Tag: 11.21.04

Looking Inside The Head (How It Works)

New medical scans are showing the relationship between thinking, emotions and the brain. “It can show, for example, the parts of the brain that operate when we fall in love and when we have food cravings. It has even recently revealed the differences in the brains of Democrats and Republicans. But the technique also holds out the promise of answering deep questions about our most cherished human characteristics. For example, do we have an inbuilt moral sense, or do we learn what is right and wrong as we grow up? And which is stronger: emotions or logic?”

Backstage At The Nutcracker

“Nutcracker” has been a staple of City Ballet’s winter season for half a century now. For the stagehands, that’s 50 years of exploding the Stahlbaums’ living room in all directions; of hoisting the Christmas tree from a trap beneath the stage – higher, higher – until it has grown to mammoth proportions; of dropping a blizzard of white confetti on the leaping Snowflakes from the flies overhead. And then sweeping it up.”

Searching For Vivaldi

Surprisingly, there is still much Vivaldi waiting to be rediscovered. But “Vivaldian detective work these days is done not just by mainstream scholars but also by mavericks, on the fringes of the academic world. And against all odds, it’s mavericks who have made the most noise recently in two definitely curious finds.”

The Pathetic Ill-Informed Michael Powell

Why is Michael Powell still leading the Federal Communications Commission? He’s a disaster. “Pompous and imperious, an ideologue who believes unfailingly in his own philosophy of how TV and radio should work (the FCC also has domain over telephone and emerging broadband technologies), Powell ignores or condemns anyone who opposes him. Though FCC chairmen have labored mostly in obscurity, Powell has managed to make himself famous; he’s the Torquemada of the insane campaign now being waged against “obscenity” on the airwaves.”

A New Blueprint For The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s new contract with musicians is an interesting document. “The three-year labor contract negotiated by Mayor Street and approved last night by orchestra musicians not only stipulates the usual salaries and health-care benefits but it also provides a blueprint for enormous change, laying out more clearly than ever who the orchestra sees as its constituents.”

Dobrin: Retiring From An Orchestra Is Matter Of Conscience

Retirement from a symphony orchestra is a tough thing. How do you know when it’s time to go? asks Peter Dobrin. But there are musicians in the Philadelphia Orchestra who are there and need to understand that. “Once again, the orchestra finds itself in need of family therapy. In this nasty contract fight, management and players once again hardened their positions as adversaries. Resistance to retirement has emerged as an act of protest, at least so far. But musicians should remember that their most solemn responsibility is to the art form, and sometimes that means knowing just the right moment to sound the swan song.”

WNET-TV Won’t Show “Kinsey” Promo

WNET-TV in New York has declined to air a promo for a film on sex researcher Alex Kinsey. Conservative groups have attacked the film, which they say glorifies the researcher. Fox Searchlight marketing chief Nancy Utley said: “New York is the most sophisticated city in the country. It would never occur to me that a censorship issue would come up in New York.”

Opera Class Between Basketball And Football

Every week teens from all over the Bay Area head to opera class after school. “The Bay Area’s only teen opera training program to put on full-scale productions during the school year attracts dozens of 13- to 19-year-old participants from San Jose to San Leandro. These budding baritones and sopranos aren’t your stereotypical glee club or drama class devotees. One-fourth of the cast dashes between school sporting events and stage rehearsals.”