A new documentary by a couple of young music fans serves mainly as a confirmation of what we already suspected – that the popular music industry is now little more than a corporate shell of its former self. “The men who made this movie were driven to spend a year of their lives wandering the country and talking to musicians and radio and recording-industry people because they correctly felt that something elemental has changed, that the institutions through which they fell in love with music are flailing.”
Tag: 11.26.06
The Hollywood Of The Rust Belt?
The city of Cleveland is making a big push to interest Hollywood in using it as a film set. There has already been some success, but now, “by opening up the 84-year-old, often-empty and outdated Cleveland Convention Center to Hollywood filmmakers,” Cleveland hopes to join the small group of American cities offering not only diverse shooting location, but a Hollywood-caliber soundstage and production facility.
All About The Benjamins
The sad truth of luring Hollywood to your city is that the facilities on offer are only part of the battle. More important to the major studios are the tax breaks and other financial incentives offered by various states and Canadian provinces.
Based On A True Story (Emphasis On “Based”)
Do plays based on historical fact have a responsibility to tell the whole truth? “If not for the sake of historical accuracy, they’re at least bound by their audiences’ prior knowledge of the real people. In one sense, that limits the artistic parameters available to the actor. But by narrowing the options, it can also open new creative opportunities.”
If You Can’t Join ‘Em, Make ‘Em Come To You
Latino actors face an uphill climb finding roles in an American theatre and film scene dominated by white culture. In Los Angeles, the problem is particularly egregious. But two local actors are looking to turn the situation around, renovating a vacant theater and launching a new company with the aim of demonstrating to Hollywood the untapped talent that exists in its own backyard.
And This Is An Improvement?
Countless thousands of schoolchildren get their first exposure to musical performance on the dreaded (but cheap and sturdy) recorder. But a number of UK music teachers are reporting that the much-maligned ukulele is fast eclipsing the recorder in popularity.
Fort Worth Opera Overhauls Its Schedule
“After 60 years of producing operas singularly over a fall and winter season, Fort Worth Opera has announced a major change in its presentation format: it will condense its entire schedule to an annual festival – with all of its operas and concerts being presented over a four week period” in early summer. The change will eliminate scheduling conflicts with the nearby Dallas Opera, and will hopefully make the company’s operations more efficient.
Online Saatchi A Hit With Students
“Charles Saatchi’s popular internet gallery Your Gallery has taken a step into international student culture. Last week’s launch of Stuart… has been seized upon by young student artists. Hits per day have risen to two and half million a day. About 500 art students have taken advantage of the opportunity to show an unlimited amount of work for free.”
When Critics Miss The Mark
The Chicago Tribune is asking its critics to write about a review they wish they could have back – an instance in which their immediate reaction, expressed on deadline, came to seem incorrect with the passage of time. Theatre critic Chris Jones knew immediately what he would be writing about – his failure to recognize the talent of playwrights Sarah Ruhl and Neil LaBute, now two of America’s leading dramatists, the first time he saw their work performed.
Chicago’s Unfinished Business
When the Chicago Symphony spent $120 million to renovate its concert hall in the mid-1990s, critic John von Rhein was initially impressed with the results. But the passage of time has seen him (and many other observers) revise that opinion: “Musicians and veteran listeners came to realize the acoustics were and are worse for symphonic music in the 2,310-seat auditorium than before the renovation. The upper strings lack shimmer and warmth. Players on one side of the stage cannot properly hear their colleagues on the other side, uncertain about how they fit into the general sonic perspective.”