It’s looking like a large new monument marking World War II will be built on the the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. “Tearing down part of an existing, widely beloved national memorial and building a new one on the ashes of the old raises an obvious question. What does this project mean for the future of historic preservation in our nation’s capital?” – Los Angeles Times
Tag: 08.22.00
LAVA LAMP INVENTOR DIES —
— at the age of 82. Edward Craven Walker once said: “If you buy my lamp, you won’t need drugs.” – CNN
ACTIVE CRITIC
Portland theatre critic not only wrote critical reviews of a theatre company’s shows but went to funders to ask why they gave money to the theatre. “It appears to me through it all he’s trying to close us down. If he gets away with it, guess who’s next? I don’t mind being blasted, that’s part of it. But this goes over the line.” – Portland Business Journal
BORN TO LEAD
Where are all the great conductors? “Why has the field become so mundane? Perhaps the cult of the conductor is essentially a 19th-century phenomenon; perhaps post-war Western society, no longer able to believe in benevolent political dictatorship, has become wary of its musical counterpart, too.” – National Post (Canada)
TOMORROW’S STARS TODAY
San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program graduates offer a peek at tomorrow’s opera stars. – San Francisco Chronicle
ACTIVE CRITIC
Portland theatre critic not only wrote critical reviews of a theatre company’s shows but went to funders to ask why they gave money to the theatre. “It appears to me through it all he’s trying to close us down. If he gets away with it, guess who’s next? I don’t mind being blasted, that’s part of it. But this goes over the line.” – Portland Business Journal 08/22/00
THE SELLARS FESTIVAL
Peter Sellars is hard at work putting together the next Adelaide Festival. “Decrying many Australian and American festivals for relying heavily on what he calls ‘a yuppie shopping spree’ of European works, Sellars has confirmed he will present a predominantly local program in Adelaide. It is a proposition that alternately dazzles and horrifies people, as do his challenging images of large-scale community collaborations likely to involve Asian countries.” – The Age (Melbourne)
SIMPLIFYING GERMAN
In the interest of efficiency, the European Union has decided to use “new” simplified German in its business. The simplified language, introduced two years ago, “cut the number of spelling rules from 212 to 112 and those governing usage of commas from 52 to nine. German’s Lego-like way of constructing words was also changed by preventing one very long one being created from several.” But the decision has Germans up in arms. – The Telegraph (UK) 08/22/00
TAKING BACK CREATIVE CONTROL
It seems like corporate people make all the decisions in television these days, that creative people – like writers – are at the mercy of the suits. “Some in Hollywood’s creative community are nevertheless trying to break this stranglehold – the one that says Disney, as just one example, will own, shape and control pretty much everything broadcast on ABC. They are taking chances many view as liberating after toiling on the focus-group driven, overly massaged ‘product’ networks are most comfortable serving up. These efforts vary wildly in size and scope and venture capital.” – Los Angeles Times