“A university student’s satirical musical about Princess Diana has been banned from opening to the public over fears of causing offence. The University of Brighton has decided the controversial performance should be open to invited guests only.”
Tag: 04.10.08
LA Weekly Fires Alan Rich, Ends Classical Coverage
“Alan Rich, among the most highly regarded music critics in the U.S., has been let go from LA Weekly. The newspaper, which will discontinue regular classical music coverage, is among the 16 outlets owned by Village Voice Media, which earlier this month ‘laid off’ the staff film and dance critics from its flagship, The Village Voice.”
Is BBC’s Online Video Crashing The Internet?
“The success of the BBC’s iPlayer is putting the internet under severe strain and threatening to bring the network to a halt, internet service providers claimed yesterday. They want the corporation to share the cost of upgrading the network — estimated at £831 million — to cope with the increased workload. Viewers are now watching more than one million BBC programmes online each week.”
The British Are Coming!
“Over the next few months, some of Britain’s most successful choreographers will be unveiling new work… All four have an interest in crossing styles: from ballet or Indian classical to modern dance. At the same time, they’ve looked for a public beyond the traditional dance audience. And they’re all in demand, worldwide.”
The Unlikely Rise Of A Tenor
How did an apprentice mechanic singing arias to his co-workers become one of the UK’s great operatic success stories? Alfie Boe is the name of the singer in question, and when he was “discovered” by a customer with connections to the music business, he made his way to London on only the barest promise that anything awaited him there.
Should We Really Be Celebrating Chinese Art?
Jonathan Jones says that the clamor for Chinese art in the West should be tempered by a serious consideration of the Chinese government’s abysmal record on human rights. “Isn’t it a bit rich that a regime once more revealed, by the outrages in Tibet, as what it has never actually denied being – an authoritarian mono-cultural state – is being so assiduously courted by so many museums and galleries?”
The Danish Model
There may not be a country better at promoting and bolstering the arts than Denmark. “Even in this age of cutbacks (and its conservative-liberal government has made those of late), Denmark makes a point of taking art more seriously than most.” And the enthusiasm for culture starts at the top: the country’s queen is famously supportive of homegrown art.
Just-Resigned Boston Ballet Chief Jumping To Australia
“A former dancer who trained with London’s Royal Ballet was announced yesterday as the new executive director of the Australian Ballet. Californian-born Valerie Wilder, who has been the executive director of the Boston Ballet in the US since 2002, was tempted away from a return to Toronto, where she spent almost 20 years with the National Ballet of Canada, to take up the Australian Ballet job.”
Should Gov’t Have To Pay For Sex And Violence?
Those who work in the Canadian film and TV industry may be screaming about censorship, but “the government’s attempt to deny tax credits to film and television productions that it deems offensive received rare applause yesterday from groups that argue tax dollars should not support depictions of graphic sex and violence.”
Is Community TV Breathing Its Last In Canada?
“Grassroots local TV has been a source of community information and a training ground for future professionals. But as part of a sweeping review, [Canada’s broadcasting regulatory commission] may rule cable distributors will no longer be required to carry the service.”