Egyptomania in the News 2008 January-June

© 2005-2008 Noreen Doyle

EGYPTOMANIA.org


(HOME) EGYPTOMANIA IN THE NEWS 2008 January-June (notes on the persistent influence of ancient Egypt on popular culture, fine arts, and other current events) see also: Egyptomania in the News (Current) Egyptomania in the News 2007 Egyptomania in the News 2000-2006 Egyptomania in the News 1970-1999 Current Egyptomania Lectures/Exhibits The Quotable Egyptian Revival (please note that external links are not kept updated and that newly-posted stories may appear with earlier dates) updated 8 July 2008 2008 January-June 30 June The crew of the Osiris A won the intermediate eights event at the Henley Women's Regatta. Henley Standard 29 June In Alabama: "The rear entryway of the Gadsden Museum of Art and History is being transformed into an Egyptian tomb." Gadsden Times 29 June Big Fish Games has released Ancient Quest of Saqqarah, an online puzzle game. By solving puzzles, players thwart the god Set's attempts to escape from his tomb. PC Magazine-Mideast 28 June The Egyptian pyramids will be featured among the decorated boats representing UNESCO World Heritage sites at the Rideau Canal Festival in Ontario. The Tribune 27 June Mentioned in passing is that photographer Patrick French's new exhibit at the Malta Arts Festival is "The New Eye Of Osiris, the theme of which is boatyards and boats." Times of Malta 27 June The Russians have suggested sending a mission in 2012 to an asteroid that could collide with the Earth. The asteroid is called Apophis, a name which derives "from Egyptian mythology, where Apophis, or Apep the Destroyer, is the god of evil and destruction characterized as a serpent dwelling in eternal darkness." Novosti The Inquirer 26 June Noted is the name of an upcoming NASA mission "to return samples of organic materials from an asteroid to help scientists understand how the building blocks for life may have been seeded on the early Earth": OSIRIS. CNN 26 June The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas is donating the "artifacts" from the King Tut Museum to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. Fox 5 News 3 26 June A feature story about the author's experience with some beans purportedly descended from ones found in Tutankhamun's tomb. Christian Science Monitor 25 June One of the works by the sculptor Skunk, currently on display at Space 242 in Boston, Massachusetts, is called Hathor, "a creature of welded steel." Somerville Journal 25 June Cobequid Educational Centre in Truro, Nova Scotia held an Egyptian-themed prom. Truro Daily News 23 June Among artist Tom Johnson's many wooden carvings is a statue of Anubis, which "serves as a scratching post for his cat." The World (Coos Bay, Oregon) 23 June A reviewer described as a "turn off" this part of the Divination art show in London's Brunswick Gallery: "the video piece consisting of TV sets piled up on each other showing a constant stream of the text of Egyptian mythological stories over frantic jump cuts to a sound track of loud rock music." Londonist 23 June Will Eisner's The Spirit issue no. 18, published by DC Comics, features Egyptian mummies. Hero Sandwich 22 June Noted in passing: "In 2005, comedian Keith Jensen started panhandling with cardboard signs near highway off ramps, sometimes wearing costumes (including a banana suit and a mummy with 'Please Help God Bless' written in hieroglyphics)..." Examiner (Portland ME) 22 June Noted in an event review: at the Sol Rouge Winery (of the California Napa Valley) is "a decorative pillar with the Egyptian sun god Ra on it." Lake County News 20 June Two of furniture designer Peter Alexander's new lamps seem to be of at least vaguely pharaonic inspiration. San Francisco Chronicle 20 June "It was hardly the best moment for a bombshell. As Alistair Darling expatiated on financial stability in his Mansion House address, all around him in the ornate Egyptian Hall his elite audience was learning via BlackBerries that the top Bank of England official charged with ensuring that stability was to quit." Financial Times 19 June One of the popular prints in the line of summer scarves by Lala Berlin is the "Egyptian Pattern," reported to be a "must-have." Fibre2Fashion 18 June Professional skateboarder Danny Way plans "to ride down the side of the Luxor hotel’s pyramid [in Las Vegas] into a mega ramp that will launch him over the Sphinx statue." 