Many Indians have been celebrating the success of the Mumbai-set film. But not Amitabh Bachchan: “if SM projects India as [a] third-world, dirty, underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations.”
Tag: 01.14.09
Vladimir Putin, Art Prodigy
The spymaster/judo master/fishing master/ski master/master tiger hunter/Master of All Russia (all of this well-documented on video) has turned his mastery to painting. His debut canvas was prepared for a charity auction in St. Petersburg. (The Prime Minister is said to have completed the painting in 20 minutes.)
An Art Critic Appraises Putin’s Work
“Notice the confidence with which those curtains are drawn – how with each long stroke Putin never loses contact with the canvas until the of his loaded brush is dry. There isn’t a wasted or unnecessary brushstroke and nothing childish or naïve about this picture.”
New Head For Berlin’s Immense Opera Apparatus
“The state of Berlin appointed Peter Raddatz as director of the city’s opera foundation, an umbrella organization overseeing three opera companies, a ballet ensemble and a set- and costume-design company.”
Scotland Tries Out Its Own Sistema
In a rough Edinburgh housing estate, Scotland has launched a pilot version of Venezuela’s now-famous music education program. The hope is that sustained attention from teachers and a stable community of fellow students can help pull the estate’s young people from an unrelenting cycle of poverty and social problems.
At Recession-Era Sundance, Lesser Expectations
At the Sundance Film Festival, “audiences expect to discover edgy new talent. Filmmakers expect to get a shot at distribution and, perhaps, a Hollywood career. Both constituencies continue to be rewarded. But, at the same time, expectations must be readjusted in the harsh light of today’s economic realities, say festival veterans and distribution execs.”
Curtis Sittenfeld Goes To The Inauguration — In Her Mind
Curtis Sittenfeld, who wrote such fabulous sex scenes (really! and who thought it could be done?) in her Laura Bush novel, American Wife, launches a five-part online inauguration novella. You can read it yourself or — bonus — listen to Sittenfeld read it.
SAG Fight Over Strike Vote Slogs On (Filibusters And All)
“SAG’s internecine battle over its strike authorization vote battle isn’t over yet. That was the message sent Wednesday by the slim majority of SAG board members who regrouped after the 30-hour boardroom brawl in which their efforts to remove the guild’s national exec director Doug Allen, stop the strike authorization vote and replace the guild’s negotiating committee were thwarted by a marathon filibuster mounted by Allen supporters.”
SAG’s Red-Hot Casting Process
The Screen Actors Guild may be riven over the question of a strike, but casting — of the solid bronze statuette that is the Screen Actors Guild Award — continues as usual. Photojournalist Allen J. Schaben turns his camera on the process.
You Thought Bookstore Sales Bit In Nov.? You Were Right!
“November bookstore sales were as bad as people thought they were. Preliminary figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show that sales dropped 13% in the month, falling to $1.05 billion.”