February 2008
159 posts
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS OF MUSIC CAUSING A CULTURAL...
This week saw news items about the growth in the iTunes music store and reports of massive changes in the way consumers obtain music. Digital downloads increased 50% last year while CD sales continue to plummet. Last year 1 million less people bought CDs compared to the previous year. Among teens half did not buy a CD at all. The cultural change is swift and is largely driven by Apple’s...
BRITAIN ACQUIRES ONE OF WORLDS GREATEST...
Anthony D’Offay collected contemporary art for 30 years. It cost him $52 million. It is now worth $250 million but in an act of great philantropy D’Offay sold it to the nation for the cost he paid for the work and not a penny more. The work will be split between the National Gallery of Scotland, and the Tate. Here are some highlights of the collection.
WAS BEETHOVEN POISONED OR BIPOLAR?
“I joyfully hasten to meet death, for will it not deliver me from endless...”
– Ludwig van Beethoven
“Your Beethoven is living very unhappily in battle with nature and its creator?.....”
– Ludwig van Beethoven
“My misfortune is doubly painful to me because it will result in my being...”
– Ludwig van Beethoven
“Applaud, my friends, the comedy is over.”
– Ludwig van Beethoven (on his death bed)
“During the last six weeks my health has been so shaky, so that I often think of...”
– Ludwig van Beethoven
“I shall seize Fate by the throat; it shall certainly not bend and crush me...”
– Ludwig van Beethoven
OSCARS - THE BIG WINNERS
While there are many Oscar’s that are awarded at the Academy Awards, the “big five” awards are best picture, best director, best actress, best actor, and best writer. These days writing is awarded as two categories, original screenplay and adapted screenplay. To win the big five is called an Oscar Grand Slam. It rarely happens and this year was no exception with four films...
ACADEMY AWARD TRIVIA
“The only way to find the best actor would be to let everybody play Hamlet and...”
– Humphrey Bogart at the 1951 Academy Awards
“When the Academy called, I panicked. I thought they might want their Oscars back...”
– Woody Allen at the 2002 Academy Awards. Woody Allen was joking, but in fact recipients of Oscar’s sign papers that prevent them from ever selling or pawning an Oscar. If a recipient does not want to keep the Oscar for any reason they must offer it back to the Academy.
“I accept this very gratefully for keeping my mouth shut for once, in Johnny...”
– Jane Wyman [on winning for playing a mute character in 1949]
THE 3 MOST IMPORTANT FILMS IN EARLY FILM HISTORY
THE FIRST ACADEMY AWARDS 1929
