A record 97.5 million Americans tuned in to Sunday’s upset victory by the New York Giants over the New England Patriots, marking the biggest TV audience in Super Bowl history and the second most-watched U.S. telecast ever.
Tag: 02.04.08
Setting Stanislavski Right
Stanislavski’s acting methods have been distorted and misunderstood. A new translation of the Master’s books should maybe clarify things…
The Anonymous Dancers
“Contemporary dance has never had the same cult of personality as ballet or theatre. Since 19th-century critics rhapsodised over their favourite onstage nymphs, leaving drool still drying on their reviews, balletomanes have argued over their ultimate ballerina. But contemporary dancers are too often seen as anonymous bendable bodies, to be twisted and wrought at the choreographer’s will, rather than artists in their own right.”
UK Artists After The Arts Council Funding Fiasco
“Companies are growing weary of the Arts Council’s erratic behaviour and its mishandling of first the Grants for the Arts and now its allocation of a better than expected settlement from the comprehensive spending review. Many companies are wondering whether they would be better off outside a funding system that often offers just enough money to survive but seldom enough to bloom, and which is too controlling about the kind of work that is made and how it is delivered.”
A Week Of Free Arts?
“At first glance, this seems like an excellent idea. After all, Labour’s decision to drop museum entry charges 10 years ago was a sign that thinking about culture was shifting. And schemes such as Nicholas Hytner’s £10 season at the National have made for bigger, broader audiences. But is a week of free events really the best way to give every member of society access to the arts?”
Record $847 Million Of Art Offered On Auction This Week
The total includes record estimates for Impressionist art this week: 89 million pounds for Christie’s today, 82 million pounds for Sotheby’s tomorrow and 72 million pounds for Christie’s contemporary art on Wednesday.
Picasso Sale Suggests Strong Market Continues
“A Picasso painting of his mistress Dora Maar fetched 5.7 million pounds ($11.3 million) at a Christie’s International auction last night in London as dealers said demand held up in the year’s first test of the impressionist and modern art market.”
Hemingway’s Only Play Gets An Off-Broadway Try
The story of why “The Fifth Column” has been neglected is a complicated one, involving several mishaps, an inept Hollywood screenwriter, and a 1940 Broadway production of a bastardized version of the play.
Songwriters Are The Latest To Fight For Digital Royalties
“As Hollywood writers strike for a piece of digital profits, a similar battle is brewing over royalties paid to songwriters and music publishers. The Copyright Royalty Board began hearings last Monday to determine publishing royalties for CDs, downloads and — for the first time — subscription music services, ringtones and interactive webcasts.”
Why The Feds Are Cracking Down On Museums
Why three federal agencies devoted four years to investigating what seems to be low-level smuggling and penny-ante tax fraud? “Scams involving art valuations have been common over the years, experts say. ‘You bought a painting at an auction or a yard sale for $100, had it appraised for $5,000 and donated it to the local Humane Society’.”