“The story of contemporary publishing is largely that of what Amazon has done to it and of what it threatens – in publishers’ and booksellers’ nightmares – to do. It is the story of a huge contrast between the perceptions of readers, authors and Wall Street, and those of publishers and booksellers.”
Tag: 01.04.14
More Than 50,000 Books and Manuscripts Lost in Library Arson in Lebanon
“Lebanese officials and religious figures mobilized Saturday to prevent a renewal of tensions in the northern city of Tripoli after unknown assailants torched a historic library owned by a Greek Orthodox priest” – allegedly because there was one pamphlet deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad hidden in one of the books.
Charlie Chaplin’s Talking Pictures
“Though most [silent film stars] made talking pictures, few made any to compare with their silent marvels; only those of Charlie Chaplin rival – and even surpass – his silent work.” Why did Chaplin succeed where his contemporaries faltered?
Listening To Pandora? It’s Listening To You As Well
“‘It’s becoming quite apparent to us that the world of playing the perfect music to people and the world of playing perfect advertising to them are strikingly similar,’ says Eric Bieschke, Pandora’s chief scientist.”
Oscar Documentary Short List Looks To Political Films
“They include excoriating cinematic treatments of Indonesian death squads, evangelical homophobia in Uganda, the uprising in Tahrir Square and an attack on the incarceration of orca whales in marine parks” – and an already-banned-in-Moscow doco about Pussy Riot.
Finally, Dramaturgs Are Getting Some Up-front Billing For Fixing The Theatre
Dramaturgs “do anything from mundane script management to researching a play’s historical background, from suggesting changes in a play’s structure to arranging post-show discussions with the audience.”
Web Comics Are So Popular That They’re Becoming Print Books
“Web comics have been around since the early days of the internet, but the combination of universal broadband, image-friendly blogging platforms and the marketing power of social media has seen their popularity explode in recent years.”
USA! USA! Er, At Least With (Ice) Dancing
“Olympic ice dancing also now carries the reality-television, celebrity-culture appeal of shows like ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ programs that have turned the salsa, tango and fox trot into somewhat quantifiable competitions.”
Sex Without Rhythm Is Like Poetry Without Words, Right?
“Literature about sex should never be seen as a guide for the uninitiated, she warned; the choices for her Penguin anthology were driven by literary merit, not instructional value.”
Multiple Oscar-Winning Producer Saul Zaentz Dies At 92
Zaentz was a “fiesty music industry executive turned independent movie producer who won three best-picture Academy Awards in three different decades” – for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, and The English Patient.