“Labels are signing artists all the time, of course, but usually, I believe, to much shorter, ‘let’s-see’ contracts of a couple of recordings at a time. If you have a chance at Lang Lang, however, you grab him; and Sony in any case seems to be in collecting mode at the moment.”
Tag: 02.03.10
Blackface: A Performance Device With The Power To Shock
“Theater that shocks is, of course, in the eye (and mind) of the beholder, but most plays and musicals in recent decades have ignored blunt instruments like blackface. … For the most part, shocks onstage tend to come through incendiary language, provocative plot turns and chilling frights.”
Pearl Paint Closes In San Francisco, Mirroring Industry
“The troubled 77-year-old art supplies chain is closing the 969 Market St. store, which has been open since the mid-1990s, along with seven other stores across the country,” reflecting the fact that, as one analyst says, “the art supplies industry has not done particularly well in recent years.”
Groundbreaking Oscar Nods Don’t Indicate Wider Trend
“In terms of both box office and public awareness, 2009 might seem a particularly fruitful year for women directors,” but one expert says that “the percentage of women directors has been virtually unchanged since 1987, at 7% to 9%. … For African Americans, the percentage is even smaller, about 4%, according to the DGA….”
Met Museum Operating Deficit Grew To $8.4M In ’08-’09
“At least 250 employees,” or 14 percent of the staff, “were fired or took buyouts as the museum reported that its investments declined by more than $600 million, or 24 percent,” according to the museum’s 2008-09 annual report. “Designated gifts by donors plunged by 46 percent to $43.1 million, according to the report.”