“After the arrest this week of three men who wanted to kill a Danish cartoonist, about a dozen papers in Denmark have republished the infamous Muhammad cartoons. Some observers notice a sea-change in Denmark’s integration debate since the 2006 riots in the Muslim world.”
Tag: 02.13.08
The Museums From The Wrong Side Of The Tracks…
Chicago area ethnic museums and heritage centers feel they are on the wrong side of some arbitrary line — whether it be geographical, financial or programmatic — that consigns them to the cultural hinterlands…
Fat Green Ogres Apparently Hard To Find On Broadway
A musical stage version of the hit film franchise, Shrek, is scheduled to open on Broadway this fall after a summer tryout in Seattle. But casting the two lead characters is apparently quite a challenge – producers have yet to find a pair of actors who can both fit the roles of Shrek and Donkey physically, and reproduce the onscreen chemistry of Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy.
Grammy Ratings Continue Decline
“Viewership for the CBS telecast of Sunday’s Grammy Awards was the second lowest since figures began being complied in 1977, but it was still enough to be the week’s fourth most-watched program.” The ratings dropped 14% from last year’s telecast.
Spielberg Won’t Advise Beijing
“US film director Steven Spielberg has withdrawn as an artistic adviser at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In a statement, he accused China of not doing enough to pressure its ally Sudan to end the ‘continuing human suffering’ in the troubled western Darfur region.”
Canada Knocks Down Video Piracy, Debates Future
Following major crackdowns by Canadian authorities on illegal bootleg copies of feature films, the availability of such illicit material has apparently plunged. But the prosecution of some high-level offenders has sparked a debate over whether Canada should really be implementing US-style copyright laws.
First “Howl” Recording Turns Up In Oregon
“What is believed to be the first recording of Allen Ginsberg reading his iconic Beat poem ‘Howl’ has been found at the library” of Portland’s Reed College. The recording predates by more than a month a Berkeley recording previously thought to be the earliest.
Hollywood Readies For Heavy Production Schedules
Debate over what the writers’ strike will eventually mean for the television business are raging, but meanwhile, those who work in the business are ramping up for an unprecedented production push to make up for lost time and reestablish storylines. “For some series the immediate question will be whether they have any future beyond this season.”
Ford Ditches Knopf For Ecco
“In a surprise move, Richard Ford, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Independence Day and The Lay of the Land, has switched publishers for his next three books.”
Ratmansky Turns Down City Ballet
Following a weeks-long flirtation, the outgoing director of the Bolshoi Ballet has decided not to join New York City Ballet as resident choreographer. Alexei Ratmansky “is considered one of the ballet world’s major dancemakers, and his presence would have been a coup for City Ballet.”