5ones 17 June Review of an exhibit of works by French painter Augustin Lesage (1876-1954), whose work--reportedly done not by the artist but by spirits working through him--included Egyptian motifs. Bloomberg.com 17 June Fashion note: "Georgina Chapman has been musing about treating her mom to a cruise down the Nile on the Oberoi Zahra. 'I was becoming obsessed about it,' she said on Monday. And since there's no better way to work through such an obsession than fashion, it's not surprising that her Marchesa collection is all about the Egyptian goddess, often in lovely white dresses spiffed up with gold." Women's Wear Daily 17 June "If you've ever had a second-grader in Stafford County, you have helped with the 'Egyptian Project.' This always seems to come at the end of the year when I am the least ambitious regarding school projects." (See the link for the rest of this essay.) The Free-lance Star 15 June Pyramids are being used to prevent traffic accidents in Nagpur, India. The Star 13 June Artist Andy Padre plans to enter an "Egyptian-themed, MetroCard-maritime entourage, with elaborate headdresses, chest plates and fans," made from MetroCards, in the upcoming Mermaid Parade at Coney Island, New York. New York Times 13 June An article describes the interior of the Yucca Theater in Midland, Texas: "ornate wall carvings and Egyptian-style designs that line the ceiling and walls [...] golden bulls that stick out from the high walls near the stage, and the bold-colored ceiling designs that look as if they've hardly faded from the theater's opening [...] Points of the intricate Assyrian and Egyptian designs are starting to fade, including the fabric covering the wall about halfway up that likely was more of a white color than the beige it is today." My West Texas 13 June In Attleboro, Massachusetts, visitors have voted, by a slim margin, to name the Capron Park Zoo's white lion "Ramses." Sun Chronicle 13 June Cheryl E. Kemeny's musical Cleopatra: A Life Unparalleled will be performed in Manhattan. Broadway World June (undated) Regarding the Laurence Olivier Awards, the runner up for the "Most Bizarre Acceptance Speech" in years past is "Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker, who accepted her award with what appeared to be a spontaneous, unintelligible, piece of performance art involving a pharaoh and a penguin." Official London Theatre 12 June Kenny Hopkins, a senior at South Kingstown High School (Rhode Island), has painted a mural behind the desk of the school resource officer: "The image is of a man in the desert, walking away from a Sphinx. \| 'It is Moses leaving Egypt. He is walking out of his comfort zone and into the unknown,' said [School Resource Officer Montafix] Houghton, who uses the story to help kids understand that their greatest achievements will come when they do things they do not think they can do." South County Independent 12 June Due in stores this coming September: Ankh: The Curse of the Scarab King, for the Nintendo video game system. Nintendic 11 June Years ago, the bed from the film Cleopatra was reportedly purchased for the Hotel San Diego in San Diego, California. San Diego Reader 11 June Bromley High School in Brickley (U.K.) had an ancient Egypt day. Bromley Times 11 June EgyptAir has redesigned its "Horus" logo. PR-inside (text in German) 11 June (undated) At Cowan's Americana auction (15 March), held in Cincinnati, Ohio, a pair of Egyptian Revival candelabra, made between 1862 and 1877 by Rogers, Smith & Co., realized $9,200. "The figural standards showed full-bodied male Egyptians in royal attire." Maine Antique Digest 11 June The head of Nefertiti graces one of the Royal Ontario Museum's new bicycle racks. National Post The Star 10 June "In a series of three small bronze sculptures from 2004 titled 'Telemones,' [Dutch sculptor Hanneke] Beaumont fuses upper portions of a human figure with obelisks, which represented the sun god Ra in ancient Egyptian architecture. \| Because Beaumont's obelisks are somewhat generalized in form, they imply a looser interpretation rather than a reference to a specific deity." The Plain Dealer 10 June "We named the bigger one [of two heifers] Cleopatra and the smaller one Nefertiti (and for the record, I wish to assure Michelle Milken that these names are not indicative of some Middle Eastern terrorist plot on our part). \| I have put out a feeler that perhaps we could change Nefertiti's name to Heifertiti, but at this point in time the idea is lacking