We come Highly Commended y'know..

Last night Sky Arts 1 HD was up for the Broadcast Awards 2010 "Channel Of The Year" prize....but we were pipped at the post for the big shiny gong by ITV1. We were however, Highly Commended!
Our colleagues in Sky News won Best News Programme for their Pakistan: Terror’s Front Line report, so it was a night of celebration..

Staff Virgin Virtuosos: Tracy at Midem.

I'm at Midem 2010 for the first time and I'm here to network and see if there are any gems of programmes out there. Well, day 1 was a bit daunting. My flight was delayed by half an hour but I managed to get myself from the airport to Cannes without a hitch. I even managed to find my hotel with no problem. But then registration for Midem happened and when I walked into the Palais des Festivals I thought: Jeez, what is all this about and how am I going to make sense of it all.

Well, I attended the First Timers Cocktail, which was less cocktail and more orientation but no matter, I got a tour out of it (and found out there are free massages! - defo worth attending for that alone). 

Once the tour was over, it was a case of, off you go my pretties and good luck. Day 1 wasn't too bad. I got my bearings, found out where my meetings were taking place for the next day and just meandered. Then it was off for dinner and after that the South African opening night at the Martinez hotel which was suitably decorated in the South African colours and I presume the food that was served there was also South African (I didn't try any). The music was better than I expected. There was a traditional African band, a hip hop act, an indie rock act (think Billy Joe from Green Day x3) and another rock type act. 

I met a few nice people who didn't have anything to do with TV but lots to do with music and music publishing. 1 man in particular is friends with the Head of Universal Music Australia and he, Sky Arts 2 viewers, is very good friends with a certain Mr Rieu. As I have my contacts at Universal UK already, I'm told that if I have any problems, Cyrus AKA head honcho, will be able to help me secure Andre. After that, I thought I'd end the day and head off back to my hotel.

Day 2 was better and less chaotic for me as I got used to my surroundings. It helped that I had meetings planned and I was especially looking forward to meeting Sandrine from Euroarts who I deal with on a regular basis. It was nice to hear a familiar voice and finally put a face to the name and we had an enjoyable chat about what's coming up for Sky Arts 2 and what I'm looking for.

I also attended some screenings where they show you showreels of all the programming that are available from the various channels/distributors. And then a few more meetings where as a newbie I made the school girl error of taking all hand outs and loading up my bag till it was so heavy my right shoulder is now located a lot lower than my left one. 

However, I remembered the wonderful free massage offer and promptly went there where the masseuse got rid of those horrible knots in my shoulder.... Bliss! After that, more walking (and surprisingly, my feet were still OK) and then it was off to dinner with Sandrine and to the British music night at the Martinez where Chipmunk was present (yes, that is the artist's name. He had a number one single called Whoopsadaisy for those who don't know the Chip). 

We did also pop into the Carlton for some alternative Jazz but Armenian Jazz isn't really my thing so we left again and caught the rest of Newton Faulkner's act. He of 'Dream Catch Me' fame. He was very good and especially his closing number which was an acoustic version of.... indeed, Bohemian Rhapsody..... This went down well with the crowd and was surprisingly good. That ended day 2 for me.

Day 3 roundup will follow later as I am now off to meet the Head of the LSO and I have 4 mins to weave my way back up to the main hall.

Au revoir, Tracy.

Snowed-in? We'll warm you up!

So, it's 2010 already and we're still not floating about in flying cars. Pity that. Would solve a lot of the 'travel chaos' caused by snow all over the UK today.

If you're stuck at home and you've still got electricity...there's plenty to watch on Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 while you toast your toes by the fire or indeed, burn your bum sitting on the radiator!

Today on Sky Arts 1:

15:35 Directed By John Ford
Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg contribute to this profile of Oscar-winning director John Ford, famous for his Western epics The Searchers and Stagecoach.

17:30 Tim Marlow On Pop Life: Art In A Material World [HD]
Tim Marlow leads a tour of the Tate Modern's new exhibition, discussing Pop Art by artists such as Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol and Tracey Emin.

