Kate Wenner used to reach millions of people every night by producing ’20/20.’ Now she’s a playwright with a play about war veterans that draws maybe 99 people a performance. And that’s OK with her.
Tag: 01.07.11
The Dance World Is Falling Behind
“The reality is that U.S. companies have fallen behind their European counterparts – not in some subjective way such as repertory or artistic quality, but with the critical organizational iterative experience, marketing and advanced media-focused fundraising capabilities that are going to determine success over the next 10 years.”
Not All Disasters Prompt Equal Generosity From Donors
Psychological research indicates that “we are significantly more likely to contribute when the crisis in question is the result of a natural disaster (say, a hurricane or earthquake) rather than human activity (such as the civil war in Sudan). … The researchers attribute this unfortunate tendency to the Just World Hypothesis.”
What (Almost) All Ballet Movies Have in Common
“Over decades and across continents, ballet dancers in feature films have consistently been associated with hysteria, madness, torture, the supernatural and death. Former New Yorker critic Arlene Croce dubbed this a ‘tradition of morbidity’, and certain motifs crop up over and over again. Here are few of them.”
Move Over, McNuggets: Cartoon Characters Promote Healthy Food, Too
“Like their human counterparts, cartoon celebrities are actually pretty eager to burnish their reputations by endorsing virtuous causes. … SpongeBob SquarePants appears on packaging for spinach, Tweety Bird has shilled for grapes, Bugs Bunny is pitching carrots, and Elmo’s hawking organic vegetable soup.”
In LA Private Concerts Pick Up From Die-Off Of Jazz Clubs
“As jazz clubs flourished in the ’50s and ’60s — exemplified by the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach and Shelly’s Manne-Hole in Hollywood — private performances dropped off. The high attrition rate of clubs in the last 20 years has made salons an attractive alternative to clubs and concerts.”
The NYT’s Hot New Book Critic
“Isn’t it amazing,” observed one, “how a voice can really jump off the page.” Another praised him as both “takedown artist” (but “the complete opposite of a sourpuss”) and “a great enthusiast” whose pieces, “even when the knives are out … remind you yet again of what amazing things words can do.
Graham Sheffield Steps Down As Chief Exec Of Big Hong Kong Project
“The chairman of the authority’s board Henry Tang said in a statement that Sheffield had advised WKCDA of his intention to resign for health reasons shortly before Christmas, after he had been advised by his doctor to step down with immediate effect.”
KCET Ratings Plunge In First Week After Leaving PBS
“For the first four nights this week, KCET averaged a 0.3 household rating, according to the Nielsen Co. That’s a whopping 50% decline compared with the 0.6 rating recorded the same period last year, when KCET featured the familiar lineup of PBS programs. An average of 22,000 viewers tuned in to KCET during prime time this week; last year at this time, it was 41,000.”
New Broad Museum – Beautiful Simplicity
“For anyone familiar with the work of Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, New York-based architects of the three-story, 114,000-square-foot museum, what comes across most strongly in the design is a sense of a restless creative imagination muted, held back and otherwise reined in.”