traction." Herald-Mail 9 June When asked what period of time she would most like to visit, perfumer Camille Goutal replied the era of Nefertiti and Nefertari. Basenotes 6 June Exterior restoration of the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia will be completed in time for the building's 135th anniversary in September. After this, the interior, including the Egyptian Hall, will be dealt with. Philadelphia Inquirer 6 June "Don't ask me why, but some people think it's odd to see a couple of women lugging a life-size mummy in a big black coffin through a crowded restaurant parking lot in broad daylight in the middle of May." (The rest of this essay explains the scene and what led up to it.) Contra Costa Times 5 June Sixth-grader Halley Tucker entered a drawing of a canopic jar into her school's student art show. Fallbrook Village News 5 June Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra (1963) made Empire Magazine's list of Best Dressed Characters. Perth Now 4 June The jewelry worn by Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (1963) will be displayed in the upcoming "Queens of Egypt" exhibition. redOrbit 4 June "The badge on the fin of the [Royal Air Force] Hawk [T MkI] dates from the 1930s when 208 Squadron was serving in the Middle East. The wings denote flight, whilst the eye is that of the Egyptian god, Horus." Whitehaven News 4 June Mention that the computer component manufacturer Hiper offers a computer tower called Osiris. Big Bruin Tech News and Reviews 4 June Age of Empire: Mythologies will allow players to control the Egyptian, Greek, or Norse pantheons. Computer & Video Games Vooks 4 June Anubis II, ranked the #1 worst game for a Wii by a previous reviewer on May 21 makes another reviewer's top seven list at #2. GamePro 4 June Mentioned in a review of the Gustav Klimt exhibit at the Tate Liverpool: "Perhaps the game was up with Gustav Klimt as a serious artist when Barbra Streisand commissioned a gold hieroglyphic dress based on one of his portraits. It marked the point when owning a Klimt became the ultimate accessory, to be hoarded and displayed." (See also 2 June.) Guardian 4 June The success of its "pyramid" coin (see 6 December 2007) has prompted the Isle of Man to mint three more Egyptianizing coins, inspired by objects from Tutankhamun's tomb. IOM Today 4 June Two British schools feature Egyptian pageants. Watton and Swaffham Times Weston & Somerset Mercury 3 June The Land of the Pharaohs (1955) will be shown at the Anthology theater in New York City. Village Voice 3 June The giant statue of Anubis that was towed up the Thames last year (see 1 October 2007) is temporarily serving as the mascot of the Austrian football (soccer) team. Suedkurier (text in German) Canadian Press 3 June The Egyptian god Atum appears as a member of a team of heroes led by Hercules in a new comic from Marvel. Comic Book Bin 3 June Cleotronica 08, "a context responsive festival for media, art, and socio-culture," as as its logo "Cleopatra’s infamous profile embedded in a circuit board." (The logo can be seen at the second link.) The National Artipedia - Art News 3 June Recognition of an "Egyptian pendant" stolen from an 81-year-old woman proved to be the clue that ultimately alerted authorities to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen jewelry at a pawn shop. Baltimore Sun 2 June Mentioned in passing: one of the vendors present at a watersports "party" is Osiris Shoes. (Egyptomania.org notes that on the vendor's home page the featured footwear is called "The Corpse.") Wakeboarder 2 June Chris Kramer designed and fashioned an Egyptian Revival tower for his PC. (Egyptomania.org is envious, even if the components are for a PC and not a Mac.) GearLog Valhalla Arms 2 June A DVD of late 1930s Three Stooges films has been released, including We Want Our Mummy. Obsessed With Film 2 June That painter Gustav Klimt was influenced by, among other things, Egyptian tomb paintings is mentioned. The Independent 1 June "Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear is the guest soloist when the National Arts Centre Orchestra gives a rare performance of Saint-Saëns' exotic Piano Concerto No. 5, composed amid the ancient splendours of Egyptian temples." OttawaStart 31 May The New York City Opera will stage Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra next January. TheaterMania 31 May A look at the 19th century artist Richard Dadd, who returned from a trip to Egypt insane. He killed his father because he heard the god Osiris tell him to. Telegraph 31 May In the old city morgue in Boston, built in 1929 and now serving as a health clinic for the homeless, "Two sphinxes guard the stairs that once led down to the refrigerated storage drawers, standing sentry over the dead as if the morgue were a pharaoh's tomb." Boston Globe 30 May Actress Kim Cattrall, of Sex and the City fame, says that her "dream role would be portraying Cleopatra. 