18:00 CONCRETE CANVAS [HD]
Berlin
Julian Beever heads to the German capital to meet local artists who are turning the city's streets into a living art gallery, before adding his own very appetising contribution.

18:30 ART RACE [HD]
Art Race 6
Ben and Kenny continue their journey across America. Ben abandons art for motor mechanics and Kenny gets trapped in a Missouri strip mall. Is Kenny about to fall even further behind?

19:00 HAY SESSIONS [HD]
Hay Sessions 4: Chris Mullin
The maverick parliamentarian and author of A Very British Coup, Chris Mullin, talks to Guto Harri about his rivetingly funny political diaries.

20:00 SONGBOOK [HD]
Ian McCulloch: Songbook
Echo & the Bunnymen's singer-songwriter gives a fascinating insight into some of his best tracks, including The Killing Moon, before performing them.

21:00 Elvis And June: A Love Story *UK PREMIERE*
The true story of Elvis's first romance with fiancee June Juanico and how his rise to fame pulled them apart. Featuring footage of the young couple on holiday in the summer of 1956.

21:50 Working Space: Michael Vaughan-Cricketer & Artist [HD]


22:00 In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story (Relicence)
Rock 'n' roll greats pay tribute to the 'Big O', whose rise to fame was hampered by personal tragedies. His legacy was assured after the rediscovery of his work in David Lynch's Blue Velvet.

23:00 European Film Awards 2009 [HD]

...and over on Sky Arts 2 today:

16:40 Stage Light - Stage Fright
It may appear marvellous to be a musician, but it is the third most stressful profession in the world. Discover the pressures that face them and how they cope with life off- stage.

17:35 Anne-Sophie Mutter 3: Sonata In E Flat Major, K. 380 [HD]
Celebrated violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, accompanied by pianist Lambert Orkis, performs Mozart's mature violin sonatas in Munich 2006.

18:00 MASTERMIND
Mastermind (BBC) 2
London taxi driver Fred Housego famously took to the black chair and won this classic series of the quiz challenge presented by Magnus Magnusson.

18:30 IN SEARCH OF BEETHOVEN [HD]
In Search Of Beethoven (Series) 2
Beethoven has long been romanticised as a tortured artist. Phil Grabsky attempts to separate fiction from fact in this biopic featuring leading performers and experts. 2/5

19:00 BARENBOIM ON BEETHOVEN [HD]
Beethoven:Piano Concerto No. 2 In B-Flat Major, Op. 19
Soloist Daniel Barenboim performs Beethoven's second Concerto before conducting the Staatskapelle Berlin at the 2007 Klavier-Festival.

19:35 Anne-Sophie Mutter 5: Sonata In B Flat Major, K. 378 [HD]
Celebrated violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, accompanied by pianist Lambert Orkis, performs Mozart's mature violin sonatas in Munich 2006.

20:00 A Midsummer Night's Dream [HD] *CHANNEL PREMIERE*
The renowned Pacific Northwest Ballet perform George Balanchine's stunning ballet, based on Shakespeare's play and to music by Mendelssohn. From the Sadler's Wells Theatre, London.

21:35 Shakespeare's Globe
A revealing behind-the-scenes documentary on the modern-day Globe Theatre, the remarkable reconstruction of Shakespeare’s theatre on London’s South Bank.

22:25 Andre Rieu At Schonbrunn, Vienna [HD]
Accompanied by the Johann Strauss Orchestra, world renowned violinist Andre Rieu performs numbers including Roses from the South, and Emperor's Waltz at Schonbrunn in Vienna.

...and since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Staff recommendations for your sky+ box this xmas

Adrian, our head of planning, does the first of our staff recommendations videoblogs.

I think we might use an actual camera for this next time and not my phone, ahem.
You may need to whack up your volume to hear what he's saying, ha ha!

Merry xmas dear viewers!! (and don't worry - the onair output is still in glorious HD...and not shot on a mobile phone...)

xxx
The Sky Arts Team



More highlights here: http://www.skyarts.co.uk/skyarts/festive-highlights/

Merry Christmas! Roll on 2010...

