“Charles Saumarez Smith, 52, has run London’s National Gallery since 2002 and previously was head of the National Portrait Gallery. The announcement of his departure comes just over a week after the Sunday Times reported that Saumarez Smith was engaged in a power struggle with the chairman of the gallery’s board of trustees, Peter Scott, who was calling for his departure.”
Tag: 03.27.07
PBS’s Programming Problem?
“It’s an amazing bait-and-switch. Every few months, your local PBS station begs you – and Viewers Like You – to support their programming for the rest of the year, yet they do this by cramming their schedule with shows which they ONLY air when they’re pleading for dough. If PBS has to tart itself up as something it’s not in order to attract donors, isn’t that a de facto admission that their regular schedule isn’t enough of a draw to justify their existence?”
Barbican Chief To Run U Of Arts London
“Sir John Tusa is to become the chairman of the University of the Arts London when he steps down as managing director of the Barbican Centre in the autumn. The distinguished BBC broadcaster, credited with turning round the fortunes of the centre since 1995, will succeed Will Wyatt as chairman of governors, the university announced today.”
Have Blogs Peaked?
“New research by Gartner, the US technology analyst, suggests the number of new blogs peaked in October and that an estimated 200m have been abandoned and left to rot in cyberspace.”
Caribbean Island To Ban Elton John For Being Gay?
“Pop singer Elton John should be banned from performing at a jazz festival in Tobago because his homosexuality could influence young people, some Christian leaders on the Caribbean island said on Monday.”
Russia Celebrates Rostropovich’s 80th Birthday
“President Vladimir Putin is hosting a reception for him on Tuesday. President Putin visited Rostropovich while he was convalescing and last month awarded him Russia’s ‘Order of the Fatherland, First Class’.”
Billionaire Declines Venice Guggenheim Partnership
“The French billionaire and owner of Christie’s, François Pinault, is refusing to collaborate with the Guggenheim Museum to establish a new modern art museum in Venice–despite a ruling by the city council that the two parties should collaborate. The Guggenheim museum has hired the London-based Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid to design the new gallery in the former customs house. Japanese architect Tadao Ando has been approached to submit plans for Mr Pinault’s proposed gallery.”
Stories Of CD’s Death Are Premature
So many requiems for the CD. Except the CD is still viable. “What we are witnessing is not so much the imminent death of CDs, but the death of the old methods of selling CDs. It’s still possible to make money in the CD business–any business with more than $7 billion in retail sales should allow someone, somewhere, to make a profit. The incumbents are getting killed, but upstarts are thriving, using different methods.”
Do University Scholarships Matter?
“The rapid growth in merit scholarships has been controversial: Many institutions (public and private) say that the awards allow them to better shape their classes and to attract talented applicants who might otherwise go elsewhere. Yields — the percentage of accepted applicants who enroll — go up. Critics have said that merit scholarships may help institutions, but don’t truly help students (most recipients of merit scholarships have many options) or broad social needs in higher education (the merit awards divert attention and funds from the needs of low-income students).”
Valenti Has A Stroke
Jack Valenti, Longtime president of the Motion Picture Association of America has suffered a stroke. “Valenti, 85, had the stroke last week and remains at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore, according to a statement issued by longtime friend Barry Meyer, chairman and chief executive of Warner Bros.”