Tom Service: “The miniature song Owls: An Epitaph – halting, dissonant, weird – is the most powerful corrective I know to the image of Elgar as moustachioed imperialist.”
Tag: 10.15.10
UK’s Arts-and-Sciences Endowment Severed From Government
“The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts has been granted full independence from government … NESTA will move from the public to the voluntary sector and become a charitable company. It does not receive money from central government, but is funded by a Lottery endowment. This will continue.”
Fired Welsh Nat’l Opera Oboist Loses Lawsuit
For 34 years the principal oboist of the opera company’s orchestra, Murray Johnston “claimed he had been bullied and harassed by former musical director Carlo Rizzi.” But a judicial panel in Cardiff agreed with WNO management that Johnston “was sacked because his [poor] playing risked the orchestra’s reputation.”
When in Doubt, Stomp and Shout
“Newly published research confirms and expands upon an insight first revealed in the 1950s: If confidence in one’s core tenets becomes shaky, a common response is to proselytize all the more vigorously.”
Gay Talese: ‘There’s Less Lying in Journalism Than in Any Other Profession’
“They lie in education, they lie in politics, they lie in banking, they lie in labor; there’s liars all over the place. Sports? Full of liars. And there are liars in journalism, but if there are liars, journalism will out them.”
NY Phil Sues Cheap Trick
“The 1970s power pop group had the temerity to list the illustrious orchestra on the liner notes of its Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 40th Anniversary recording, a suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court says.”
“Billy Elliot” Closing Early In Chicago
“The premature exit is a blow to Broadway in Chicago’s long-running campaign to establish Chicago as a city that can support extended runs.”
New Website Aims To Teach Actors The Business Of Theatre
“Each episode features industry guests–working actors, directors, writers, casting directors, producers, and agents–who talk about their experiences. The lineup so far includes director Mark Waters, actor Anna Vocino, agent Louise Ward, and actor-producer Mark Gantt.”
Solution – Pay People To Drop Out Of College?
“The Thiel Fellowship will pay would-be entrepreneurs under 20 $100,000 in cash to drop out of school. In announcing the program, Thiel made clear his contempt for American universities which, like governments, he believes, cost more than they’re worth and hinder what really matters in life, namely starting tech companies.”
Budget Slashing Rules At Hollywood Studios
It’s the “new Hollywood Economics: If you want to make a drama, whether it’s a biopic or a crime thriller, your budget ceiling, with rare exception, is going to be $40 million.”