“Simmering tensions between Actors’ Equity Association and the American Girl Place doll store in midtown Manhattan boiled over [yesterday] when actors walked away from their jobs to protest management’s refusal to establish a contract with the union.”
Tag: 08.03.06
Liverpool Adrift
Robyn Archer’s abrupt resignation from leading Liverpool’s Capital of Culture program has left the effort adrift, writes Norman Lebrecht. “There is no disguising the sense of crisis in a vacuum of artistic leadership. Nobody in Liverpool seems prepared to take a decision on the Culture Year, let alone the helm, and the announcement from Manchester this week of a widely respected director for its expanding International Festival has further emphasized the glaring vacancy 25 miles down the road.”
The Cellos On The Roofs
Three intrepid British cellists have finished a 12 day marathon of performing, “which has seen them play recitals, usually on the roofs, at all 42 Anglican cathedrals in England.” And why?
Why An Unregulated Internet Is Better For Consumers
“It’s tempting to believe that government regulation of the Internet would be more consumer-friendly; history and economics suggest otherwise. The reason is simple: a regulated industry has a far larger stake in regulatory decisions than any other group in society. As a result, regulated companies spend lavishly on lobbyists and lawyers and, over time, turn the regulatory process to their advantage.”
YouTube Seeks To Translate Popularity Into Profit
“YouTube, the popular but unprofitable video-sharing site, is going after the big ad dollars. The Internet phenom has inked deals with major advertisers from Hollywood studios to sneaker makers and is busy lining up more in a bid to become a viable business.”
Anonymous Call Leads To Return Of Hermitage Art
Earlier this week the Hermitage Museum released a list of 221 works it said were stolen from storage. Thursday, an anonymous caller told police where one of the items was – a religious icon was stashed in a trash bin, according to local police.
Hear Beethoven’s Violin
Beethoven’s own violin has been used in a new recording. “It was played by German violinist Daniel Sepec on a CD of the composer’s violin and piano sonatas. The instrument, which is engraved with Beethoven’s insignia, was in his family’s possession until the early 19th Century.”
Baudrillard To Speak In London
“The controversial French writer Jean Baudrillard, notorious for his essay ‘The Gulf War Did Not Take Place’ and his trenchant views on the symbolism of the attacks on the World Trade Centre, will make a public appearance in London in the autumn for the first time in six years.”
Remembering Schwarzkopf
“In her lifetime she was widely — if by no means universally — regarded as one of the greatest sopranos of her generation. Yet even at the height of Schwarzkopf’s career, there were plenty of critical naysayers who found her singing fussy and mannered to the point of archness, and since her retirement in 1975, it’s my impression that their point of view, which I share, has come to prevail.”
Ron Mueck: Artist Or Hoaxer?
“Ron Mueck is supposedly having an exhibition at this year’s Edinburgh festival. I say supposedly because I’m not convinced the artist actually exists. Perhaps a clever novelist made up Mueck just to expose the tastelessness and stupidity of our time?”