“The author Hanif Kureishi accused the BBC of censorship last night, after it dropped a radio broadcast of his short story describing the work of a cameraman who films the executions of western captives in Iraq. Radio 4 cancelled a reading of Weddings and Beheadings, one of five nominations for the National Short Story prize due to be broadcast this week, after concluding the timing ‘would not be right’ following unconfirmed reports that kidnapped BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston had been killed by a jihadist group.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Irreconcilable Differences Part Munich Phil From G.M.
“The Munich Philharmonic is set to replace general manager Wouter Hoekstra after his falling-out with the orchestra and its musical director, the city’s mayor said Tuesday. Mayor Christian Ude determined the relationship between Christian Thielemann and Hoekstra was ‘shattered’ after he was called in to help seek a solution, Ude’s office said in a statement. It didn’t elaborate on the nature of the dispute.”
Orange Prize Shortlist Announced
“Kiran Desai and Anne Tyler were among six finalists tapped for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, the U.K.’s annual literary award for women, whose winner will take home 30,000 pounds ($59,700) and a bronze statuette known as ‘the Bessie.’ “
Movement (Barely) On The Elgin Marbles Front?
“Is there the merest hint of movement in the world’s most intractable restitution drama? That is, the issue of the Elgin — or, if you prefer, Parthenon — Marbles, which has flared up at intervals since Lord Elgin removed them from the Acropolis at Athens in the 19th century. Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, appeared to open the door to compromise in an interview with Bloomberg News, but only by a fraction of an inch.”
San Francisco’s Best Buildings: An Experts’ List
“Put any group of 20 architects in a room and ask them to choose the buildings in their city that are of special significance, and I’ll wager no two lists will be alike. But when that opinionated mob is also the board of directors of the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, its verdict is delivered with a certain gravitas. So say hello to the semiofficial list of San Francisco’s top 25 buildings…. And let the second-guessing begin.”
One Thing To Do With A Pulitzer: Direct Ford Ads
“In an effort to get more people to notice its new vehicles, Ford Motor Co. has enlisted the help of filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet to direct some of its commercials.”
Ballet Russe Principal Natalia Clare, 87
“Natalia Clare, an American-born principal dancer with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and an important Southland ballet teacher and arts advocate, has died. … She studied ballet with Bronislava Nijinska, one of impresario Sergei Diaghilev’s stable of choreographers, and made her professional debut in 1940 dancing for Nijinska at the Hollywood Bowl.”
Pulitzer Winners An Atypical Bunch (Sort Of)
“A contentious drama pick, an apocalyptic novel by one of the nation’s most reclusive writers and one of the first awards to a jazz musician were among the arts Pulitzers announced Monday. … To skeptics, the Pulitzers have a long history of stodgy arts choices, especially in music.”
Pulitzer Board Bypassed Jury For Lindsay-Abaire
“David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole, which opened in February 2006 at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, has won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer jury had nominated three plays — Orpheus X by Rinde Eckert; Bulrusher by Eisa Davis; and Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Alegria Hudes — however, the board decided to bypass the nominations and chose a play that hadn’t been nominated by the jury.”
As Internet Access Increases, So Do Library Visits
“An explosive rise in Internet access at the nation’s public libraries has also led to a solid increase in the number of visitors, according to a study released Monday by the American Library Assn.”