Charges of anti-Semitism aside, Mel Gibson is cashing in on his personal faith to a degree that would make a televangelist blush. In fact, when all is said and done, Gibson could make a cool half a billion on his violent little tribute to ultra-orthodox Catholicism. And in Hollywood, where money talks louder than morality, that kind of moneymaking ability is likely to keep Gibson a major player for quite a while, regardless of how many people he offends.
Tag: 03.18.04
A New Orchestra, And A Lot Of Russian Politics…
Two years ago Vladimir Spivakov resigned (or was let go) as music director of the Russian National Orchestra. Within hours, Vladimir Putin heard about it and asked Spivakov to form a new orchestra. Many of Spivakov’s former players joined him, and a new orchestra was born, and now …
Brilliant: I’m Naked On A Plinth In Trafalgar Square
After 150 years of debate, the sculpture for the fourth, hitherto empty, plinth in Trafalgar Square was chosen on Monday; the winning artwork was Marc Quinn’s marble statue of Lapper, naked, eight months pregnant and as smooth and exposed as a newborn chick. ‘I think it’s absolutely brilliant. I don’t feel the least bit embarrassed about everyone staring at me naked – I wouldn’t have done it if I felt like that. I hope it opens their eyes’.”
The Case For A Jazz Museum
Harlem will get a jazz museum, and the need for it is great. “Since the music has long been an international language, tourists from around the world will be coming to Harlem in ever greater numbers. They won’t see a statue of Charlie Parker, but they’ll be in his presence, along with that of his progenitors. They, and visitors of all ages, will learn, interactively, dimensions of American history through the lives of embodiments of what Ellington called the ‘unhampered expression of complete freedom reflecting the ideals of American Independence’.”
CD Sales Up 8 Percent In Australia
Recording companies have been screaming that music downloading is killing there business. So why are sales going up? “After several years warning of dire consequences for record companies because of rampant music downloading and copying, the Australian Record Industry Association yesterday released sales figures for 2003 showing an increase of nearly 8 per cent.”