'I played the character when I was 41 and wondered if I could play a woman that sexual.'" PhilllyBurbs 30 May Maryl Morris draws from myth, including Egyptian imagery, for her sculptural ceramics Epoch Times 30 May A review of a production of the Elton John/Tim Rice rock opera Aida. Seattle Times 30 May A description of the Beirut National Museum: "The graceful neo-pharaonic style building of Lebanese ochre limestone gives no hint of its closing and devastation, its renovation and reopening." ObserverCyprus 30 May A Cleopatra-inspired dress earned 16-year-old Jandelle Jack a spot among four finalists in a Shakespeare-themed fashion competition in New Zealand. Stuff.co.nz 29 May The name of the Alicante Nudist Association is "Osiris." TypicallySpanish.com 29 May A Malaysian home decor shop, Artistic Home, caters to "collectors and those partial to decorative items with an 'aged' feel." Egyptian reproductions are among the offerings. The Star 28 May Patricia Field, stylist for Sex and the City, describes her own personal style as "Cleopatra." Field says, "Because she was here over 2,000 years ago and we are still talking about her and have an image of her." Vogue 28 May An Egyptian-themed Lego display in Meaford, Ontario. Meaford Express 28 May Another story on the upcoming film Agora, this one featuring a local street transformed into a Roman-Era Egyptian market. Times of Malta 27 May A list of 1980s hip-hop motifs back in vogue today includes "Nefertiti emblems." Black Voices 25 May Two peregrine falcons nesting on the Macomb County Administration Building in Mt. Clemens, Michigan are named Hathor and... Nick. Nick drove off Hathor's former mate, Horus. Freep.com 25 May In passing: the cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas has an Egyptian-themed solarium. Sydney Morning Herald 25 May For its summer Luxe fashion collection, asos.com looked to Cleopatra and Art Deco for inspiration. PR-inside 24 May A description of Cher, making her entrance at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas: "Her golden chariot might as well have been a time capsule, because when she stepped out in a blindingly sparkly gold lamé cape and an Egyptian headdress with an asp, she could have been 22 again." Bob Mackie designed the costume. Salt Lake Tribune 23 May (It belatedly comes to the attention of Egyptomania.org that the television series Lost has been featuring Egyptian hieroglyphs. The first link below leads to a mention of them in a review of a recent episode, the second, to a blog from 28 April, with an illustration and commentary.) Houston Chronicle Doc Arzt & Friends' Lost Blog 23 May Katrina Rivers's garden in Los Angeles has some ancient Egyptian touches. Philly.com 23 May There is a fan-produced online video series entitled Star Trek: Osiris. There is a casting call. Detroit News 23 May This article describes the origin of the logo for the avant-garde Black Cat Café in Ottawa. "'I went back to the origins of Art Deco, which is Egyptian art,' he [designer Neville Smith] says. 'I took the Egyptian cat symbol. When I put the two together face to face, it all seemed to fall into place.'" Ottawa Citizen 22 May Students at the Bishop Michael Eldon Primary School in Freeport, the Bahamas, presented an outdoor Egyptian pageant. Freeport News 21 May Number one on the list of the top five worst games for the Wii is Anubis II. The Wire 21 May A reviewer invokes the myth of Isis and Osiris as a metaphor for an author, her husband, and her memoir. San Antonio Current 21 May A review of "a hot spot specializing in cool jazz and casual Mediterranean food" in Manhattan called Cleopatra's Needle. City Guide New York 21 May A review of a production of Bill Russell and Henry Krieger's Sideshow, which includes choreographer Michelle "Pietri’s hilarious dancing spoof of ’30s Egyptomania [which] demonstrates the fun of walking like a (conjoined) Egyptian..." San Antonio Current 20 May Forty couples will marry in the Pharaonic