Roddy Doyle, Ireland’s best-known modern writer has “put literary Dublin in a tizz by confessing that he too can’t be bothered with James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses.”
Tag: 02.10.04
A First Look At (What Would Be) London’s Tallest Building…
Plans have been unveiled for a new 700-foot high skyscraper in London. “The skyscraper, the creation of the architects responsible for the Lloyds building and the Millennium Dome, would be at least 100ft (30 metres) taller than any other structure in the City.”
Cuban Musicians Denied Vist To US For Grammys
The US government is continuing to make it difficult for foreign artists to perform in the United States. Last week, visas were denied for Cuban musicians invited to the Grammy awards. And other musicians hired to perform in the US are finding they can’t get their visas sorted out in time. (second and third items – scroll down)
What Your iPod Says About You
“The iPod records what songs have been played both most recently and most often, so it quickly becomes a record of the owner’s internal aural landscape. Listening to someone else’s iPod is thus an intimate, almost invasive activity. On the scale of personal exposure, it’s not exactly trading diaries, but it’s much more revealing than a mix tape.”
Writing Improves Your Health
“Experiments have shown that writing boosts health in myriad ways, including strengthened immune function, a decreased reliance upon pain medication, improved lung function in asthma patients, and reduced symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Some studies have further demonstrated reduced blood pressure and improved performance at work and school.”
The Marketing Of Miss Jones
After Norah Jones sold 18 million copies of her debut album and won eight Grammys, the conventional take on her success was that “she’s a homegrown success who prevailed in an era of pre-manufactured and overmarketed pop stars. The truth is a little more complicated.”
Doran Is RSC White Knight
Who’s leading the Royal Shakespeare Company’s revival? Gregory Doran. “It wouldn’t be too strong to suggest that he has redeemed the RSC’s battered reputation at a time when it was reeling from the sudden resignation of its former artistic director Adrian Noble and the crisis that followed the company’s precipitate decision to quit the Barbican.”
Volpe To Leave Met Opera
Metropolitan Opera general manager Joseph Volpe announces he’ll leave the company after 40 years. “He said he had been preparing to step down for some time. The workload and the demands of attending at least four performances a week had become taxing, he said.”
Figuring Out Baryshnikov
Mikhail Baryshnikov is a prodigious talent. But “in all the agony and ecstasy that has surrounded Baryshnikov’s every move – the matchless dancing, the seething love-life, the mediocre film career, the downmarket commercial activities – it has taken time to see that his greatest claim to world gratitude is the almost unbelievable generosity with which he has marketed his talent.”
Kennedy Quits National Gallery Of Australia
Controversial National Gallery of Australia director Brian Kennedy has decided to leave the museum after seven years. “While acknowledging that criticisms of him as stubborn, combative, ambitious and a workaholic may be true, Dr Kennedy said he was also passionate, concerned and dedicated.”