Morning Report - News from July 30, 2002

POP/ROCK

Local H Auctions a Private Concert

Chicago rock duo Local H may have stumbled on the next phase in pop music careers: private concerts auctioned to the highest bidder over EBay. Scott Lucas and Brian St. Clair have promised to play in the high bidder’s home, backyard, garage or any other location on a mutually convenient date.

The group, whose last album “Here Comes the Zoo” drew 3 1/2 stars from Rolling Stone, is best known for its song “Bound for the Floor (The Copacetic Song).” It listed a minimum bid of $500 for a performance anywhere in the continental U.S. and, when the auction closed on Friday, the band had received 81 bids with a high offer of $9,701. Because of the offer’s success, Local H took the unusual step Friday of premiering its latest video, “Four Hands on the Bible,” on EBay, where it could be downloaded on the auction page.

Concert auctions aren’t for everyone, however. A Georgia band, the Liquor Sisters, posted a similar offer recently, with bidding starting at $1. The auction closed Sunday without a bid.

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MOVIES

Latino Film Festival Announces Winners

Eduard Mignona’s “La Fuga” (The Escape), the story of inmates who’ve escaped from a Buenos Aires penitentiary, walked off with awards for best picture and script on the closing night of the sixth annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.

The screenplay for the Argentine feature was written by the director and Graciela Maglie and Jorge Goldemberg.

Brazil’s Luis Fernando Carvalho beat out Mignona for best director honors. His “Lavoura Arcaica” (To the Left of the Father) tells of the struggle between tradition and freedom in a family of Lebanese immigrants.

Nicaragua’s “El Chogui,” Felix Zurita’s story of a young Mexican who emigrates to the United States, was voted best documentary.

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MUSIC

San Jose Symphony to File Chapter 11

The 123-year-old San Jose Symphony, one of the oldest orchestras west of the Mississippi, has announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection next month.

Plagued by management and financial troubles, officials decided to shut down the band in June--leaving San Jose as the largest U.S. city without a symphony orchestra. It was a blow for a city that has long sought the major-league cultural status of nearby San Francisco.

Though Silicon Valley was riding high during the dot-com boom, the number of subscribers declined over the last decade. According to the North Carolina-based Nando Times, the symphony is more than $3 million in debt. Its only assets are its sheet music, acoustic shell and office equipment worth a total of $300,000 by the most upbeat estimates. The bankruptcy filing will permit management to come up with a proposal for payment of creditors. Remaining assets will then be used to form a new symphony. According to interim chairman Jay Harris, a new orchestra won’t emerge until there is funding for a year, a reserve for three to six months, and a considerable endowment.

Detroit Symphony Gives Boost to Minorities

The Michigan-based Sphinx Symphony is composed of black and Latino professional musicians--ethnic groups representing only 3% of the musicians in American orchestras. In a move sure to boost exposure for Sphinx players and deliver a larger audience, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is throwing more weight behind the group.

Beginning with the Sphinx competition for African American and Latino string players in February, the Detroit Symphony and resident conductor Thomas Wilkins will accompany the top three senior division laureates in the finals concerts. The orchestra, which normally commands $160,000 for its services, will perform for free.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the symphony will also continue to let Sphinx use its Orchestra Hall at no cost and to contribute marketing and promotional support. The goal: incorporating more music by minority composers and expanding opportunities for African American musicians.

Though the group’s budget has grown from $80,000 to $600,000 last year, Sphinx is at a crossroads. A three-year grant from Texaco is coming to an end, and turmoil on Wall Street doesn’t help.

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QUICK TAKES

Actress Gong Li (“Farewell My Concubine,” “Raise the Red Lantern”) has been selected to head the jury at this year’s Venice Film Festival, running Aug. 29 to Sept. 8. She won the best actress award at the festival in 1992 for Zhang Yimou’s “The Story of Qiu Ju.” ... Telemundo, now part of NBC, will join in the broadcast of next year’s Golden Globe Awards, with NBC’s version in English and Telemundo offering a Spanish-language translation.... Alex Cambert, a former Telemundo correspondent, will report on entertainment and lifestyle trends for ABC’s “Good Morning America”.... Australian-born Sarah Wynter (“The Sixth Day”) has signed on as the new female lead for the second season of the Fox series “24.” ... The Cult singer Ian Astbury will handle most of Jim Morrison’s vocal duties when surviving members of the Doors reunite for a show Sept. 6 at California Speedway in Fontana.