Tag: 07.25.00

THE “POPE OF LITERATURE”

“Marcel Reich-Ranicki is not merely the most influential literary critic in Germany–the country which created modern criticism – he is also an educator and an impresario of literature; the man who has made housewives read serious novels and poetry. By exploiting the postmodern media, he has enabled millions of ordinary Germans to rediscover the premodern pleasures of the literary imagination.” – Prospect

MUSICAL CHAIRS

The Philadelphia Orchestra has been looking for a new music director for three years, with still no one in sight. “My fear is that the search is at an impasse. And now that Riccardo Muti has turned down the New York Philharmonic, I fear that the competition for that small group of star conductors is likely to be even more fierce.” Philadelphia music critics debate the choices. – Philadelphia Inquirer

MUSIC OF THE WORLD

As “popular” music has fragmented into myriad genres, styles and sub-categories, the once catch-all category of “world music” has morphed to include almost anything. Faced with the competing problems of categorisation, musical correctness and success, the Womad team – Womad stands for World of Music Arts and Dance – have decided to broaden the definitions.” – The Guardian

PREEMPTIVE STRIKE

Hollywood studios are bracing themselves for potentially contentious negotiations and walkouts when many actors’ and screenwriters’ contracts expire next spring. In anticipation, studios are ramping up production and stockpiling scripts. The last Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes were in 1988 and cost the industry an estimated $500 million in losses. – Times of India (AP) 07/25/00 

“LORD OF THE BOOTLEGS”

Director Peter Jackson is doing his best to keep his movie version of “Lord of the Rings” top-secret until its release – despite the devious attempts by several people on the New Zealand set to leak clips and documents to the public. Three people have already been arrested for distributing video footage and photographs of the set, actors, and costumes. – Wired 07/25/00

MAKING NOISE OVER THE SILENTS

Hollywood’s landmark Silent Movie Theater has recently reopened after a $1 million refurbishment, and audiences are packing the house every night to watch the silent era on screen. “With the greatest respect to modern cinema, people are grossed out with special effects and stuff done on computers. There’s a yearning for the purity of these old movies.” – The Telegraph (UK) 07/25/00 

SAVING PUBLIC BROADCASTING

  • “Activists and citizen groups are crying out that public broadcasting in America has abandoned its Great Society-era foundations and is failing its Carnegie Commission mandate to present diverse perspectives. They warn that it has bowed to commercial pressures and corporate influence, due to inadequate funding. Charges of bias abound from both the right and the left. In a media-saturated country and a media-saturated age, can we still seclude some public space from the marketplace?” [a collection of stories about public broadcasting]  – Mediachannel 07/25/00

DANCE THIS

Some 700 people from 20 dance organizations around America gathered in Washington DC last week to talk about their art. “As it happened, marginalization and globalization arguably formed the twin themes of the conference – especially the virtual invisibility of dance in American culture, but also the limited voice within dance of various constituencies such as African Americans, gay people and world dance advocates.” – Los Angeles Times

RUSSIAN REVITALIZATION

“With more than 100 theaters in Moscow alone – and another 400 in the rest of the country – Russian theater has survived, in large part because Russians refuse to let it die. There were several times when Russian theater should have fallen flat on its face, but it has survived every crisis with flying colors.” Many deem director Kama Ginkas largely responsible – as Moscow’s busiest and most successful director, he saw five of his plays staged last season alone, each one in its own way a hit. – New York Times