“More and more of our reviewers are complaining that too many elementary mistakes — clichés, faulty grammar, even errors of fact — are finding their way into finished books. … Some readers — and probably a lot more authors — may shrug and say, so what? Isn’t editing an extra, and a pretty artificial one to boot: lofty standards imposed upon manuscripts by prissy librarian types who love to justify their existence by catching errors? But editing, I believe, is something we all do, a fundamental human tendency.”
Tag: 02.03.09
On The Origin Of Species, A Great Beach Read
Adam Gopnik: “It is such an entertaining book. And I never expected to find that… It’s not just that it’s beautifully written in some abstract sense, but it’s such a passionate piece of pleading. I remember sitting on the beach at the end of the day when I finally finished it. And genuinely I felt the world will never look the same again.”
Al Pacino To Star In King Lear Film
Michael Radford, who directed Pacino in the 2004 film of The Merchant of Venice, will helm this project, which begins shooting later this year. (Pacino, who has taken many Shakespeare roles on stage and screen, has never played Lear.)
Every 45 Years, A New Nurses’ Station
“The prognosis for the medical facility depicted for the past 45 years on ABC’s ‘General Hospital’ isn’t good. The daytime soap’s long-standing hospital set is flat-lining as part of an explosive story line. Following a fiery crisis, producers plan to construct a totally new interior.” Happily for the hospital’s fundraisers, “the wealthy Quartermaine family will donate the cash necessary for the hospital’s plastic surgery.”
Dallas Library Puts Some Books, DVDs Behind Pay Wall
“The Dallas Public Library has launched a new program called the StreetSmart Express that lets people check out popular books and DVDs for $5 each. Other items can still be checked out by Dallas residents at no cost.”
Exodus From L.A. MOCA’s Board
“L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art, which last week eliminated 20% of its paid staff to cut costs, is now faced with finding replacements for some of its highest-profile board members. Nine of the 35 trustees who were on the board last fall before the museum’s near-collapse have since resigned.”
Madison Symphony Musicians Join National Union
“The vote was 43-36 in favor of joining the [American Federation of Musicians], ending several decades of negotiating independently within the orchestra, which had its own union. The orchestra is 83 years old.”
Shreveport Symphony Cancels Rest Of 2008-09 Season
“Officials have pulled the plug on the remainder of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra’s 2008-2009 Willis Knighton Master Series, ‘Bringing Music to Life.’ The cancellation finishes a season of no shows as both the symphony board and its musicians continue to be gridlocked in contract negotiations.”
Charleston Symphony Faces Big Cuts In ’09-10 Budget
The perpetually strapped orchestra expects to reduce its budget by more than one-sixth next season, from $2.9M to $2.4M. “It’s too early to itemize the exact consequences – but it’s probably safe to say that we can expect a smaller core of musicians (currently around 46) and fewer concerts.”
Portland Symphony Eliminates Staff, Concerts
The Maine orchestra “is cutting jobs, reducing salaries and artist fees, canceling performances and trimming educational programs in an attempt to fill a $220,000 budget deficit for the fiscal year that ends July 31.”