Inspired by Anthony Tommasini’s famous/notorious project in The New York Times to select the ten greatest composers in Western classical music history, poet and cultural critic Dean Rader will “spend the next two weeks taking suggestions, lists, nominations, and justifications for the ten greatest poets.”
Tag: 02.11.11
The Internet Is The Best/Worst Thing That Ever Happened To Us
“It took humankind eight years to spend 100 million hours building Wikipedia. We now spend at least 200 million hours a week playing World of Warcraft. In short, everything you thought was good about the Internet — information, access, personalization — is bad.”
Once, Books Were Line-Edited. And Now?
“For some years now – almost as long as people have been predicting the death of the book – there have been murmurs throughout publishing that books are simply not edited in the way they once were, either on the kind of grand scale that might see the reworking of plot, character or tone, or at the more detailed level that ensures the accuracy of, for example, minute historical or geographical facts.”
Cinderella at War (Courtesy of Matthew Bourne)
“Set during the London Blitz, poor old Cinderella is as busy dodging the German Luftwaffe as she is dealing with the ugly sisters” in Bourne’s new ballet version of the fairy tale. “In this story Cinderella’s prince is a handsome RAF pilot and, although the two become separated at midnight, the heroine does not disappear in a pumpkin – but in an explosion from a German bomb.”
Considering Ginger Rogers at 100
“In her life, as in her films, Rogers was a distinctly independent woman. She was so modern in her directness, her self-possession, her firm command of her expressive powers – let alone her career – that the arrival of her centennial year, twinned with Ronald Reagan’s, comes as a shock.”
The Right and Wrong Ways to Name a Movie
“From ‘Just Go With It’ to ‘Black Swan,’ which film titles actually draw people into theaters? An expert explains.”
Remember 1980s Public Access Cable?
“They were a funhouse mirror of mainstream network programs, whether it was the anarchic, post-punk American Bandstand of The Scott & Gary Show” or The Weekly Pot Report. “Host Coca Crystal began each episode by smoking marijuana, before introducing guests that might be Philip Glass, Deborah Harry or Tiny Tim.”
How We’re Storing Information
“The fraction of data that is stored digitally, for example, has skyrocketed from about 0.8 percent in 1986 to 94 percent in 2007. (In 1986, vinyl records still contained 14 percent of stored information.) But surprises also emerge, such as which devices are doing the actual computing.”
Assessing The Cultural Legacy Of The Vancouver Olympics
“Cultural legacies aren’t always easy to assess, but in Vancouver a year after the Olympics, some are evident. City-owned theatres have been renovated; there’s more public art. Some commissions have already found life elsewhere, and some may yet.”
How To Fix Spider-Man: Focus Groups?
“Now the producers of the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” are offering $60 goodie bags to people who serve in focus groups that will respond to several performances.”