Live Nation has at last sold off its theatrical biz, with Key Brand Entertainment, a private investment company owned by Brit theater producer John Gore, acquiring the legit division for $90.4 million.
Tag: 01.24.08
London Theatres Need Major Repairs
London’s West End theatres need £250m in repairs, says a study. “The area’s 40 venues were all built before 1937 and many are in “desperate need” of repair works. The investigation concluded that there was no single solution to tackling the long-term under-investment.”
America’s Ultra-Rich Universities
“There are now 76 colleges and universities with endowments that have passed $1 billion _ including 16 new members of that club like Georgetown and the Universities of Oklahoma and Missouri. But five at the top each have nearly $6 billion more than any school outside that group: Harvard ($34.6 billion), Yale ($22.5 billion), Stanford ($17.2 billion), Princeton ($15.8 billion) and the University of Texas system ($15.6 billion).”
Scientists Work On Accurate Map Of The Brain’s Circuitry
“By mapping every synapse in the brain, researchers hope to create a ‘connectome’ — a diagram that would elucidate the brain’s activity at a level of detail far outstripping today’s most advanced brain-monitoring tools like fMRI.”
Four Southern California Museums Raided By The Feds
“Federal agents carried out coordinated raids on four Southern California museums and a Los Angeles art gallery early today, the first public move in a five-year investigation of an alleged smuggling pipeline that authorities say funneled looted Southeast Asian and Native American artifacts into local museums.”
Ownership Dust-Up Lands MFA In Court
“A dispute between [Boston’s] Museum of Fine Arts and an Austrian woman who says she is the rightful owner of a coveted 1913 oil painting escalated this week, with the MFA filing suit in federal court to retain ownership of the work.”
Is Chicago Lyric Opera Stuck In Neutral?
“While other leading opera companies, notably the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera, are expanding into movie theater broadcasts, bringing in directors from film and the legitimate theater, commissioning new works and generally pushing the envelope of innovation, Lyric gives every appearance of being locked into the status quo.”
What Casting Director Doesn’t Love A Challenge?
Edward Albee’s latest play is a little difficult to cast: the main characters are 28-year-old identical twins, both named Otto, who look so alike that their own mother can’t tell them apart. “The key was finally giving up on finding the real thing and instead switching to a hunt for two actors similar enough in age, physique and height to be made to look alike.”
SF Ballet Turns 75 With A Flurry Of Premieres
“Celebrating its diamond anniversary, the San Francisco Ballet will premiere 10 new ballets by as many choreographers – big names from here and abroad – during its New Works Festival April 22-May 6.” The company kicked off the 75th anniversary celebrations this week with a huge gala that attracted nearly 1,400 guests.
Long-Awaited Russian Art Show Opens In London
Considering all the drama surrounding the Russian art exhibition currently on view in London, one could be forgiven for wondering if the show was really worth all the effort it took to pull it off, including an act of Parliament. But several of the paintings have never before been seen in the West, and the Royal Academy expects half a million visitors over the next three months.