“Movieclips.com, which launches on Thursday, allows users to watch 12,000 clips free and embed them on blogs and websites such as Twitter and Facebook. … The studios will hope the site stimulates interest in their film libraries.” That is, they’re hoping the clips will generate sales.
Tag: 12.03.09
Louvre, Versailles Close On Paris Museum Strike’s 9th Day
“A strike by French museum workers widened today with the Louvre and Versailles Palace joining a host of other tourist attractions to shut down as employees protested against planned job cuts. … Unions say the government’s plan to replace only one out of every two retiring civil servants will cripple museums, as will its plan to cut some subsidies.”
Well Done, Grammy Jazz Voters
“Grammy voters might have made some baffling choices this year (seriously, Hall & Oates?), but not when it came to the jazz categories.”
Brainstorming A Redesigned Los Angeles
“Our lovely sprawl is stocked with colorful neighborhoods, … but public transportation is another story. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the Subway to the Sea. That is, until more innovative solutions are found for making it happen. Which is the point of the L.A. 2.0 conference this weekend.”
In An Unnerving Market, Sundance Gets Real
“Even amid the accelerating collapse of the specialized film business … several 2009 Sundance premieres enjoyed commercial and critical acclaim, buoying the hopes of 2010’s sellers.” Festival programmers “say the coming Sundance lineup is in part designed to reflect the upheaval within the art film world.”
A Convergence Of Oboists In NY, Lured By Albrecht Mayer
“Oligarchs of the oboe world gathered on Monday for a private dinner” that “drew players from the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. … The event was the equivalent of a gathering of National Football League quarterbacks, with [Albrecht] Mayer cast as Brett Favre.”
Via Voluminous Correspondence, Van Gogh Emerges Anew
A new six-volume compendium and a searchable scholarly website, both dedicated to all of Vincent van Gogh’s letters, “will undoubtedly reshape the landscape of van Gogh scholarship and the image of the artist long held by the public.”
Sundance Skews Artsier Under New Director
“Sundance has always made risky selections. … But as independent film boomed over the last decade, the festival at times showed a willingness to give premiere slots as favors to studios or put too much emphasis on advance buzz from sales agents and scouts when making selections.” John Cooper, the festival’s new director, “is trying to address such criticism.”
Paintings Seized By US Marshals, Police At Art Basel Miami
“[F]ollowing an insurance dispute between two dealers,” paintings by Fernand Leger, Joan Miro, Edgar Degas and Yves Klein “were confiscated from the fair at the convention center in Miami Beach, Florida, about 90 minutes before the V.I.P. opening at noon for thousands of invited guests.”
Chicago Lyric Opera Orch Threatens Strike
“The Chicago Federation of Musicians and the committee representing the 76 members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra said Wednesday they will strike the opening performance of Lehar’s The Merry Widow if a new labor agreement is not reached by curtain time on Saturday night.”