Neil MacGregor, director of London’s National Gallery, has criticized the UK government’s recent euphoria over much-publicized museum and gallery openings, including the Tate Modern. Striking at the Government’s boast that it had increased access, Mr. MacGregor said: “There may be more access; but it is access to ignorance.” – The Independent (UK)
Tag: 05.26.00
TOO MUCH DEBT
“We were presented with the figures of what it would take, in terms of financial support, to continue on and we found that we could not be fair to people [we employed] and go forward. The company and school are closed down and we hope it is temporary.” – Los Angeles Times
MARTHA GRAHAM COMPANY TO CLOSE
Citing major financial difficulties, trustees of the Martha Graham Dance Company have voted to shut down the company. “They haven’t raised the money to go on,” said Graham Center board member Ron Protas, Graham’s heir and head of the trust that owns all of her choreography. – Washington Post
BROADCASTING AS WE KNOW IT
A former broadcaster tells colleagues that: “the video and audio streaming opportunity will undoubtedly change everything we know today about the business of broadcasting, both radio and television.” – CBC 05/26/00
SUMMER SHORTAGE
Movie industry execs are worried that the usual line of sequels, remakes and event film blockbusters hasn’t materialized for this summer. Without them, what’s to drive the buzz about movies? – Boston Herald 05/26/00
LAYING TRACKS
Lavish soundtracks have become an increasingly integral part of movie-making and movie-promoting. Madonna, Metallica, and U2 have all contributed new songs to big-budget movies recently. “Soundtracks have been the sleeper album chart success story of the last decade. In 1996 US music buyers were snapping up four times as many soundtrack albums as they had been 10 years before.” – The Guardian 05/26/00
IT’S THE WORDS, NOT THE MONEY
Huge amounts of lottery money have poured into the British film industry in recent years. So, “Why are British films so terrible? So stunningly, excruciatingly, exquisitely bad? The “high concept,” Cecil B DeMille once said, can be scribbled on the back of a cigarette packet. But most Brit-flicks have the entire script actually scribbled on the back of a cigarette packet, written in the time it took for someone to buy a drink at Soho House.” – The Guardian 05/26/00
MOVIES OF THE FUTURE
Trials are being conducted with digital movie projection at 16 selected locations in the United States, Europe and Japan. Half-million movie-goers have already experienced digital cinema. “The prototype projector is called a DLP, or digital light processor. It’s basically a glorified DVD player that uses a new micro-mirror engine to interpret, then “throw” a video image on to the big screen. The result is comparable to, and in some cases better than, the way movies have been projected for more than 100 years, with a light shone through sequential, sprocketed celluloid frames pulled by a claw mechanism through a synchronized shutter.” – National Post (Canada) 05/26/00
CLASSICAL DEFENSE
BBC’s Head of Classical Music Peter Maniura defends the BBC against recent criticism that it’s gone soft on classical music programming. – The Telegraph (UK)
LAYING TRACKS
Lavish soundtracks have become an increasingly integral part of movie-making and movie-promoting. Madonna, Metallica, and U2 have all contributed new songs to big-budget movies recently. “Soundtracks have been the sleeper album chart success story of the last decade. In 1996 US music buyers were snapping up four times as many soundtrack albums as they had been 10 years before.” – The Guardian