links between violent video games and aggressive behavior. Predictably, this has led to calls for legislation to limit violent games. “The game industry says legislating ultra-violent games out of the hands of children would deal a severe blow to free speech. Game companies point to the industry-imposed ratings system that gives detailed descriptions of violence in a game and labels some titles as “mature” or “adults only.”
Union: A Better Day For Culture In Canada?
Canada’s actors’ union is celebrating the Liberal Party’s win in the recent federal election. “We look forward to working with the minority government to establish policy, legislate and make appointments that will protect and enhance Canadian cultural industries.”
Make-Your-Own CDs (Legally)
A new music kiosk allows customers to mix their own CDs, choosing from 200,000 songs. “At $10 for the first seven songs and $1 per song after that, it’s not as cheap as free, but it is legal. And the service addresses a fundamental problem with how the music industry sells its product: People don’t like paying $15 for a 10-song album when they want only two of the tracks. The company hopes to expand the concept to digital movies, games and software.”
The £6 Million Pirate
A prolific music pirate lands in court. Prosecution says he made £6 million in ten years selling copies of bootlegged music. “He commissioned, manufactured and sold, here and elsewhere, unavailable or illicit recordings of musical works performed by virtually every well-known artist in the world. Members of the audience at concerts made illegal recordings which were used as master copies for the CDs. TV and radio performances were also illicitly taped, and tracks from existing records were duplicated, the court heard.”
The Longest Concert – Two Notes Down, 636 Years To Go
“In the abandoned Burchardi church in the German town of Halberstadt, the world’s longest concert moved two notes closer to its end Monday: Three years down, 636 to go. The addition of an E and E-sharp complement the G-sharp, B and G-sharp that have been playing since February 2003 in composer John Cage’s ‘Organ2/ASLSP’ — or ‘Organ squared/As slow as possible’.”