“The laws governing the antiquities trade are now so complicated that no one can be sure of them, and the chain of ownership for any given object–even when it is traceable–may be so tangled that nobody knows who officially owns what. But there is more at stake today than the fate of an antique vase or even a curator’s freedom. What hangs in the balance is the very future of museums. Or to put it another way, “Whither the Elgin Marbles?”
Tag: 12.30.05
A Nobel Speech Too Far
Harold Pinter’s Nobel speech was critical of the UK and US. But to have more impact, he might have looked at Dario Fo’s Nobel talk a few years earlier. “By equating the modern farceur with the jesters of the middle ages, Fo made it clear that ideas have always been dangerous — and that artists who entertain by rattling those in power continue a noble tradition. Art, truth and politics will always be in conflict. Fo made this point using laughter, and because of this, his Noble lecture was an extension of his art. Pinter’s lecture is not. His Nobel speech stands in opposition to his plays, the best of which exhibited the power of few words and silence.”
South Africa’s Hottest Band (And The Color Barrier)
The band is mixed race, even if most of its audiences aren’t. “The racial mix of Freshlyground would draw little notice in Europe or the United States. But in a South Africa still struggling to unite its fractured population after centuries of rigid discrimination, the band has become a sensation, drawing audiences in both traditionally black venues and traditionally white ones.”
Car Prowler Nabs A $175,000 Violin
A rare violin has been stolen from the trunk of a car in San Francisco. “The violin was crafted by Nicolo Gagliano in the 1760s and is valued at more than $175,000 US. Gagliano studied under legendary violin maker Antonio Stradivari. “I’ve always left my violin in the trunk and it has always been fine,” said Sabina Nakajima, 23, a student with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.”
Hollywood making Chinese Movies For China
“Traditionally, Hollywood studios have tailored their films for showing in Los Angeles or Kansas City or Lubbock. Foreign markets were the icing on an American cake, a lucrative revenue stream for the cost of a few subtitles or some language dubbing. Then in recent years, as the cost of filming in Hollywood skyrocketed, foreign lands became the destination of choice for bargain-basement movie production — with their offer of cheap labor, financial incentives and unspoiled landscapes. But American moviegoers were still the endgame. Now, faced with shrinking, fragmenting audiences at home, the studios are rethinking how they operate in foreign markets.”
Movie Slump – Blame To Go Around
“The Great Box Office Slump has been covered by the entertainment press with a kind of giddy obsession ever since the summer proved blockbuster-deficient. The year isn’t quite over, but Hollywood will likely end 2005 having sold about 1.4 billion tickets in the United States, which is a 6 percent decrease from last year. Revenue at the box office is expected to reach about $9 billion, trailing last year by 4 to 5 percent (the dip is slightly less than it would have been otherwise because of rising ticket prices).”
Movie-Going – An Exercise In Planning
What’s all this about movie attendance dropping? In New York at least, getting in to a movie is tough. “In the age of Fandango, premovie advertising and sellouts every weekend, it has become increasingly difficult to simply “catch” a movie. Going to see a film has become an exercise in elaborate planning and, particularly this holiday season – when many big films like “Munich,” “The New World” and most famously “King Kong,” are clocking in at two and a half to three hours – a major time commitment. It’s basically impossible to see a movie spontaneously.”