Grammy’s Classical Noms

The Grammy nominations are out, and the London Symphony’s live-to-tape Beethoven symphony cycle will be going up against a much-lauded new recording of Mahler’s 7th Symphony by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony for best classical album. Other notable nominees include Osvaldo Golijov’s Fountain of Tears in the opera category, pianist Martha Argerich for a live recording from the Lugano Festival, and the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson for her solo album entitled “Rilke Songs.”

British Musicians Want Copyright Protection Extended

“Paul McCartney, U2 and Eric Clapton joined thousands of other musicians Thursday in an appeal to the government to extend the British copyright protection on their recordings… in response to a report recommending that the government maintain its current laws granting copyrights on sound recordings and performers’ rights for 50 years. That falls well short of the 95-year copyright protection that exists in the United States, and the recording industry fears that British artists could see their work exploited in their lifetimes.”

Struggling Spring

“It’s got a cast of hot young things, plenty of sex, strong word-of- mouth, and the best score Broadway’s heard in years. Not since Rent has a rock musical had as much going for it as Spring Awakening does. What’s missing, however, is box office. Spring Awakening will open Sunday night at the O’Neill Theatre with well under $1 million in advance sales, a gulp-inducing sum for a major Broadway musical.”

Broadway Veteran Accused Of Sexual Misconduct

A prominent Broadway actor has been arrested and charged with having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl who came backstage to meet him in 2001. James Barbour, who starred in Beauty & The Beast and Jane Eyre on Broadway, has admitted to kissing the girl, but insists that it stopped there. “There was allegedly another incident with the same girl during a dinner at an Eighth Avenue restaurant, and a third in Barbour’s Upper West Side apartment, authorities said.”

Should We Trade Commercials For Product Placement?

Ever since the TiVo began to gain traction in the television marketplace, consumer advocates have worried that the ability for viewers to skip over commercials would lead to more product placement within shows. Dan Brown says that would be just fine with him. “The deal I have in mind would be a classic quid pro quo. Each side would get something. The first step would be a ban on commercials. That’s right. There would be no more commercials on TV. In return, TV producers would be allowed to do as much product placement as possible.”

Treading Carefully On Sacred (But Funny) Ground

Despite the tendency of comedians to embrace the topical, you don’t see a lot of Islamic-based comedy in Western countries, in part because of how easy it has been to inflame Muslim sensibilities to deadly effect of late. But a new Canadian sitcom is meeting the issue head-on. “Its creators admit to uneasiness as to whether Canadians and Americans can laugh about the daily travails of those who many consider a looming menace… The strongest insurance against outrage from the faithful is that [the show was created by] a Canadian Muslim of Pakistani origin whose own assimilation, particularly after she left Toronto for Regina, Saskatchewan, 10 years ago, provides much of the comic fodder.”

Oscar Dabbles In A Bit Of The Ol’ Ultraviolence

“The fight for the Oscar is often a bloody one, filled with subplots, capers, and strategic stabs to the back, metaphorically speaking. But this year an unusual amount of mayhem is showing up in the movies themselves. Academy members in the thick of screenings for the Oscars could be forgiven for wishing they had donned surgical scrubs for what has become a very bloody year.”

Your Kids & Broadway: A Ridiculously Expensive Gamble

You’re a good parent. You take every opportunity to expose your children to all the widely varied cultural events your city offers up, and that new musical version of Mary Poppins seems like just the holiday treat your kids could really sink their teeth into. One problem: you live in New York, where Broadway tickets can run $250 a pop. Furthermore, your kids are, well, kids, which means that they’re unpredictable, and a $2 tantrum could well wind up ruining your thousand-dollar evening out. So answer me this: you feeling lucky, punk?

McEwen’s List Of Supporters Grows

Much of the literary world is lining up behind novelist Ian McEwen as he defends himself from allegations of plagiarism. At the heart of the solidarity seems to be the idea that the international game of gotcha that has ensnared so many authors in the past few years has finally gone too far, sullying the reputation of a much-admired author who was merely using another author’s work as inspiration, and who gave credit to that author besides.