Not so long ago, the People’s Republic had pretty much the staid, rigid, risk-averse media sector one would expect in a Communist nation. That conservatism, like the rest of country, is changing. The news media isn’t exactly free by Western standards, and there are taboo topics, but investigative journalism provides some of the most popular shows on television.
Tag: 03.06.09
The 20 Most Powerful Women In British Theatre
The latest installment in the controversial list sweepstakes comes from Harper’s Bazaar. Dames Judi Dench and Helem Mirren top the list, which also includes such well-known figures as Caryl Churchill, Sonia Friedman, Fiona Shaw and “honorary Brit” Gillian Anderson. Names you probably don’t (yet) know include Lisa Makin, Paule Constable and Bola Agbaje.
LACMA Finds De-Accessioning Isn’t So Easy These Days
“For sale (still): one Old Master painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder, dated 1518, which found no takers five weeks ago when it went on the block in New York. Details available from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which, according to a spokeswoman, has since put it on consignment for a private sale.”
Brooklyn Phil Bites The Bullet
“The Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, beset by the same economic woes hitting most performing arts institutions, has dismissed four employees – a third of its administrative staff – and opened the door to canceling its May 9 performance, the last of its three subscription concerts.”
Las Vegas Phil Backs Away From The Brink
Board VP and acting CEO Jeri Crawford: “Because [the orchestra’s brush with insolvency has] been all brought out in the open, it seems like there is this renewal in the community. There has been this new synergy between the board and the guild and between the musicians. […] The reality that there might not be a philharmonic really shook people up.”
A Nest Egg for MoLAA
“The Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach has received a big boost to its long-term financial outlook with a $25-million endowment from the estate of its founder.”
Where Lemony Snicket Gets His Sense Of Humor
Daniel Handler: “My father’s side of the family in particular is all mostly German Jews who fled during the Holocaust and left behind people who were decimated; so there was a real sense that life was a strange journey, and that was a subject of much hilarity.”
Slamming MoMA’s Van Gogh Blockbuster
Christopher Knight: “The show [‘Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night’] is said to have been a success because 437,000 people came to see it during its 15-week run. I was among them, but I remember things somewhat differently… [The exhibition] ranks high among the most embarrassing shows I’ve seen in a major art museum.”
The Curious Case Of The Movie That Wasn’t Pirated
“So if piracy is such a dire threat to the movie business, as the Motion Picture Assn. of America is so-o-o-o-o-o-o fond of saying, how could “Taken” have had the world’s healthiest theatrical run in America, if pirated copies were clearly readily available virtually anywhere in the world?”
Leonardo Plays Big At Science Museums
“Nearly five centuries after his death – and six years after “The Da Vinci Code” hit bookstore shelves (and later, theaters) – the original Renaissance Man has become a major draw for science, flight, and art museums, even though it’s difficult, if not impossible, to display his original works.”