“While the world’s flashiest art fair tries to put on a brave face, the grim financial picture worldwide has cast a pall over the festivities and sales prospects” at Art Basel Miami Beach. “The fair’s main sponsor, Swiss bank UBS AG, has recorded about $50 billion in writedowns and losses.”
Tag: 12.02.08
Report Links Media Use With Kids’ Obesity, Smoking, Sex
“The National Institutes of Health and a nonprofit advocacy group, Common Sense Media, have another reason for President-elect Barack Obama to keep urging parents to ‘turn off the TV.’ In what researchers call the first report of its kind, a review of 173 studies about the effects of media consumption on children asserts that a strong correlation exists between greater exposure and adverse health outcomes.”
Strike Averted, La Scala Gala Will Go On
“Milan’s La Scala opera house and a union representing about half of its orchestra agreed on a new contract, averting an additional strike that threatened the Dec. 7 gala opening night of Verdi’s ‘Don Carlo.'”
Ugly Memoirist Wins Libel Suit Brought By Her Mother
“The mother of a prominent barrister faces a legal bill of £500,000 after losing a High Court libel action against her daughter over allegations of abuse in Ugly, the bestselling memoir. … The verdict is both a triumph and a relief for [author Constance] Briscoe, a criminal barrister and one of Britain’s first black part-time judges. Her career was at stake had she lost.”
Now Playing Everywhere: YouTube Symphony Orchestra
“Traditionally, auditioning for an orchestra means appearing alone onstage in a nerve-jangling performance before grizzled veteran musicians. In the Google way, it means posting on the company’s video-sharing site, YouTube, for online judging by the professionals and then, ultimately, the YouTube universe.” Winners of Google’s YouTube Symphony Orchestra project, announced Monday, will play at Carnegie Hall.