An Oscar presentation speech. The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw offers ten nominees for Most Startling Performance by an Academy Award Presenter.
Tag: 02.13.09
H.S. Teacher: Principal Nixed Rent Due To Gay Content
“A high school principal is denying accusations that she refused to let a performing arts class musical depict gay characters, effectively killing the production. A drama instructor made that charge Friday, and a lengthy account of the episode, penned by an unidentified Corona del Mar High School student, has been circulating in e-mails and was posted Friday at queerty.com, a gay-oriented blog and news forum.”
Laguna Playhouse Drops Longstanding Expansion Plans
The Southern California theatre is selling property it planned to use for expansion. “The sale means that the playhouse’s longtime dream of building a second venue, rehearsal halls and other amenities is dead, at least for now.”
Newly Opened Chicago Theatre Might Close In Dispute
“The Morse Theatre, which opened in October to critical acclaim after a $6 million-plus renovation as a music hall and restaurant, may be closing in a matter of weeks. A dispute between a silent investor who underwrote much of the restoration and the three-man management team that operates the Morse is headed for litigation.”
Not Wimpy – Study Says Talking About Your Feelings Helps Brain Cope
“Putting feelings into words activates this region that’s capable of producing emotional regulatory outcomes, which could explain why putting feelings into words dampens them down.”
Arts Money Survived In Stimulus Bill
“By a vote of 246 to 183, the House of Representatives has passed the $787-billion economic stimulus bill, hammered out Thursday between House and Senate conferees. And, lo and behold, there’s $50 million in it for artists and the nonprofit arts organizations that provide many of their job opportunities.”
Art Auctions – Portrait Of A Business In Decline
The art auction market is “finally feeling the full brunt of the global economic crisis. For the first time in five years, the auction houses struggled to secure enough top material to entice potential bidders. Without discretionary sellers, auctioneers had to rely heavily on those compelled to sell art because of divorce or debt or to settle an estate. Consigners had to accept lower asking prices.”
Public Radio Treads A Fine Line In Fundraising
Turning listeners of a free service into voluntary donors is always tricky. But now hosts have to walk an even finer line between urgency and desperation, noting the financial turmoil without scaring listeners’ wallets back into their pockets.
How The Transition To Digital TV Got Messed Up
“The digital-transition bill was born amid sniping between Republicans and Democrats, which time and again complicated its implementation. The heads of the two federal agencies charged with managing the transition barely spoke to each other. And in the end, the rifts between Republicans in the Bush administration running the program and the congressional Democrats overseeing it stymied efforts to right the transition as it steered off course.”
Is The California Arts Council A Joke?
“Newly elected chairwoman Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, owner of Feruzzi Fine Art, was elevated to the leadership post by her colleagues a few weeks ago. Having an art dealer chair the state arts council is sort of like having a slot machine manufacturer run the California Gambling Control Commission. On one hand, who would be better informed about gambling than a business that profits from it? On the other, surely you jest.”