The Da Vinci Code writer filed a brief with the court hearing plagiarism charges against him. “At first glance, the document bears the giddy signatures of a Dan Brown novel. It’s chopped into staccato chapters; the language is awkward (“I quite literally woke up one morning and decided to write a thriller that delved into NSA”); and its hero is a simple man who is being pursued by evil forces he doesn’t quite understand. Educated at Amherst and Phillips Exeter Academy, Brown had an unusual literary awakening.”
Tag: 03.22.06
Museum Attendance Up/Down In UK
“Since scrapping entrance fees, the national galleries and museums that used to charge have attracted 5 million extra visitors. There were celebrations yesterday at the 67 per cent increase in numbers through the doors of institutions from the Science Museum in Manchester to the National Maritime Museum, London, since they axed their admission fees. But of all the national museums and galleries in England – those regarded as so significant they receive funding direct from Government – seven which had never charged have experienced a fall in visitors during the last four years. Overall attendance has risen by only two per cent since 2001 at the museums and galleries that were always free.”
MTV Canada – Anybody Care?
MTV’s previous entry into Canada was a bust. But MTV Canada returns to questions whether anyone will watch. “By sharp contrast, the newer, slicker version of MTV Canada will devote resources to original production; seven new homegrown series are already in the works. The network hopes to entice viewers with a zeitgeist-grabbing mix of entertainment, lifestyle and reality programming. But aren’t we already swimming in this kind of stuff? What is this drought you speak of, MTV Canada?”
Study: Link Between Kids And TV Sex
A new study says that children who watch programs with sexual content are more likely to have sex. “There is a direct relationship between the amount of sexual content a child sees and their level of sexual activity or their intentions to have sex in the future, the study found. Such media also has at least an equal influence on sexual behaviour as religion or a child’s relationship with their parents and peers, the study said.”
Smackdown: Kirov Vs. Bolshoi
The Bolshoi and the Kirov are two of the world’s premiere ballet companies. “This summer the two companies will play opposite each other in London’s West End, the Bolshoi at Covent Garden, the Kirov at the Coliseum. Both insist there is no box-office war, nothing more than a market opportunity to rake cash while the west effetely rests. But the haste with which the seasons have been cobbled together and the simultaneity of their launches exposes a breach in the entente and the outcome of the undeclared contest will leave casualties on both sides.”
Susan Marshall At 20
“Susan Marshall presented a 20th-anniversary season at the Dance Theater Workshop that confirmed her reputation as an inventive and persuasive dance maker. Like very few other choreographers (Doug Varone is another), Marshall understands intimacy and is moved by it.”
UK Movie Producers Fear New Tax Law Will Kill Shooting
New UK tax rules say “British films will no longer be able to claim tax relief on money spent overseas. The government says this is essential to bring the UK in line with European Union law. But some producers fear it may mean British movies that need to be filmed abroad will no longer be able to raise enough money.”
Renovation Plans Humming Right Along
Next year, Toronto’s Hummingbird Centre will close for a 20-month renovation, which is expected to revitalize the theatre’s place in the city’s cultural landscape. Which isn’t bad for a building that wasn’t expected to survive at all once its resident opera and ballet companies moved out three years ago.
Fighting For Justice And The “Lion”
Back in 1939 Solomon Linda wrote the song that would later be called “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” “Some 150 artists eventually recorded the song. It was translated into languages from Dutch to Japanese. It had a role in more than 13 movies. By all rights, Mr. Linda should have been a rich man. Instead, he lived in Soweto with barely a stick of furniture, sleeping on a dirt floor carpeted with cow dung. Mr. Linda received 10 shillings — about 87 cents today — when he signed over the copyright of “Mbube” in 1952 to Gallo Studios, the company that produced his record. He also got a job sweeping floors and serving tea in the company’s packing house.”
Everybody Loves Jackman
Broadway’s most valuable leading man, Hugh Jackman, must feel pretty popular these days. Not only does he have multiple offers on the table, but some of New York’s most powerful theatre companies are openly fighting over his services.