Tis the xmas season as already the novelty trees are up in Sky Arts Corner. Our giant inflatable snowman is no-where to be seen though. Hopefully he make an appearence, if only for day. He's noisy...so he remains in stored in the tape room.
So, ho ho ho, highlights.....
We've got some fantastic xmas telly lined up across both channels this year.
Sky Arts 1 (also in HD folks!) has:

Sandi’s Christmas Cracker
Sky Arts is taking over Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank on 22 December to broadcast Sandi Toksvig’s Christmas Cracker, a cabaret show that features a glittering array of stars from the worlds of music, magic and comedy, starring the legendary Ronnie Corbett. Hosted by queen of the quips Sandi Toksvig and a house band, the show is a joyous mix of music and comedy. Find out more about Sandi's Christmas Cracker >>
From 8pm, 22 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1978
Celebrate Christmas with the Man In Black and some of the biggest stars of the ’70s. Guests include: Kris Kristofferson and singer Rita Coolidge, Steve Martin and of course June Carter Cash. This way for more on Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1978 >>
From 10.55pm, 24 Dec, Sky Arts 1

Soul Power
A verité documentary, entirely composed of footage shot in 1974 at the 3-night long legendary South African music festival (dubbed "Zaire '74"). It shows the experiences and performances of such musical luminaries as James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, among a host of others. Funk this way for more on Soul Power >>
From 9pm, 25 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Sky Arts 2 (again, also in HD folks!) has:

Metropolitan Opera at Christmas
It’s the countdown to Christmas but forget advent calendars, we’ve developed our own way to tick off the dark days of December. You don’t need the pricey dress, the binoculars and the private box - Sky Arts 2 brings all the glamour and emotion of one of the world’s premier stages into your living room, with 25 stunning operas in December. Click this way to find out the seasonal Met Opera line-up >> From 8pm, 1 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Elaine Page - Live in Concert
Brand new - this recently took place in Sydney at The State Theatre – a beautiful old Edwardian venue – on 31st October 09 - the first time Elaine Page has been filmed in concert since 1991. All her Broadway hits helped along with a sprinkling of anecdotes and stories from her impressive career. See the full line-up for Elaine Page - Live in concert >>
From 7pm, Sun 20 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

• OTHER UNMISSABLE FESTIVE TREATS INCLUDE

Eating Art
From 7pm, 7 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Meat Loaf In Search of Paradise
From 9pm, 18 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Songman – The Untold Story of Jim Croce
From 9pm, 21 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Festival! The Newport Folk Festival
From 9pm, 23 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Jewel in the Crown
From 6pm, 21 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD (7pm start, apart from the first night)

Edinburgh Tattoo 2006 (pipes and drums)
From 3.55pm, 24 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Pinter’s Progress: Philip Saville on Harold
From 10pm, 24 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

Playtime
From 10.55pm, 24 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Dear Mr Fantasy: A tribute to Jim Capaldi
From 9pm, 26 Dec, Sky Arts 1 / HD

The Fantastic World of Michael Crawford
From 8pm, 27 Dec, Sky Arts 2 / HD

Have a fantastic Christmas everyone - as you're sipping the mulled wine and nibbling the mince pies you can be thinking of our scheduling team here, who are already getting into the month of March 2010!

The three B's - Adrian's Belated Biennale Blog...

Better than two years ago when the blog was posted 4 months late I believe but two years later I'm still tardy...


Back to Venice for the Biennale. Same apartment - albeit redecorated (who'd have thought that things like a table and shelves would be deemed optional in a kitchen...)

Jake's older, so no pushchair, but still more interested in chasing pigeons and eating ice cream than anything else in Venice.

So, the Biennale itself. After Tracey Emin's disappointing British Pavilion I had high hopes for Steve McQueen's film (I thought Hunger was one of the best British films of recent years and one of the best films last year). But it wasn't to be and I left the 30min film disappointed and argumentative - my mother in law (an art historian) disagreed with me and gave me a dozen reasons why it was wonderful. I still disagree...

