“The series was conceived in 2004 by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that administers federal money for public radio and television, to prove to Congress that public television was worthy of its more than $300 million annual subsidy. Even now Congress is debating the White House’s request to cut public broadcasting’s funds by 25 percent. The corporation financed the series with $20 million in federal money, an enormous sum for chronically struggling independent filmmakers. But, perhaps inevitably, such a charged project became caught up in the nation’s culture wars.”
Tag: 04.01.07
Czech Architect Proves His Designs Can Be Built
“For more than a decade, few people believed that the visionary designs which Czech architect Jan Kaplický and his partners submitted to competitions could actually be built. That only really changed after an organisation that must rank as the most unlikely patron in the history of the architectural avant-garde decided to take a punt on them.”
In NY: Everything’s Coming Up Romeo
Several Romeos are hitting New York stages over the next season.”To dancegoers with long memories the choice of ‘Romeo’ is nothing new. It is part of the scene. Since the 1960s New York, London and other leading ballet cities have often had seasons in which two or more companies have sent their “Romeo” productions into the lists against one another.”
The Celebrity Leader
As far as getting attention goes, it doesn’t hurt if your theatre company is led by a famous movie actor. “Few would argue the appeal of an A-list name when it comes to selling tickets, although most of the actors maintain a relatively low profile — their names are no bigger on marquees than those of their fellow company members.” But ultimately, of course, the work has to speak for itself.
Ryan: Sopranos Are Top Of The Heap (All Time)
Maureen Ryan is a fan of HBO’s The Sopranos: “No one-hour drama series has had a bigger impact on how stories are told on the small screen, or more influence on what kind of fare we’ve been offered by an ever-growing array of television networks.”
Paul McCartney Is Killing Rock Music
Do aging rock stars playing their 20-year-old hits at high-priced arena shows represent a threat to continuing innovation in rock music? “Nostalgia is powerful, yes, but [Rod] Stewart, [Paul] McCartney and company are taking these millions of dollars out of fans’ pockets with mediocre new material… How do new, deserving artists get wide exposure when fans are buying one floor seat at the Rolling Stones versus tickets to Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, My Chemical Romance or the Shins?”
Buyer Wanted For Rare Violins. (Violins Not Included)
The New Jersey Symphony’s quest to sell the collection of rare instruments it bought only a few years ago from now-disgraced billionaire Herbert Axelrod will likely prove even harder than their purchase. “The NJSO wants to find one or more buyers willing to purchase the collection as a whole and lend it back to the orchestra for the musicians to play. Not impossible, but certainly not easy.”
Composer Herman Stein, 91
Well-known film score composer Herman Stein, whose music helped define the ’50s sci-fi era in Hollywood, has died of heart failure, aged 91. “Stein collaborated with Henry Mancini and others to create music for nearly 200 movies and shorts, though he didn’t get credit for all of his work because of the studio’s tendency to give solo credit to a project’s music supervisor.”
Going Out With A Whimper
Ballet Pacifica officially shut down this weekend. “The organization’s undoing is complicated. The past 3 1/2 years have been a roller coaster of promises and failures, and the instability shook it to its very foundation, which was the school. At its peak, it had 260 students; this past week there were fewer than 100… Time and again, the Ballet Pacifica board of directors spent money on administrative help rather than artistic endeavors. Ultimately, the community was left with nothing to support.”
Want To Play The UK? It’ll Cost Ya.
Foreign musicians hoping to perform in the UK are running up against a slew of exorbitant new visa fees. “An act, whether one person or 50, requires a work permit, which is to cost £190 from tomorrow instead of £153. Then every member of a group also requires a work permit visa, the cost of which is rising from £85 to £200. Fees are waived if an organisation secures what is called permit-free festival status from the Home Office but the entertainment industry is fearful whether that will survive the introduction of a points-based system for visa applicants next year.”