Arts News Roundup: April 6, 2011

From The New York Times:
Kate Bush Has Permission to Use Words of James Joyce

More than twenty years after being denied the rights to use Molly Bloom’s famed soliloquy from James Joyce’s Ulysses in a song, Kate Bush has finally received permission from his estate and intends to rework the title song from her 1989 album The Sensual World for the release of her first album in six years, Director’s Cut (listen to the first single). This isn’t the first time Bush has incorporated classic literature into her music. Check out her interpretive dance-athon music video for “Wuthering Heights” below.

From The Bay Citizen:
Heklina Goes Backstage with Britney

As you probably already know, Britney Spears paid San Francisco a visit to use the gays…I mean, to perform for her fans at a Good Morning America taping. Thankfully for us, San Francisco’s most fabulous drag queen, Heklina, got the behind the scenes scoop and spills the goods, such as when a producer from ABC said “We don’t want the drag queens in the shot.” Speaking of Ms. Spears, Slate has shockingly called her new album “an avant-garde pop masterpiece.” Apparently shaving off all your hair works wonders.

From The New York Times:
A Plan to Dig Up the Bones of a Suspected Mona Lisa Model

A former Italian television producer plans to try and find the remains of Lisa Gherardini, the woman some believe to be the model for da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, and use skull fragments to recreate her face to determine whether she really was the model or not. I can’t decide if this is intriguing or just morbid.

From The Washington Post:
Gauguin masterpiece unharmed after attack at National Gallery

A 53 year old woman attacked Paul Gaguin’s masterpiece “Two Tahitian Women” at the National Gallery of Art on Friday, snatching it from the wall and proceeding to pound on it with her fists while calling Gaguin “evil” and the painting “homosexual.” And to think that some people think museums are a snooze.

From SFGate:
Matthew Barney to get S.F. film fest vision award

Matthew Barney is to receive the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Award-winning artist, former hot-flash-inducing model, and partner of Bjork. I guess you really can have it all.

From The New York Times:
Behind the Wizard’s Wand: Making the Harry Potter Films

A new exhibition at Discovery Times Square in NYC displays artifacts from the Harry Potter franchise, from wands and Yule Ball gowns to Harry’s famous glasses and quidditch quaffles. Christmas has arrived early for the geeks!

From MSNBC:
Mobile scanner brings x-rays to old paintings

A brand new mobile scanning device is sparing scientists the trouble of transporting precious artworks to an X-ray machine and instead allows them to find hidden layers and changes the artist made centuries ago as the work hangs in the museum.

From The Los Angeles Times:
Charlie Sheen bombs in his concert kickoff

At the launch of Charlie Sheen’s “My Violent Torpedo of Truth / Defeat Is Not an Option Show,” the self-professed warlock with “Adonis DNA” and “tiger blood” was met with boos and jeers. I officially declare this meme dead.