Wedding Festival, to be held at Karnak in October. Brides are encouraged to dress after the ancient fashion. (Egyptomania.org asks: what about the grooms?) HolidayHypermarket 20 May Another brief item on the upcoming film Agora, mentioned several times previously, with a photograph of an enormous outdoor set constructed on Malta for the movie. Times of Malta 19 May For the filming of The Chopping Block, an Australian realty television series, the three Egyptian-themed murals were "insulted" and two were removed from the walls of Morris's Egyptian Restaurant. The owner of the restaurant, who did not want the murals touched, claims that subsequent mishaps to the show's cast are the result of a curse. Adelaide Now 19 May Noted in passing is that, in the late 1940s, Romanian surrealist artist Victor Brauner (1903-1966) drew from Egypt for inspiration. Artline.ro 19 May Further news on the Tutankhamun-inspired bust of Oprah by sculptor Daniel Edwards (first noted here 18 April), including two variations (one of which, Egyptomania.org duly notes, gives the appearance that Oprah is wearing a solar disk). Culture Kiosque 18 May For the first time, the Smithsonian Institution is allowing its museum to be used as a movie set, in this case for Night at the Museum 2: Escape from the Smithsonian in which a pharaoh's mummy (among other figures) comes to life. NBC4 18 May Paulo Coelho's bestselling novel The Alchemist, in which an Andalusian shepherd boy travels across North Africa to Egypt in search of treasure, will be made into a movie. The Press Association indieWire Variety Telegraph 18 May Noted in passing is the former existence of a Vaudeville act called "Anatomy and Cleopatra." New York Times 18 May Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts, which features an Egyptian Revival gateway and other Egyptian motifs, has a new visitors center. Boston.com 17 May Canada's "only licensed Lego certified professional" will build a large replica of the Sphinx out of the plastic blocks in Owen Sound, Ontario. The Sun Times 17 May Comedian Eddie Izzard related the history of the world, from the Ice Age to present, against an Egyptian tomb backdrop. Chicago Sun-Times 16 May A sphinx is among the structures saved from demolition after a car dealership purchased a former miniature golf range in Tucson, Arizona. Vancouver Sun 16 May A new downloadable game is called "The Curse of the Pharaoh: The Quest for Nefertiti," set in 1930s Egypt. GamersHell.com 15 May In this interview, Zahi Hawass discusses, among other things, Egypt's attempt to copyright its antiquities, most recently mentioned here 15 January. Marketplace/National Public Radio 15 May A fashion reviewer's remark on the new designs by Leon Max: "The Egyptian cut out necklines featured on dresses and tops have that fashion forward, red carpet glam." The Star 15 May A new downloadable game is called "Empire of the Gods": "Be whisked back in time, several centuries ago to Ancient Egypt [...] Work your way up from a small tribe to a flourishing Empire along the Nile." GamersHell.com 14 May There are allegations that Annapolis (Maryland) Alderwoman Julie Stankivic has claimed to be the reincarnation of an Egyptian princess. The alderwoman has refused to comment, but in a pastel portrait she "wears a long white dress, a wide, decorative collar and bare feet. She is seated in an ornate chair, scepter on her lap, hieroglyphics all around." Baltimore Sun 14 May German composer Matthias Pintscher's Osiris had debuted in the United Kingdom. The Independent 14 May A review of the Gemini Soul's jazz album The Nefertiti Xperience. The Tempest 13 May Mentioned in passing is the existence of "the award-winning [cell phone game] Call of the Pharaoh, which requires mobile game players to assist one another in the building of their individual pyramids." Web Wire 12 May A review of the current Portland Opera production of Aida, including costumes and sets. Oregon Live 12 May A new Egyptian-themed PC game is available for Windows machines: Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb. Detroit News 12 May "The semi-derelict Egyptian Halls, designed by Alexander 'Greek' Thomson in the mid-1800s and dominating Glasgow's Union Street, will undergo a £5m clean-up and refurbishment before being marketed as a retail or office development." The Herald 11 May At Rock Garden in Ranchi, India, one can visit a "a horror show based on an Egyptian theme," mentioned in passing