Art’s shorts
TIMOTHY BROWN STAFF
NEW MUSIC!
Now in its 16th year, The Telepay New Music Festival has seen its share of amazing composers, and this year is no different. Running from Feb. 10-16, the festival will feature such composers as Jennifer Higdon and Christos Hatzis, of whom you have probably never heard. The same could probably be said for most of the composers, unless of course you’re a “new music” buff, which seems unlikely. While there are definitely a growing number of people showing support for the festival, there are still many among the general public, including many U of M students, who haven’t heard any works by the featured composers. Which is why people need to come and see what the Telepay New Music Festival is all about. In this festival, you will see orchestras do their thing, playing many different styles. You even get to experience George Crumb’s apocalyptic “Star Child,” a piece that definitely lives up to the description: four conductors direct a hand-bell choir, a male speaking choir, a children’s choir and four sides of WSO (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra), which will be spaced out around the hall. It’s the epitome of epic music, and everybody likes an epic, right?
THE DEPARTED 2: WAHLBERG VS. PREDATOR
According to a recent report by the Hollywood Reporter: a script is in the works for a sequel to 2006 hit The Departed. The Departed was based on a Hong Kong film entitled Infernal Affairs, and Warner Bros., which owns the rights to Infernal Affairs, also has the option rights to the film’s two sequels — leading to speculation that The Departed will head in a similar direction. The story would centre on Mark Wahlberg’s character, arguably the biggest asshole in the film, and would also possibly star Robert DeNiro. There is, however, still debate as to whether or not director Martin Scorsese will approve the sequel. In his entire career he has yet to make a sequel to one of his films. This might be one of the reasons why he’s such a good director, since, unwilling to do sequels, there’s never really any chance for him to ruin a good film. There are good sequels out there, but for the most part, sequels either lack originality or sabotage themselves by trying to outdo the original — the result of which is usually too ridiculous to be enjoyed. We all remember The Lost World, that horrible Jurassic Park sequel. But, there is a positive side to the possibility of a sequel: Mark Wahlberg’s character was incredibly enjoyable and Martin Scorsese is definitely a director I would trust to do a proper sequel, especially to a film as good as The Departed.
HARRY POTTER AND THE WHEELBARROW FULL OF DEAD CHARACTERS
J. K. Rowling’s final installment in the megapopular Harry Potter series is set to be released July 21 of this year, and will be titled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. According to Rowling, the final book will have at least two deaths, which has led to speculation that the eponymous Potter might be one of those two characters. Rowling, in a recent interview, admitted that she was not fond of killing off characters, including the major character that was killed off in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. She even went as far as talking about how, by the time she had written that part, she was past the grieving stage for that slain character. I know when my dog died, I grieved. I even grieved when my pet turtle, Spike, died. I’m just not sure I would grieve for a fictional character that I had originally created, planned to kill off from almost the very beginning, and then killed. I guess one could become attached to one’s fictional characters, especially if those characters are helping one become insanely rich. I just hope Rowling isn’t too emotionally scarred by writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It might be difficult with the body count doubling.
