The Vatican on Wednesday condemned the film “The Golden Compass,” which some have called anti-Christian, saying it promotes a cold and hopeless world without God.
Tag: 12.19.07
Will Anyone Fondly Remember Today’s TV?
“What is clear is that television is on the verge of some sort of revolution the dimensions of which are not yet clear. Will the broadcast networks still exist in 2025? Maybe not. But remember that television was supposed to kill off movie theaters, and cineplexes are still being built.”
Oxford Picks Kids To Design New Gargoyles
“The Bodleian Library has announced the winners of a competition for children aged 11 to 14 to design nine new gargoyles for the library’s north-west facade.”
Russia Cancels Loan Of Major Art To London
The Russian government has announced the cancellation of a major exhibition of Russian and French masterpieces at the Royal Academy in London. The government “said paintings from four Russian state museums would not be loaned to the UK because of worries that they could be subject to legal claims and would not ultimately be returned to Russia.”
Zaha Hadid Does Railway Stations
“The four stations designed by Zaha Hadid and her colleague Patrik Schumacher might be snowfalls transformed into gleaming caverns of glass by a snow queen’s magic wand. Each is crowned with a smoothly flowing, translucent canopy that seems sculpted from ice, with bold, black lines emphasising the form. They are as beautiful as they are unexpected.”
British Council To Disband Some Departments
“One of Britain’s most successful and prestigious arts bodies is about to be destroyed – and wantonly, by crass bureaucrats who seem to be unable to grasp what is at stake. This is happening at a time in history when it has never been more important for Britain to strengthen its cultural ties with other countries.”
SF Opera Will Broadcast To Movie Theatres
“The San Francisco house said it would broadcast six operas a year, starting in March, and reach 200 screens, about the same number as the Met began with last season. The much larger and busier Met now appears on about 600 screens and transmits eight productions a year.”
David Byrne On The State Of The Music Business
“What is called the music business today, however, is not the business of producing music. At some point it became the business of selling CDs in plastic cases, and that business will soon be over. But that’s not bad news for music, and it’s certainly not bad news for musicians. Indeed, with all the ways to reach an audience, there have never been more opportunities for artists.”
How Rap Keeps The Lid On In Marseille
“Rappers in Marseille, some of the most original and distinctive ones anyway, compose sad odes to their local neighborhoods and hymns to the whole melting-pot city. Here the basic interconnectedness of all modern music expresses a local truth about the city’s cultural identity. An ancient, gritty seaport, Marseille flaunts its history as an immigrant magnet.”
New Orleans’ Impending Architectural Tragedy
If the government gets its way, a rich architectural legacy will be supplanted by private, mixed-income developments with pitched roofs and wood-frame construction, an ersatz vision of small-town America. That this could happen in a city that still largely lies in ruins is both sad and grotesque.