Tag: 04.03.03

Lightening Up (A Little) In Europe

A new set of copyright guidelines being proposed in Europe may not be as Draconian as previously feared. “The proposal maintains that the right to make copies for private use will be maintained, as long as the copying process is not unreasonable vis-a-vis the copyright holder. This suggestion has the intent of preventing copies being made from illegally produced copies, while safeguarding the rights of the individual purchaser.”

War Games – Ultimate Reality TV

The unprecedented convergence of up-close access to troops and new whiz-bang tools of the TV trade has turned many living rooms into domestic war theaters. And as the coverage marches on, opinions of it are firing back. “We’re watching this war as though it was a video game. It seems to be an entertainment instead of war coverage,”

Cast Travels To O’Neill’s Home For a Touch Of Reality

The Broadway cast of Eugene O’Neill’s “A Long Day’s Journey Into Night” – including Vanessa Redgrave and Brian Dennehy – take a field trip to Connecticut to visit the playwright’s childhood home. “It’s nice for me to have certain things here in my head. It just gives me a visceral sense of what things mean. Like when [the character of the younger son, Edmund, says], `I don’t want to go upstairs until she’s gone to bed,’ suddenly means something else when you’ve seen how oppressive the ceilings are. Suddenly you have a mental picture for what it means to these boys to go upstairs. Of course, I’d stay up until 4 in the morning drinking if it meant avoiding going up there.”

Art As Therapy

“In contemporary culture, the idea that the practice of art making is inherently beneficial to the human psyche is a surprisingly controversial one. It is only slightly less verboten in the mental-health professions, where it is grudgingly accorded a support role to more serious verbal or pharmaceutical therapies, with the caveat that if things get too touchy-feely, it’s back to kindergarten with the finger paints and the modeling clay. Nevertheless, due to its repeatedly demonstrated effectiveness, art therapy has managed to adapt itself to every corner of the mental-health profession.”

Capitol Site For Black History Museum?

A presidential commission recommends building the new Black History Museum on a Washington DC site near the Capitol. “As we did our town hall meetings around the country, we found that the overwhelming sentiment and expressions were that the museum should be on the Mall, should be associated and affiliated with the Smithsonian, and it should tell the whole story of African American history in this country from slavery to modern times. This advance in the development of the museum does not guarantee that it will be built. The backers of the project will have to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from public and private sources. There are also legislative hurdles. But the recommendation by the presidential commission is an important step and gives supporters a more specific idea to sell.”

The Broadway Producer Who Made It

Broadway producer Cy Feuer’s memoir of life in the theatre is the classic American story. It’s an old – and compelling – message: “This is America, where any kid can become president, or at least producer of “Guys and Dolls,” “Can-Can,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Cabaret.” That’s what Cy Feuer did.”

Seattle’s ACT Theatre Raises Half Of The Money Needed To Stay Open

Seattle’s ACT Theatre, which declared an emergency and said it would close if it wasn’t able to raise $1.5 million, says it has raised half the money. “The theater has received pledges of $750,000 out of the $1.5 million needed to keep the organization going. That amount includes gifts of $5,000 to $100,000 from 15 individual donors, all Seattle-area residents. “We’re cautiously optimistic about making our goal of raising the full $1.5 million by April 15. We’ve approached people in a very targeted way and have actually heard only one ‘no.’ Everybody else has said yes’.”

Radio Industry Survey: Americans Happy With Radio Programming

The American radio industry, working to get Congress to relax rules on ownership even more, releases a study that says most Americans like the radio they get now, proving, the industry says, that ownership consolidation hasn’t harmed programming. “Among 1,203 surveyed adults, says Zogby, 81% are satisfied with their local radio. A third of poll respondents reportedly said there is more diversity now than there was five years ago, while 40% said they hear about the same and 17% said there is less.”