“A competition to pick a designer for the National Eisenhower Memorial, slated for a site just off the Mall in Washington, D.C., is down to seven finalists, including Frank Gehry and Moshe Safdie.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Another Gehry Museum, This Time In Jerusalem
“A Frank Gehry-designed museum can rise in Jerusalem on a site that was once a Muslim cemetery, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled today, clearing the way for L.A.’s Simon Wiesenthal Center to build a Holy Land counterpart to its Museum of Tolerance on Pico Boulevard.”
Bookstore: If Caffeine Doesn’t Bring ‘Em In, Maybe Alcohol Will
The Schuler Books & Music stores in Grand Rapids already have cafes and fireplaces to entice customers to spend time there. Now the owners are considering getting a liquor license for their downtown location so they can sell beer and wine as well. (And will McSweeney’s be sponsoring its own craft brew?)
Sperm Whales Singing Duets
“New underwater recordings have shown that the whales carefully coordinate their song to match the calls of their singing partner. The animals appear to enjoy singing to each other, possibly to strengthen relationships among females within the group.”
Sarkozy v. Voodoo Doll – The Doll Wins
“A French court on Wednesday dismissed a much-mocked attempt by President Nicolas Sarkozy to have a comedy voodoo doll bearing his image banned from sale. […]
It was the president’s sixth lawsuit since he was elected last year and caused widespread mirth in France, generating acres of free publicity for the doll and cheering his political opponents.”
Cambodia’s First Rock Opera
Cambodia’s first rock opera will premiere in Phnom Penh next month, a cultural milestone in the Southeast Asian country where performing arts were banned during the brutal Khmer Rouge years. Where Elephants Weep is an East-meets-West blend of traditional Cambodian music and Western rock that is modeled after Romeo and Juliet and inspired by the Broadway musical Rent.
Viñoly Opens His First UK Building (Finally)
Rafael Viñoly Architects has had a difficult time of it in Great Britain, with various high-profile endeavors either delayed or rejected. This month, at last, Viñoly has a completed project: the Curve Theatre in Leicester, a £61 million building with two performance spaces (750 and 350 seats, both reconfigurable) and a striking curved façade of louvred glass. “Quite literally, a coup de théâtre.”
In Advertising On Hulu, Less Is More
The TV-on-demand site Hulu.com is airing fewer ads per segment and charging more for them; value-adding innovations include “‘thumbs up’ and ‘thumbs down’ ratings for commercials, choose-your-own-advertisement options before shows begin, [and] interactive games during advertising breaks.”
New Orchestra Debuts In Qatar
The Qatar Philharmonic, a professional orchestra of 101 musicians from 31 countries, gives its inaugural concert this week under the baton of Lorin Maazel in Doha, the capital of the small Persian Gulf state.
Berlin Goes Into Art Overload
“Berlin has been something of an art mecca in recent years, with artists flocking to the city to make use of cheap space and a vibrant culture while international galleries jostle to establish a presence in the German capital. This week the scene kicks into overdrive with the opening of a new contemporary art gallery, three major retrospectives – and no less than five trade fairs.”