A movie made by French and shot in France has been declared not French by a Paris court. “The film, which lands in theatres in North America on Friday, was shot in France using French actors and a French crew. However, the administrative court ruled that the film does not qualify as Gallic because the production company behind A Very Long Engagement, 2003 Productions, is backed by the Hollywood studio Warner Bros.”
Tag: 11.27.04
Tivo: Commercially Yours
So Tivo is finding ways to hit us with commercials, even as we fast-forward past them in programming. “TiVo officials contend that the new features will not be any more intrusive than the “thumbs-up” icons that already appear during some commercials and shows. But to some customers, the impending advertising changes smack of betrayal from the innovators whose hard drive-based gizmo lets TV viewers record programs, fast-forward through ads and pause at will.”
Issue: Does A Critic Own Review Copies He’s Been Sent?
When Greg Gatenby was director of Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre’s literary programming, he collected review copies of books. Thousands of them. Now he’s planning to sell about 28,000 volumes worth an estimated $2-million, amassed in part during his time as director of Harbourfront. The issue (and the controversy): “When publishers send out free review copies of a book for promotional purposes, are they sending them to the individual or to the institution the individual works for? Gatenby maintained that the publishing industry sends them to the person and that the books then become that person’s property.
Battling Boredom (The Enemy Of Good Criticism)
What’s the worst crime against music criticism, asks Jen Graves? Boring writing. “True criticism is activism on behalf of a vision. It is crucial to be well-informed, but beyond that, it is better to be wrong than boring. Like orchestras, classical critics allow themselves to be suffocated by false burdens of ‘greatness’ and posterity.”
Peter Brook, Directing Legend
“Widely recognised as the greatest theatre director to have emerged since the Second World War, Peter Brook will be 80 next March. He’s a man who – in mid-life and at the pinnacle of success with his historic white-box-and-trapezes A Midsummer Night’s Dream – kicked away the careerist ladder, turned his back on England and moved to France in search of working conditions conducive to profound, long-term theatrical research. The veteran director is currently celebrating his 30th year at the Bouffes du Nord, the wonderful disused music hall with the mysterious proportions of a mosque that he discovered and reopened in all its battered beauty in 1974.”
New Evidence About How Dylan Thomas Died
Lore has it that Dylan Thomas died of heavy drinking. But a new biography disputes the popular notion. “The book discloses that Thomas was found to be suffering from pneumonia by doctors who examined him when he was admitted in a coma to the New York hospital where he died in November 1953 shortly after his 40th birthday.”
CBC Success… But At What?
From the outside, CBC TV seems to be on the rebound (at least no one seems to be calling for its demise of late). But. “As often with CBC, it’s hard to match the visionary rhetoric with the pedestrian prime-time reality. In a world where viewer votes set CBC’s values, perhaps Mary Walsh sweating to the oldies really does represent the broadcaster’s best definition of greatness. If you can’t do insight, settle for incitement and see if anyone can tell the difference.”
Sea Slug Or Not, Cardiff PAC Is Open For Business
The £106 million Wales Millenium Centre in Cardiff may be the most maligned new performing arts center ever to receive public funding, but on its opening weekend, organizers were giddy with excitement, and promised that the center, which has been derisively referred to a “beached whale” and a “sea slug”, will finally fulfill the dream of a uniquely Welsh performance venue.
KC Center Gets Three Big Anchor Tenants
Kansas City’s new $300 million performing arts center will be home to three of the city’s biggest arts groups when it opens in 2008. The Kansas City Symphony, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Kansas City Ballet have all signed letters of intent, promising to take up residence in the PAC for at least 20 years, and have agreed to rental terms with the center’s management. “The commitments let the Missouri Development Finance Board add $12.5 million each year over 2005-2006 to the annual allowable tax credits. The board currently has a $10 million annual cap.” The PAC suffered a funding setback this November, when voters rejected a bistate tax which would have created a significant new source of arts funding.
Authenticating Art, Pixel By Pixel
A computer program that purports to be able to authenticate and identify artwork is making waves in the highly subjective and specialized world of art analysis. Most art experts are openly skeptical of the program and its creator, but many also admit that a judicious use of technology could be quite helpful in supplementing the work of trained (human) authenticators.