Conductor Robert Spano was on many critics’ “next big thing” list. But buzz about the 46-year-old Atlanta Symphony music director has died down. “More revealing is the recent fact that where Spano’s name was once prominent on any wish-list of music directors at top orchestras, he’s now perhaps the most conspicuous absentee.”
Tag: 07.19.07
Pinewood Studios At 70
Britain’s historic Pinewood Movie Studios turned 70 this summer. “This wasn’t to be one of those tiny London-based studios where space was so tight that a cameraman could hardly swing the proverbial cat. The idea was to apply modern business ideas to the often shambolic practice of British film-making.”
Broadway Producers, Stagehands Talk New Contract
Coming off of several record box office years on Broadway, producers and stagehands are negotiating a new contract. “Producers want to rewrite provisions that they say inflate the price of capitalizing and running shows by at least 15 percent. Bruce Cohen, a spokesman for Local 1, declined to comment on specifics of the negotiations. However, stagehands have insisted that they are determined to protect terms of the contract that were hard-won during previous negotiations.”
Seven Emmy Noms For American Idol
The Emmys named Fox’s smash hit “American Idol” for seven more nominations, including a fifth bid for best reality competition program. “Last year’s big victor, the Fox espionage thriller “24,” was shut out of the top drama contest, as was the 2005 champion, ABC’s hit castaway thriller ‘Lost,’ which got snubbed for a second year in a row.”
New York’s $2 Billion Museum Building Boom
“Nearly every art museum in New York is now enlarging its building or constructing a new one in a museum boom, the total cost of which will exceed $2 billion. The past three decades have witnessed steady growth of the city’s museum facilities, but the present increase appears to be unprecedented in its scope and breadth. These projects are funded nearly entirely with private money, most of it from the institutions’ long-serving trustees.”
Italy Resists Repatriation Of Libyan Art
Libya wants a second-century statue of Venus currently on display in the Palazzo Massimo museum in Rome returned to it. But the Italian conservation group Italia Nostra is resisting…
Rogers To Design Bigger British Museum
Architect Richard Rogers has been commissioned to design a £50 million expansion of the British Museum. “The newly planned exhibition space in the northwest part of the site should have an area of 1,000 sq. m, or double each of the two existing galleries. It may also be possible to provide direct access to Montague Place, enabling shows to remain open for longer hours than the main museum.”
Going After Hairdressers To Make Music Safe
Canadian hair salons have been sent notices that they must pay license fees for playing music in their shops. “Hairdressers happen to utilise music quite frequently and so currently, we are targeting hairdressing salons to educate them on the fact that they do require a licence if they are using music. The licensing fee varies according to the size of the salon, with a minimum cost of $94 per year.”
Why Jane Austen Couldn’t Get Published Today
“David Lassman, the director of the Jane Austen Festival in Bath decided to find out what sort of reception the writer might get if she approached publishers and agents in the age of Harry Potter and the airport blockbuster. After making only minor changes, he sent off opening chapters and plot synopses to 18 of the UK’s biggest publishers and agents. He was amazed when they all sent the manuscripts back with polite but firm ‘no-thank-you’s’ and almost all failed to spot that he was ripping off one of the world’s most famous literary figures.”
How Did “Harry” Leak Early?
Scholastic believes that DeepDiscount.com and its supplier, Chas. Levy Co.’s Levy Home Entertainment distribution arm, violated their contractual obligations to ensure that “Deathly Hallows” went on sale no sooner than one minute after midnight on Saturday. In a suit filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., Scholastic alleged that Infinity Resources Inc., doing business as DeepDiscount.com, shipped “Deathly Hallows” as much as a week “before the contractually permitted shipping date.”