Documentarian Ken Burns has responded to pressure from Hispanic activists, saying that he will recut his soon-to-be-screened World War II documentary to include information on Latino and Native American soldiers, rather than presenting the additional footage apart from the main film, as he originally planned.
Tag: 04.18.07
Art Where The Sandwiches Used To Be
It was more than a half century ago when New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art turned its Greek and Roman art wing into a restaurant. Now, after a staggering 15-year, $220 million renovation, the wing is once again ready to house the museum’s 5,300-piece Greek and Roman collection. The original architecture itself pays tribute to its Roman roots, and that made new architect Kevin Roche’s job a particular challenge.
Knopf Scores A Pulitzer Hat Trick, Yet Again
Among the Pulitzer prizewinners announced this week are no fewer than three books published by Alfred A. Knopf. “This is the fourth time that Knopf has achieved a Pulitzer trifecta. It last did so in 1996, [and before that] in 1988 and 1991.”
Schmoozing The Fair
“You might be forgiven for thinking that the London Book Fair is about books and authors — and of course in a sense it is. It is just that few books and even fewer authors are seen here. Rather, with the public excluded from the fair’s site, the hangarlike spaces of Earls Court One in west London, thousands of book editors, agents and scouts are able to indulge in their favorite pastime: schmoozing.”
Gorging On Film
Film festivals are, at their best, an embarrassment of riches, a ridiculous feast that must be consumed carefully and sparingly if one is to preserve one’s sanity and love of film. Unless you’re film critic Dylan Hicks, in which case you should attend 30 screenings in nine days and then write about the experience.
UK Looks At Shutting Off Analog Radio
Digital, high-definition radio hasn’t exactly caught on in the U.S., where consumers have been loath to shell out hundreds of dollars for new digital receivers, and most listeners aren’t even aware that HD radio exists. But in the U.K., digital radio is now so standard that the communications regulator is looking into setting a mandatory shut-off date for traditional analog radio.
Endlessly Looking For $$ In Charlotte
The music director of North Carolina’s Charlotte Symphony announced his departure recently, citing exhaustion and the intense pressure of dealing with the orchestra’s “financial situation” as factors in his decision. So what will it take to put the orchestra on firm fiscal ground? A lot of things, as it turns out. The endowment must be built up, more tickets must be sold, and most importantly, a city with little to no history of high-end cultural philanthropy needs to discover one, and fast.
A Scottish Windfall (And All They Had Do Was Ask!)
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra was recently asked to produce a list of all the things it would do if money was no object. The resulting list of ideas – a series of top-drawer commissions, a new conductor set to make a significant impact on the SCO’s programming and profile, and a standardisation of its ticket prices that includes reductions of up to 50% on the most expensive – was enough to convince the Scottish Executive to come through with an additional £350,000 of funding, a significant boost for the ensemble.
Accounting For Holocaust-Era Loot
“An Israeli Holocaust restitutions comÂpany is asking museums in Israel to hand over all unclaimed Nazi-looted art and objects held in their collections, starting with the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.”