Back in 1970, a UK gallery displaying several drawings by John Lennon was prosecuted by the crown for supposedly violating an obscenity statute by publicly showing Lennon’s work. The case was thrown out on a technicality, and was chalked up to overzealous prosecution. But new documents released by the National Archives show that the case against Lennon’s art could have been much more serious, had not the prosecutor been alerted to the potentially wider implications of such a prosecution, and reconsidered, lest his actions lead to a nationwide precedent of censorship.
Tag: 03.23.04
The Next Great Voice? (Here Now)
Last year extravagant claims were made for tenor Salvatore Licitra – that he was the Next Great Voice. After hearing him then, Joshua Kosman wasn’t entirely convinced. Now he is. “In a glorious return visit Sunday night to Zellerbach Hall, Licitra delivered on all the most extravagant claims being made on his behalf. His singing was expansive, powerful and superbly shaped, and he wooed the audience with all the dewy charm of a fresh-faced young suitor.”
The Mysterious Mr. Taylor
“After 50 years of making dances, there’s still a dash of mystery about Paul Taylor. His sensibility remains complex and elusive, a particular American blend of physicality, naivete and wisdom that has left its mark on the international scene. His themes, music and tonal nuances remain, in all their variety, unparalleled and irresistible.”
On Demand – Self Publishing Unleashes Thousands Of New Books
Publishing on demand has resulted in a flood of self-published books. The three biggest self-publishing companies have produced a combined 47,000 titles since the late 1990s. “There’s an awful lot of people out there that have something to say.”
WalMart: 88 Cents A Tune
Apple’s iTunes store has been a big hit selling songs for 99 cents apiece. But WalMart is taking aim at the online download business – its new music download store charges only 88 cents. Anyone for 77 cents?
Mel Gibson On Top
Mel Gibson’s power in Hollywood has soared with the success of “The Passion of the Christ.” “Given the money Gibson stands to make from ‘The Passion’ and the media attention it generated, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t No. 1. In this minute, Gibson is the 800-pound gorilla on the Hollywood landscape. The real question, since there’s no possibility of a sequel, is just what’s down the road. That question is also on the mind of an industry reeling from the magnitude of Gibson’s unexpected success. In a town where money talks and jockeying for position on the power lists is an obsessive annual ritual, the director’s currency is higher than ever, Hollywood executives say.”
SARS, Dollar, Economy = Ontario Movie Production Decline
Ontario’s movie and TV production fell 11 percent in 2003. “Spending on film and television productions fell to $874.1-million last year from $984.5-billion in 2002. The peak occurred in 2000, when spending hit $1-billion. Last year, the amount of foreign production fell to $369.9-million from $574.4-million in 2002.”
Director Sues Playwright Over Play
Belfast playwright Marie Jones’ play “Stones in his Pocket” has become a big hit on the West End. Now, Pam Brighton, who directed some Jones’ earlier plays, is claiming that she should get a share of the credit and profits because she “contributed a great deal to the ideas and script of the play.”
Hollywood’s Record Year (Despite The Pirates)
Hollywood movie studios took in almost $11 billion in 2003 – a record. “The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) put the 5% rise since 2002 down to rising ticket prices. Although ticket earnings have risen, the total tickets sold has dropped 5% internationally and 12% in Europe.”
Recreating The Parthenon Marbles
The Parthenon Marbles are deteriorated and “strewn across 10 museums in eight countries” and wouldn’t give much of a sense of their original condition even if they were reunited. But the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies is scanning the fragments and recreating them in full as computer models. “It has produced 152 high-resolution models of the sculptures, and produced images which show each in its original position.”