here. Telegraph (Calcutta) 11 May Designer Kristine Irving recalls a childhood project: "When I was 12, I drew Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky, on the wall above my bed in magic marker. I skipped school that day. My mom came home to find the goddess and full-on hieroglyphics in blue, red, and gold." Boston.com 9 May The title of Cirque du Soleil's KÀ Theatre "is inspired by the ancient Egyptian belief in the 'ka,' an invisible spiritual duplicate of the body that accompanies every human being throughout this life and into the next. That concept also is reflected in the show’s visual signature, which evokes the central theme of duality as personified by the twins and the symbolic use of fire." Webwire 9 May While working for the World Bank in America during the 1960s, Stanley Johnson (father of the current Mayor of London) "caused consternation when he put out a memo saying that the purpose of a loan to Egypt was to build several additional pyramids at Giza, and perhaps another Sphinx, to draw more tourists." It was issued, of course, on April 1st. Daily Mail 9 May Robert W. Nudelman, whose architectural preservation efforts included Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Los Angles, has died at the age of 52. Los Angles Times 8 May One of the San Diego (California) gardens of designer Trish Kidd is called the Ruins. Here "a statue of the winged Greek goddess Nike rises up from a half-circle fountain that stands in front of 20-foot Egyptian doors, flanked by weathered pillars." Signs on San Diego 8 May Egyptianesque/Art Deco influences can be found in the design of the "Shabaka" wristwatch by Jean Dunand. Wrist Dreams 7 May Hillary Clinton's election night party (for the Indiana Democratic primary) was held in the Egyptian Room of the Murat Shrine Temple. A reporter remarks: " The surroundings were incongruously exotic for a presidential campaign which has chosen to pitch itself to the values of 'six-pack Joes' and white working class America. The Murat Shrine Temple in Indianapolis, which was chosen as a venue for the rally last night, is a piece of architecture decorated with pharaohs and Islamic symbols that can best be described as 'mock-Mosque.'" The Times (London) 6 May An attendee describes, briefly, two Egyptian-themed Kentucky Derby balls: one held at the Radisson in Lexington, the other at Donamire Farm. (The latter was mentioned here, in preparation, 29 April.) Online Casino Sphere 4 May The 1932 film The Mummy is one of a set of new British postage stamps honoring classic horror movies. The Times (London) 4 May A "Queen of Pyramids" online gambling game paid out the equivalent of almost $450,000 to a gambler from Norway. The game "uses a wild King Tut symbol, which substitutes for any other symbol." Online Casino Sphere 3 May The Con Jones in Vancouver, British Columbia has 1920s Egyptian Revival lighting fixtures. (A 26 April story also featured this house.) National Post 2 May Seventh graders from a private school in Iowa won an international toy design competition with "Find King Tut," a game in which the players must answer science questions, which advance them through a pyramid, to locate Tutankhamun. ZWire 2 May A review of a women's social event at the Colombo (Sri Lanka) Hilton remarks particularly on a piece of jewelry worn by one of the attendees: "the pendent in the form of Nefertiti's head in gold with lacquer work on it from Egypt was Sicille Kotalawela's choice to wear with a thread embroidered saree in caramel worked in red roses and green leaves." Daily Mirror 2 May "Legendary garage punk band The Mummies have been convinced to reform for their first show in 15 human years." (Egyptomania.org recommends following this link, if only for the photograph of the four very lively mummies...) Wired 1 May In his youth, football (soccer) player Avram Grant "was known by school friends as 'The Sphinx' because his facial expressions gave so little away." Daily Mail 1 May An exhibit of works of the late designer Ettore Sottsass will include his famous Nefertiti desk, a photograph of which is featured in the article. Design Week undated April From a description of a "making of" DVD that accompanied the press kit for the release of singer Danielle de Niese's CD, Handel Arias: "the video clip of her cavorting at Glyndebourne as Cleopatra. Pay no attention to the battleships and Zeppelins—if Cleopatra wants Zeppelins, Zeppelins she shall have, that's