A parliamentary report says British lottery money is nbeing wasted – pointing to two funded institutions – the National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield and the Dovecot Arts Centre in Stockton-on-Tees – which closed for lack of visitors. “And it says another £78m spent by Arts Council England is tied up in five projects facing cash problems.”
Tag: 02.13.04
UK’s Most-Borrowed Author
Who’s the most-borrowed author in British libraries? Children’s writer Jacqueline Wilson. “Her name may not be as famous as JK Rowling but she is hugely popular – her books are “growers” and tend to sell through children’s word of mouth.” And, she’s sold 30 million books.
UK’s Most-Borrowed Author
Who’s the most-borrowed author in British libraries? Children’s writer Jacqueline Wilson. “Her name may not be as famous as JK Rowling but she is hugely popular – her books are “growers” and tend to sell through children’s word of mouth.” And, she’s sold 30 million books.
National Gallery Wins Raphael
London’s National Gallery has managed to buy Raphael’s Madonna of the Pinks and prevent it from being shipped to America. “A price of £22m has been agreed between the gallery and the Duke of Northumberland. The Duke agreed to sell the painting to the J. Paul Getty Museum in California for £35m in September 2002.”
Les Miz Musicians To Be Replaced By Machine
Almost half the musicians for Les Miz in London’s West End will lose their jobs when the show moves to a smaller theatre next month. “Nine musicians out of 21 will be replaced by an electronic synthesiser, of a kind being used for the first time in the West End. US producers have said the Sinfonia synthesiser “gives more bangs to the buck than musicians”.
Attack On English Arts Funding
A new report for British MP’s criticizes the way lottery money is awarded to arts groups. “It attacks Arts Council England for wasting lottery and taxpayers’ money to bail out venues such as the Royal Opera House and Sadler’s Wells in London, and for not putting enough cash into working-class areas or attracting more diverse groups to theatres.”
FCC Considers A New Technology Future
The Federal Communications Commission is considering regulatory changes that will change the way most people use telephones and the internet. The internet could be accessed over electrical lines, while phone service could be provided over the internet. One commissioner says that America “stands at the threshold of a profound transformation of the telecommunications marketplace.”
Japanese Culture Seeps In To Korea
For 50 years after World War II, South Korea banned Japanese culture from the country. But in 1998, some of the restrictions were lifted. Since then, “Japanese movies, video and computer games, songs and albums are not sweeping through the Korean Peninsula like a tycoon, but are seeping in through cultural osmosis brought on by gradual market integration.”
Urban Comes To Broadway
Three new productions featuring African-Americans are coming to Broadway. “Theatergoers today typically have to go to venues well beyond the neon lights of Times Square to find plays that address modern cultural struggles and ideas that aren’t set to music. The triptych of African-American tales spanning the post-World War II era to the present will temporarily add more color to Broadway’s palette, but along the way may also prompt a discussion about what really constitutes diversity on US theater’s most high-profile road.”
It’s Poetry, Not Flowers For Valentine’s
What does the love of your life want for Valentine’s Day? Nope, not flowers. It’s poetry. “In a survey of 1,000 people for the Spoken Word Publishing Association, 19% said they would prefer loving words. The only gift they wanted more than this was one which puts deeds before words – a holiday mini-break.”