Madrid’s Teatro Real Courting Daniel Harding

It seems that all Madrid is clamoring for the young British maestro to become the opera house’s music director following a London Symphony concert he conducted there this week. “You don’t know how grateful we are that you… would consider the possibility of taking the musical directorship,” wrote the critic of El País. “Our quiet lyrical waters urgently need a certain amount of agitation or, even, the kind of tsunami that you might bring.”

A Movie Star Who’s Actually Happy About Aging

Debra Winger: “I think there is a new world of roles open to me now because of my age and that makes me feel juicy about acting again.” And she’s still cantankerous: “I so can’t tell you how much I hate the whole notion that we have to talk about [winning an Oscar] as if it’s some goal… Look at what it’s turned into. What a nightmare. Shame on you for bringing that up.”

The Candidates on the Arts – What Have They Actually Said?

“Democrat Obama has spoken about the importance of the arts often on the campaign trail, and his official party platform includes a two-page arts policy statement that calls for increased government funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. Republican McCain has been practically mum on the issue, although two weeks ago his campaign released a four-sentence statement that calls for funding for arts education to be left to local entities, where ‘local priorities allow.'”