The Stage reports that Thomas Schumacher, Head of Disney Theatrical Productions, has praised the National Theatre, and says he hopes it won't be affected by the economic downturn. Financial cuts were recently announced for all of the Arts Council's regularly funded organisations, of which the National is one,  meaning that the theatre will lose around £100k funding.

Schumacher told the paper: "I cannot think of another theatrical institution anywhere in the world that does the extraordinary level of work, depth of work and service to the audience that Nick [Hytner] does at the National. It’s a world treasure, not just a British treasure. I am constantly in the theatre - small theatres, big theatres, foreign work, performance work, commercial work, and I just see nothing on a consistent basis like I see at the National Theatre. It’s a real treasure, and I certainly hope it will be protected".

Tory man Ed Vaizey, who kept his culture brief when his party formed government last week being appointed a junior Culture Minister, will report in to not one but two government departments, it has been confirmed. As well as reporting the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt in the Department Of Culture, Media & Sport, he will also have a line to the Department For Business, Innovation & Skills, and its top man Vince Cable.

This has been welcomed by lobbyists in the cultural and entertainment industries who often have to double up their lobbying efforts, because the cultural dimension of their businesses falls under the DCMS's remit while the creative economy really falls on the BIS, and on many issues it's not entirely clear which government department should take the lead. Which can let ministers pass the buck. It's hoped that the nature of Vaizey's new role will mean cultural businesses will have one entry point when talking to government, and deciding whether something is primarily a cultural or business issue can be his problem.

Elsewhere in political shenanigans, the new coalition government has pledged to "cut red tape to encourage the performance of more live music". Although this commitment is rather vague in its wording, it is hoped it means some of the measures but forward by the Liberal Democrats under the last parliament to reduce the licensing obligations for promoters of small gigs will be on the agenda.

Labour supported some reform of their 2003 Licensing Act, but not as much as promoted by the Lib Dems in their unsuccessful private members Live Music Bill. The Tories said nothing about grass roots live music in their manifesto, but it looks like it's possible their Liberal partners might persuade them to give some quality time to reviewing live music licensing rules anyway.

The government has announced the launch of a new internship initiative to help graduates from deprived backgrounds gain experience in the arts. The Creative Bursaries Scheme plans to create at least 40 internships a year with arts organisations for those unable to pay for their own training or take on unpaid internships. Each graduate will be given a bursary at the rate of £15k per year.

Funding for the project, which begins in September this year, is being provided by The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England and The Jerwood Foundation will manage it. Gordon Brown says of the scheme: "It is a vital boost for some of our great future actors, artists and musicians who may otherwise have slipped through the net".

Edinburgh based investment management firm Baillie Gifford has announced it will sponsor no less than seven literary festivals around the UK, including the one in its home city that takes place during Edinburgh's main August festival season. The finance outfit's literary associations will begin with the Bath Literature Festival which kicks off next weekend. Other events to benefit from the sponsorship programme include literary festivals in Cheltenham and Windsor.

Baillie Gifford marketing chief James Budden said he thought the (normally aging) audience found at literary festivals would be the right demographic for his company, while adding that he believed there was a "correlation" between "the diligence and imagination that successful writers bring to the creative process and what we bring to investments here at Baillie Gifford".

The Royal Opera House is to create 68 new jobs for young unemployed people, in a scheme funded by the Future Jobs Fund and managed by the Culture Quarter Programme, a partnership of ten London-based arts and cultural organisations. The new roles will be created in a number of different areas, amongst them box office, backstage support and audience development.

The Future Jobs Fund, announced in the 2009 budget, awards up to £6,500 per new job created. It aims to help create work for 150,000 18 – 24 year olds by 2012.

Rupert Everett has said that if it were up to him, he'd cancel the 2012 London Olympics, because, he says, it could become "a very expensive disaster". The actor told the BBC: "If I was King, I would cancel the Olympics tomorrow. I don't like the Olympics anyway. I don't think they're very sporting and I think London is already dysfunctional enough as it is".

He's not the only thesp to have expressed doubts about the cost of the event of late; Judi Dench recently voiced concerns that funding for British Theatre was being diverted to pay for the sporty extravaganza. In an interview with the Times last week, the actress said she was "concerned that they've taken a lot of the subsidy to the arts away for the Olympics".

Everett is currently publicising 'St Trinian's: The Legend of Fritton's Gold'. Not sure if Ms Dench is selling anything at the moment.

Boris Johnson has said that he will restart recruitment for the London Chair for Arts Council England.

The process was recently stalled when culture secretary Ben Bradshaw vetoed the appointment to the role of Veronica Wadley, former editor of the Evening Standard, said to be a close ally of the London mayor. Bradshaw said that Johnson's actions were "a clear breach of the Nolan principles" - which were set down to stop politicians from meddling with public appointments.

Johnson has now written to Bradshaw to accuse the culture secretary of blocking Wadley's appointment for his own, political reasons. The mayor wrote: "This was a bad decision and flies in the face of the mayor's government sanctioned responsibility to nominate the London chair at the arts council. Without a doubt Veronica Wadley was the best person for the job – her support for the arts and pivotal role at the helm of a major newspaper mean she is highly qualified to help steer the arts in London through these difficult times".

It would seem that Bradshaw is not the only person who was dissatisfied with the decision, however; ACE's Liz Forgan, a member of the shortlisting panel who called Wadley "underqualified" has suggested that Johnson consider the candidates she and her colleagues originally put forward, and not restart the process from scratch. "It is good that the Mayor has recognised his duty to nominate a candidate for the position of chair of Arts Council England, London as soon as possible", she says. "The published process states that the competition should be re-run only in exceptional circumstances, and so we feel that the mayor should first consider the three strong candidates previously put forward by the panel".

The government has approved funding for the proposed National Film Centre on the South Bank. The pet project of late film director and British Film Institute chairman Anthony Minghella will receive £45million. The centre, which is expected to house five digital cinemas, will also be a new home for the BFI as well as hosting premieres and other film related events. The project will also receive funding from the London Mayor's office as well as other outside investors. It is scheduled for completion by 2015.

Here's what Gordon Brown has to say about the funding: "Britain has achieved worldwide respect for its innovative and vibrant film industry. The commitment to the new BFI National Film Centre demonstrates the government's continuing support for the arts in Britain, and our determination to invest in leading creative industries as part of our economic recovery".

And here's what a spokesman for the BFI said: "We're absolutely delighted that we can start to move forward and realise our long-term strategy. Film is up there with other art forms such as dance and opera and the visual arts. It is high time that film got a centre worthy of the form".

The government are also to donate £50million towards the Transforming Tate Modern project, a planned £215m eleven storey glass and brick extension to the existing building, while a grant of £22.5million has been made to the British Museum, who are also planning an extension.