The Danish and Nordic Pavilions though were something else - their first collaboration and the talk of the Biennale. The first was a house with a "For Sale" sign outside and the signs of foul play inside with a dining table cut in half, a staircase lying in pieces and a message scrawled on a mirror in the hall...

The 2nd part was the house of a gay author - possibly the body floating in the pool outside. What did it all mean? It was there with the "intention of dismantling the national representative model..." etc etc It was also something fun and provocative...

I was warned to be careful taking Jake (my son and pigeon chaser) across to the far side of the author's house by one of the curators - those "Tom of Finland" drawings on the wall (!) but Jake was more interested in sitting in a rather cool swivel chair.

Jake was fascinated by a lot of the work - the trashed kitchen and staircase kept him occupied for ages as he tried to work it out and the body in the pool didn't bother him either - and his toy Pinocchio even made an appearance in a couple of the Pavilions... oops. Then tragedy struck. He got left in the loo and, when Bekah went back, someone had nicked him - which is pretty poor. That left it up to dad to leg it across Venice - harder than it sounds - to find the stall that was selling them and then "find Pinocchio" by the time we get back to the apartment. Skin of the teeth but did the deed and "found" the lost toy.

The last images of Pinocchio before his tragic disappearance

The Polish Pavilion was a real surprise and really cool too - a video installation with the screens appearing to be windows behind which ghostly figures appeared in silhouette...

Slight mishap when Jake spotted a ball which was part of an installation and gave it a kick ("when is a toy not a toy? - when it's a piece of an installation" doesn't really register for a four year old) and then later another small ball that was part of an installation made up of toys, balls and wool - kind of a kitten's wet dream - got a little nudge before we could stop him. Got away with it and moved swiftly on.

The Arsenale part of the Biennale (held in the old dock buildings) opened with a stunning piece - you walked into a dark room and there were beams of light coming down from the ceiling in A Matter of Life and Death style which, when you get close, are actually pieces of wire stretching down... it's quite beautiful

A video work by two Barcelona-based artists - David Bestue and Marc Vives - which is part of their Actions at Home piece was brilliant. A slapstick film with gags paying homage to the likes of Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy it drew a huge crowd and was one of the highlights. I found a clip youtube but unfortunately it's not subtitled in English - but you can get the drift...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNXP1qu5RQA

Stumbled across a real treat when we turned the corner and found some Chihuly glass sculptures which were amazing especially when seen against such a dull backdrop as the concrete pavilion buildings

What else sticks in the mind? The nightmarish cafe - firstly a bureaucratic nightmare along the lines of Terry Gilliam's Brazil where you have to select from a dot matrix scrolling menu before you get to the counter and then pay and then collect the food (which you've only just seen although you've already had to order it). But best of all was the decor - garish highlighter-pen style fluorescent colours and angled mirrors giving it a mildly emetic quality.

What else? The Peggy Guggenheim museum is one of the best galleries in the world with a stunning permanent collection including works by Kandinsky, Pollock, Ernst, Magritte, Kapoor, Calder and Klee. It also had a brilliant exhibition called Gluts featuring Robert Rauschenberg's sculptures from his Oil Gluts series made from car parts, garage signs etc. One of the US interns told Jake that one of the pieces looked like Wall-E which is one way of getting kids into art and Jake spent the rest of our time in this wing telling other visitors about Wall-E.

Less impressive was the Franois Pinault Collection which is an amazing building but hardly inviting as, on seeing Jake, we were effectively followed from room to room by a black suit-clad guard with an earpiece. Some reading this will think "fair enough" given Jake's "interaction" with the balls in the Biennale but we certainly kept them on edge as we walked from room to room. There's some amazing pieces here - a great Jeff Koons and a really beautiful Murakami but it's like someone with a lot of money has worked through a checklist of modern artists and picked up a piece by all of them regardless of the quality.

I leave you with two things

First, a chair that looks like an arse (well, it amused me) and secondly a weird idea for a kids toy...

Our lovely new buses :-)