“Two courtroom artists are suing former TV talk show host Rosie O’Donnell for copyright infringement, accusing her of trying to pass off photographs of their sketches of her as work she produced.” O’Donnell, who denies the charge, used the images in collages she made.
Tag: 09.21.04
Destination Architecture? Not In Napa, Thanks
A couple who want to put a Frank Gehry-designed building on their Napa Valley wine estate are facing opposition from neighbors. They don’t object to the architecture but fear the structure would draw more tourists, exacerbating traffic jams on an already congested highway.
Why Can’t Politicians Pick Good Art?
Scotland has a new Parliament building, and amidst all the talk of cost overruns and such, some brave sould have dared to broach the subject of how the place ought to be decorated. An MP named Stone was placed in charge of “a committee to acquire art for the new building, and the results are now on view. It is not much. James Stone’s committee did ask the main committee… for £3 million. They were given a derisory £250,000 to spend. This mean-spirited decision was both a failure of courage and of imagination.”
And Yes, The Tickets Will Still Cost $8
A new series of economic incentives intended to give the domestic film industry a boost have been introduced in the UK. Producers will be eligible for direct subsidies of up to £4 million per picture, and “[p]roducers of films with budgets up to £20m will also receive a 50% tax waiver on their production costs, on condition that the film makes a profit.” The plan also protects producers against the possibility of money-losing films, offering 20% of production costs in the event that a film fails to make a profit.
Video Remix: The Future of Sampling?
Recent court rulings have threatened to severely limit the appropriation of small passages of music known as “sampling.” But even as the law cracks down on behalf of the authors of three-note musical phrases, the art of the remix may be about to move on to the world of video. The director of a successful documentary is making waves with the announcement that he will make the video of his work available online for anyone to sample, free of charge. “By all accounts, it’s one of the first times a major motion picture has been offered for public manipulation.”
High Noon For The Barnes
Court is back in session for the Barnes Foundation in its attempt to move from Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, to central Philadelphia. “Among those on tap to support the Barnes’ petition is Jeremy A. Sabloff, the former director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Sabloff and James N. Wood, the former director and the president of the Art Institute of Chicago, are expected to testify against the Barnes’ selling any of its stored art to create a new operating endowment.” But the art students opposing the move have lined up some experts of their own…
Playing Musical Chairs (The Grown-Up Kind)
“The competition began with 56 cellists. After two days, the field narrowed to 15. A day later, there were five. On the fourth day, there are just two.” All were vying for a single opening in the Minnesota Orchestra.
MFA More Than Halfway To Expansion Goal
Three years into fund-raising for a $425 million expansion project, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts has hit the $245 million mark. Now it’s time to widen the circle of donors.
The Booker’s Odds-On Favorite
“British author David Mitchell was installed on Tuesday as the hottest favorite ever for the Booker prize with his complex time-machine of a tale: ‘Cloud Atlas.'”
Accessible? How ‘Bout Your Place?
A new program is offering live music for fans who can’t leave the house: The players will come to their homes. “A total of 1,500 musicians from 30 orchestras are taking part in the Musicians on Call scheme, including members of the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.”