One Visa Problem Costs a Festival Two Filmmakers. The Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was unable to get a United States visa in time to attend the New York Film Festival, prompting fellow director Aki Kaurismaki to boycott the festival in protest. By Celestine Bohlen. [New York Times: Movies]

On Wednesday the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a suit seeking to overturn the 1998 law that extended the copyright term from 75 to 95 years. Plaintiffs argue it's a First Amendment issue. By Michael Grebb.

Plaintiffs have challenged the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 (CTEA), which extended current and future copyrights by 20 years. The law passed as a result of heavy influence from Hollywood studios such as the Walt Disney Company, whose earliest copyrights on film depictions of characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were about to expire under the old limit of 75 years.

[Wired News] [The All Electric Media Weblog]

An Affectionate Tribute to an Artist's Artist. John Walter's documentary provides an intriguing and entertaining introduction to the artist Ray Johnson, focusing on his varied art and the mystery surrounding his death. By Lawrence Van Gelder.

They remembered the time he dropped footlong hot dogs from a helicopter over Ward's Island and the time an admirer sought to buy one of his collages. The prospective buyer said he had $1,000 to spend. Johnson asked $2,000. The prospective buyer offered $1,500. He got the collage. But Johnson had cut away a quarter of it.

[New York Times: Movies]

Protesting the Big Brother Lens, Little Brother Turns an Eye Blind. A national debate over the ethics of surveillance continues to grow as video cameras proliferate. By John Markoff. [New York Times: Arts]

Prime Time Gets Real With a Plump Heroine. The sudden embrace of the Rubenesque seems to span all across popular culture, including a new ABC sitcom, "Less Than Perfect." By Alessandra Stanley. [New York Times: Arts]

In a Film Festival's Winners, a Focus on Artists at Work. Montreal's Le Festival International du Film sur l'Art will be offering film buffs a sort of on-screen tour of artist's studios and galleries around the world. By Joanne Latimer. [New York Times: Movies]