“Web 2.0 critic Andrew Keen is taking a lot of flak for his book attacking the internet as a refuge for mediocrity and dilettantism… But one of Keen’s central arguments — that the internet, by its all-inclusive nature and easy access, opens the door to amateurism-as-authority while at the same time devaluing professional currency — deserves a full airing.”
Tag: 06.21.07
A Potter Spoiler, Perhaps
A hacker is claiming that he has seen the ending of the yet-to-be-released final installment in the Harry Potter series, and has posted the identity of the characters who are killed off on his website. “He claims to have hacked into the computer system at publishers Bloomsbury.” Author JK Rowling and her publisher are reportedly unimpressed, and are reiterating their earlier caution that fans of the series should beware false online rumors.
Freud Portrait Breaks Another Auction Record
“A portrait by Lucian Freud has broken the record for a living European artist after selling for £7.8m at auction… Art experts estimate that this week’s London sales could generate almost £500m.”
Price Hikes In Pittsburgh
Ticket prices for the arts in Pittsburgh, where a central ticketing company represents more than 40 local groups, are going up, thanks to new fees being attached to base prices. “The fees are still smaller than many handling fees charged for big-budget concerts and cultural events, from Ticketmaster down to charges by the major Cultural District theaters.”
Theatrical Science Gains A Foothold
“Plays about science and mathematics have multiplied recently, from the courtroom biology of Inherit the Wind (now in a major revival on Broadway) to obscure but very witty musicals like Fermat’s Last Tango and Schrodinger’s Girlfriend… Such shows make interesting demands on audiences: What is more flattering than being asked to rise to an occasion?”
The O’Connor Letters
A raft of correspondence between author Flannery O’Connor and her friend Betty Hester was unsealed last month at Emory University in Georgia, and scholars have been poring over the letters ever since. “Many of the letters to Hester reveal O’Connor’s sharp, quick wit and her passion for religion, philosophy and literature. The two talked extensively about writing and Catholicism — to which Hester converted briefly at O’Connor’s prompting.”
Timing Is Everything
There are rules in Hollywood. Autumn is for Oscar contenders, summer is for silly blockbusters with no artistic merit. “Summer counterprogramming used to be as basic as opening an upscale, quirky or smart film short on special effects but long on character and wit.” But these days, more and more serious films are being released in the summer months, in an effort to get them noticed before the onslaught of big releases in September.
Does Blair Deserve Credit For UK Arts Success?
As Tony Blair prepares to step down as UK Prime Minister, his legacy is dominated by one word: Iraq. But history may judge him by another standard: his support for the arts. “During his decade in office Britain has shaken off its creative lethargy and emerged as the liveliest cultural territory in the West. And even if Mr. Blair himself is not much loved in artistic circles, this metamorphosis has taken place under his watch. So does he deserve credit?”
Report Blasts Smithsonian
An independent panel investigating recent leadership scandals at the Smithsonian Institution has issued a scathing report that lays much of the blame for the Smithsonian’s problems at the feet of now-resigned CEO Lawrence Small. “Rather than rein him in, the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents stood passively by, the report said, allowing him to spend the institution’s money on copious personal expenses and to treat the board as irrelevant to decision making.”
Welsh Choir Director Quits, Claiming Gender Bias
“The first woman director of one of the leading Welsh male voice choirs has resigned, claiming that she was hounded out because of her gender… She turned in her baton after three years, claiming that a ‘minority of members’ had a problem with a woman running the choir.”