Tag: 05.04.05

Torture As A Weapon Of Mass Culture…

“In pop culture, we approve of rogue heroes saving the day by any means necessary. It’s all about getting the job done, and in getting the job done, there will always be casualties of war. And anyway, the bad guy deserved it.” And if that means a little torture? Well… So are those attitudes bleeding into the way we conduct ourselves as a nation?

Should The Corporation For Public Broadcasting Be Dismantled?

Is PBS becoming to politicized? Maybe, but Jack Shafer thinks the problem is publci financing. “The best remedy for this week’s public broadcasting crisis isn’t the dismantling of the “objectivity and balance” firewall but the abolishment of the CPB itself. Bureaucracies inevitably conform to the wishes of the ruling party, and as much as CPB would like to rise above politics, every federal appropriation comes laden with political baggage. No government—Republican, Democrat, or Socialist—will ever surrender control over media money it disburses.”

Poll: Americans Want TV Warnings

A new poll says Americans would like some warning about potentially offensive programming on TV. “About 90 percent strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that there should be advisories and ratings about potentially offensive content they may want to avoid. But while 48 percent either strongly or somewhat agreed that television stations should not air such shows, 50 percent either somewhat disagreed or strongly disagreed, it said.”

Toronto Opera Has A Terrific Year

Toronto’s Canadian Opera Company – a year from moving into a new home – has had its best year at the box office in a dozen years. “Box office revenue also rose, grossing more than $8.9 million, a 17-per-cent increase from the previous season. The company reported an 8.8-per-cent increase in the number of season ticket subscriptions during 2004-05. Sales for the upcoming season have already reached more than $6 million.”

Tragedy In New York: Some Hollywood Stars To Go Without Tonys

“The promise of Tony Awards is one of the ways that Broadway productions, rarely cash rich, are able to draw Hollywood performers to the stage for much less money than they could make doing a movie or a television show. (Or operating a nice lemonade stand.) But this year, Tony dreams will go unfulfilled for some big-name actors,” due to a veritable glut of star power on the stages of the Great White Way.

Dance Without Music? Sacrilege!

The row over the use of taped music in ballet performances has leaped across the pond, and musicians in Glasgow, Scotland, were protesting this week outside choreographer Matthew Byrne’s new production of La Sylphide. “The union believes the music for the show could be provided by a group of just six or seven players, although an orchestra would be ideal.” Organizers say that, while live music is always preferable, the tour simply would not have been possible with the expense of an orchestra added in.

Montreal Musicians Set A Strike Date

The musicians of Orchestre symphonique de Montréal have announced that they will go on strike next Monday after working without a contract for a year and a half. The musicians claim that OSM management’s demands for wage freezes and incremental raises will drive the organization into the artistic ground, and further note that the orchestra has not had a pay raise in 9 of the 14 years since 1991. The strike announcement brings to a head a dispute which had been simmering for months, with musicians frequently wearing red shirts onstage to call attention to their situation.

Management: Strike Solves Nothing

OSM management insists that it is demanding nothing but vital concessions from its soon-to-strike musicians. “The strike will not change the issues that the OSM is confronted with, as much on the international scene as in the Montreal market. In light of those issues, and as is the case with most great symphony orchestras, the OSM must establish conditions that foster the resumption of touring and recording, taking into account the new reality of the world of classical music. In Montreal itself the OSM faces progressively stronger competition, and it is important that the Orchestra equip itself with a framework of more flexible labour relations if it is to preserve its place in the music and entertainment market.”