“Two men today admitted plotting to firebomb the home of the publisher of a controversial novel about the prophet Muhammad. … The building, the home and office of Gibson Square publisher Martin Rynja, suffered minor fire damage after fuel was poured through the letterbox.” Rynja had been “preparing to release The Jewel of Medina,” a novel “focused on Muhammad and the life of Aisha, his child bride.”
Tag: 04.21.09
Hollywood Courts Capitol Hill At MPAA’s D.C. ‘Summit’
“To underscore the boon that entertainment can be to a far-flung number of congressional districts, the MPAA released a report with a state-by-state rundown of the wages produced by the entertainment industry in 2007. While California and New York dominated, Texas, Florida, Georgia and Illinois each posted between $1 billion and $2 billion in wages from the biz.”
London To Host Five-Month Circus Festival
“Arts producer Crying Out Loud has launched the inaugural City Circ season, a new five-month showcase of contemporary circus designed to raise the profile of the art form in London. The programme will run from this month through to August and will be presented by a network of 20 venues across the capital, including Camden’s Roundhouse, Lyric Hammersmith, National Theatre, Shunt Vaults, the E4 Udderbelly at the Southbank Centre, Greenwich Dance Agency and Polka Theatre.”
Oakland Ballet Founder Quits (Again)
“Ronn Guidi has resigned as artistic director of the Oakland Ballet Company and as teacher and proprietor of the Oakland Ballet Academy, leaving the future of both institutions uncertain. […] This is not the first sudden retirement from Guidi, who founded the Oakland Ballet in 1965 and led it to international repute with revivals of rare Ballets Russes masterpieces in the 1990s. In 1998, backstage during Nutcracker, Guidi scrawled his resignation on a napkin.”
The Twitter-An-Opera-Plot Contest Is Back!
“Billed as ‘the most fun opera nerds can have in 140 characters,’ the game involves creating a witty, brilliant, and accurate precis of an opera plot. And this time [following a surprisingly popular first round last month] there are prizes – lovely tickets from a dazzling galaxy of opera houses in the US and Britain.” There’s even a celebrity judge: soprano Danielle de Niese.
Paavo Järvi Convicted Of Driving While Intoxicated
The Cincinnati Symphony music director, who was found asleep at the wheel while stopped in the middle of an intersection late one night last month, pled no contest to the charge. A judge “sentenced [him] to six months probation, suspended his driver’s license for six months and ordered the conductor to spend three days in a driver’s intervention program.”
Mozart: It’s Got A Beat, But You Can’t Dance To It
Alastair Macaulay: “George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton seldom used Mozart, with good reason. They recognized that Mozart’s music, even though it abounds in dance rhythms, is often characterized by a structural and expressive subtlety that will make any response in movement look trite. But where angels fear to tread …”
Esa-Pekka Gets A Tusch
“‘Tusch‘ – pronounced ‘toosh’ – is the German word for a brass fanfare, or any flourish. It is bestowed by musicians on fellow musicians or a conductor, the highest musical honor they can give each other.” The L.A. Phil’s brass players improvised one for Salonen as he took his last bow as the orchestra’s music director.
One Day Only: Download Orange Prize Shortlister For Free
“A novel that was today shortlisted for the Orange Prize will be made available as a free download for a day. Burnt Shadows is being offered to anyone who wishes to download it by the publisher Bloomsbury.”
Oh, Dear: Even At Cannes, Frugality Sets The Tone
“Yes we Cannes? No we can’t. The most glamorous film festival in the world is going to have a touch of the frugal about it this year as it feels the pinch of la crise. The 62nd Cannes festival opens next month, and where film directors and A-list actors previously sipped champagne, this time they may find their flutes filled with sparkling rosé.”