How can we get along without plagiarism? Jonathan Lethem makes an argument that culture is a mash of influences and borrowings from other culture. As he demonstrates in an essay in Harper’s. “After 10 pages of carefully constructed argument against ‘those who view the culture as a market in which everything of value should be owned by someone or other,’ Lethem reveals that just about every line in his piece is something he ‘stole, warped, and cobbled together’ from the work of others. He then annotates his borrowings.”
Tag: 05.16.07
Movie Ratings – Keeping Us Safe From The World
So the Motion Picture Association wants to classify smoking in movies. Maybe some other ratings are in order too? “O rating: Films that represent eating in ‘an exuberant or overly celebratory fashion, without fair time and emphasis given to the benefits of moderation, exercise and/or occasional fasting’ would earn an O (for Obesity). Scenes of holiday meals, carbohydrate-heavy breakfasts, enticing preparations of animal protein and empty-calorie snacking will all be considered.”
High Performance Director Stands Down
Robert Cole, longtime director of the Bay Area’s Cal Performances, is stepping down. “The truth, as thousands of sophisticated and satisfied patrons can attest to, is that since he took over in 1986, Cal Performances has become a national and international nexus for all categories of the performing arts — not just classical music and dance but theater, jazz, world music and the spoken word as well.”
Record Warhol? (There Are Consequences)
There may be a record price for a Warhol this evening at auction. “The estimated sales price for 1963’s ‘Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)’ — $35 million — says great things about the enduring legacy of Pittsburgh’s most famous artist. But it also stokes the fear of money-strapped public museums that they are getting priced out of the exploding contemporary art market.”
Kimmel Center Chooses New Director
“Anne Ewers, president and CEO of the Utah Symphony and Opera, will begin a three-year contract as Kimmel president and chief executive officer starting July 9, a year after Janice C. Price announced her resignation.”
Sticker Shock For A Cannes Premiere
“The budget for an over-the-top Hollywood premiere rarely goes above $750,000. But when the same event is thrown 6,000 miles away, the economics are turned upside-down. When Sofia Coppola traveled to Cannes last year to introduce ‘Marie Antoinette,’ the tab ran more than $42,000 — just for the filmmaker’s hair and makeup stylists. Travel to the south of France is costly enough, but the meter really starts spinning once you land.”
A Damien Hirst For $99 Million?
Hirst’s diamond-encrusted skull will be offered for sale next month. “A sale of the skull for about $100 million would put Hirst, 41, on a price level with Pablo Picasso and Gustav Klimt, dead artists who produced some of the 20th century’s most famous works.”
A Record Auction Night
Rothko’s hot-hued “White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose),” from seller David Rockefeller Sr., and Bacon’s fierce crouching Pope, “Study From Innocent X,” helped propel the 74- lot auction at Sotheby’s to a record $254.9 million. Before tonight, the highest auction price for an artwork from the period was a $27.1 million Willem de Kooning in November.
Male Critics Against Women?
Nicholas Hytner says old white male critics are ruining theatre. “Does Hytner have a point? Are male critics turning into crusty, theatrical Patrick Moores raging at these infernal women? I’d say the facts are against him. Any critic worth his or her salt judges a production by the quality of what happens on stage: not by the age, gender, sexual orientation or reputation of the participants.”
Farewells To England’s Favorite Dancer
“It’s hard to believe that Darcy Bussell is ready to retire. Her dancing shows no trace of fading technique, her jump still high, her line still bold and pure. When she unfurls a leg into a high extension, the height is the least spectacular quality. The movement has a sumptuous ease, velvet-textured.”