MASTER DOUBT

An Old Master painting sold at auction in January was a rags to riches story. But now experts have come forward to say they had expressed doubts about the authenticity of the painting before it was sold. Why weren’t those doubts disclosed by the auction house? – New York Times

US AND THEM

The Berlin Film Festival is still struggling for identity ten years after the Wall fell. “When this was a divided and occupied city, the West Berlin festival had a clear political mission, first as a showcase of democratic freedom, then as a cultural bridge between East and West. Now, with Berlin reunited and the Soviet bloc a thing of the past, the festival seems to be adrift in the no man’s land that divides the global movie industry between the United States and the rest of the world.” – New York Times 02/17/00

RUSSIAN ACTOR IN ORBIT

Russian space officials have agreed to send an actor up to the Mir Space Station and to film scenes for a movie there. “The film is among several projects aimed at keeping the aging space station aloft. Starved of government funding, Russian space officials have been forced to entertain unorthodox proposals for commercial use of the Mir.” – Detroit News (AP) 02/17/00