Are drama and film more inclusive and more liberating art forms for the non-western writer than straight-up literature? Helon Habila and Courttia Newland chew over the idea.
Tag: 01.08.04
The Recording Police
“The Recording Industry Association of America is taking it to the streets. Even as it suffers setbacks in the courtroom, the RIAA has over the last 18 months built up a national staff of ex-cops to crack down on people making and selling illegal CDs in the hood.”
Portrait Of A West End Flop
Les Liaisons Dangereuses was a hit in London back in the 80s. This time around though, the show closed in the West End after dismal reviews and only a few weeks. “The critics said the star delivered his lines like the speaking clock, the cast seemed to have been picked because of their more famous relatives and the theatre was half full. Looking back, it seems no surprise that Les Liaisons Dangereuses was cancelled after three weeks.”
Brilliance From Autism
“Historical figures including Socrates, Charles Darwin, and Andy Warhol probably had a form of autism, says a leading specialist. Professor Michael Fitzgerald, of Dublin’s Trinity College believes they showed signs of Asperger’s syndrome.
O’Keeffe Stolen, Then Recovered
A painting was stolen from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe early Thursday but was quickly recovered, and a security guard who reported the theft has emerged as a suspect, police said.
Restoring The Grand Fenice
The restoration of Venice’s historic opera house La Fenice is completed. “In the local parlance, this house was realized com’era, dov’era–how it was, where it was. It’s as if you are walking into La Fenice for the very first time in 1837 (year after the first La Fenice, built in 1792, was burnt down and redesigned by Meduna brothers). It’s a paradox: old yet spanking new.”
Jarvi – At Home In Gothenberg
Neeme Järvi is “one of those conductors who never quite made it to the leadership of one of the world’s great orchestras but who has made an essential contribution by bolstering symphonic music on the periphery. When he arrived at Gothenberg in 1982 the orchestra was decidedly second division; now its only rival as the leading Scandinavian orchestra is the Oslo Philharmonic, and on many counts it can claim superiority.”
British Recording Group Investigates Amazon For CD Sales
Amazon.com is being investigated by the British Phonographic Industry for selling cheap CD’s acquired outside the UK. “The BPI said it was questioning as routine whether Amazon was selling CDs obtained outside the European Economic Area, contravening UK law.”
The War On Terrorism (and Foreign Artists?)
New U.S. customs rules put in place by the Bush administration have the potential to severely limit the ability of foreign-born artists to tour North America, and Canadian organizations are worried that their cultural trade will be directly affected by the actions of the American government. Artists who were born outside of certain pre-approved countries “can expect to be detained [at the U.S. border] under the new U.S. Homeland Security regulations for digital fingerprinting, photographing and a short interview, even if their work visas have been pre-approved by U.S. authorities.” Many performers are unwilling to risk such humiliating treatment, and are cancelling planned trips to North America.
Hughes To Run Paris Review
“Four months after the death of George Plimpton, the Paris Review announced yesterday that interim editor Brigid Hughes will permanently run the literary quarterly… Hughes, 30, takes on a role that Plimpton, who died in September at 76, assumed with tireless enthusiasm for half a century. In deference to Plimpton, his official title – editor – will not be filled. Hughes has the newly established title of executive editor.”