my attitude." Stereophile 30 April One of quilt artist Debbie Gallas's works "showed Egyptian women playing catch with an object. Gallas said it was based on hieroglyphics found in a 5,000-year-old tomb near Cairo." InsideBayArea 30 April This year's Bologna Book Fair features Egypt as its guest nation of honor. Replica and actual artifacts, celebrating Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and Tutankhamun, lend an Egyptomania air to the event. SwissInfo 30 April A brief article about Kamut, a brand of a variety of wheat which, in decades past, was (falsely) reported as having been obtained from an ancient Egyptian tomb. (See also 27 April.) The Repository (Canton, Ohio) 30 April The pyramid-inspired Raffles Dubai retort is set to open later in the year. AME Info 29 April This year's Kentucky Derby Ball, to be held at Donamire Farm, will have an ancient Egyptian theme, complete with hieroglyphic wallpaper and an 8-foot King Tut mask. Lexington Herald-Leader 29 April (Egyptomania.org is not certain that this pertains to ancient Egypt, but:) One of the songs to be featured in the upcoming Bollywood film Kucheludu takes place on a set of Egyptian inspiration. India Glitz 29 April A toy review site notes that the British Museum is selling a plush version of its famous Middle Kingdom faience hippopotamus. Baby Gadget 29 April The Florida Grand Opera's current production of Handel's opera Julius Caesar has apparently been given (at least in part) a British colonial setting and costumes, but as the photograph shows, Cleopatra's hair and makeup remain identifiably Egyptian. Miami Herald 28 April The virtual world of Second Life now has a temple of Amun that "tourists" can visit. SLNN.com 28 April Geocaching--an activity that requires participants to find caches (hidden objects) by means of a global positioning system (GPS)--has taken an Egyptian twist. "One cache in Corvallis [Oregon] requires the searcher to enter a store, walk like an egyptian [sic] and say 'the Pharaoh sent me' to reveal the cache." Gazette Times 27 April A Spanish-built yacht, christened the Nefertiti in 1973 but now known as the Absinthe, is for sale. Superyacht Times 27 April An incident of years past, mentioned in passing: "[Bob] Quinn was introduced to khorasan wheat in junior high school, when someone was passing out the kernels at the Chouteau County Fair. \| 'He called it King Tut's wheat and said it was found in a stone box in Egypt near a tomb,' Quinn said." (Quinn rightly acknowledges that this claim is fiction. Note too that the brand of wheat discussed in the news article is named Kamut, has an Egyptian derivation, though this is not discussed.) Great Falls Tribune 26 April An article about the set of the upcoming film Agora, most recently mentioned here 23 April. First Showing 26 April The Con Jones house in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada) will be featured in an historical house tour. The decor includes several 1920s Egyptian Revival lighting fixtures. Vancouver Sun 25 April A natural rock formation known unofficially as the "Sphinx of Dartmoor" on account of its resemblance to the Great Sphinx at Giza, is the subject of a petition by several British walkers' associations. 24Dash 25 April The Egyptian and Babylonian Halls of the British Museum are featured in a new PC game, Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis. Gaming Excellence 25 April Students at South East Essex College (U.K.) have created Egyptian-inspired fashions. Echo-News 26 April The Tutankhamun-inspired Oprah Burial Mask (previously mentioned here 18 April) is up for bid on eBay. Art News eBay 24 April Chinese tourists are visiting Egypt in greater numbers. Egypt State Information Service 24 April Brief preview of the PC game Ancient Quest of Saqqarah, in which the player's goal is to restore the temples of the gods. GamersHell.com 23 April Review of the PC game Riddle of the Tomb, set in Cleopatra's Egypt. Inside Pulse 23 April Brief article--with a photograph of the set--about the movie Agora being filmed on Malta (most recently reported on here 20 March). Times of Malta 22 April Noted in passing of commentator and journalist William F. Buckley, Jr.: "Bill really prepared to die when [his wife] Pat died less than a year earlier; her public memorial tribute in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, surrounded by Egyptian mummy cases, was the first time among friends he could not speak."