“Andrew Lloyd Webber has pulled out of a move to sell four of his West End theatres to a consortium led by former BBC and ITV chairman Michael Grade.”
Tag: 12.11.10
Battle Of The Mega-Galleries
“The Gagosian is one of an elite new breed of “mega-galleries”: emporiums of modern and contemporary art that are spreading across the world to cater to the tastes of super-rich collectors and showcase new work. Despite the characteristic atmosphere of calm, and all the beautifully mannered gallery staff, these venues are the backdrop for an extremely competitive, not to say cut-throat, international business.”
Honolulu Symphony Goes To Court And Ceases To Exist
“We sincerely wish we had another message today; over the last year, we worked tirelessly to find a solution that would avoid liquidating. However, we are charged with fiscal responsibility and have no other option.”
UK Pop Stars Record John Cages’ 4’33” (And It’s A Christmas Hit)
This week, 40 musicians representing the old guard (Billy Bragg, Orbital) and the new (the Kooks, Guillemots) entered a London studio and did not play their instruments in a performance of John Cage’s famous silent composition, 4’33”.
Conceptual Art. Okay, We Get It. Now Can We Move On?
“Conceptual art was always quicker and cleverer than its conservative critics gave it credit for, always closer to the mass market than the academies of art.”
The End Of Sharing Books?
“Once e-books completely take over, it will become impossible to know who actually reads and who doesn’t. Pretending to read books (fiction, in particular) has long been a vague, almost subconscious habit of the modern, educated urban male.”
What Architecture Can And Cannot Do
“Until the 1970s, modern architects deluded themselves – as did a lot of planners and politicians – by recommending that cheek-by-jowl, apparently chaotic communities should be cleansed by busting apart historic city blocks and putting up high-rises. These days, no architect in her right mind believes society can be instantly enlightened by computer-generated lines.”
Alvin Ailey – 50 Years Of Revelations
“Ailey wasn’t the first artist, nor will he be the last, to try to deflect the public’s interest from an early, runaway hit in hopes of gaining attention for some later efforts. But, however much artists want to move along, individual works of art have their ways of demanding attention.”
How Big A Success Is Opera In Movie Theatres? Big
“This season, Peter Gelb expects 3 million people worldwide to see the Met’s work at the cinema, and serious money is being made. “The net amount we made last season after covering costs was $15m [£9.5m],” he says, adding that attendances are also up 10% in the Met’s Lincoln Centre base in Manhattan.”
Roger Ebert: Our Movie Ratings Are Broken
“The MPAA should have changed its standards long ago, taking into account the context and tone of a movie instead of holding fast to rigid checklists.”