In a change from recent practice, the doctor-turned-opera director says nice things about both Covent Garden and ENO, talks clearly about how he works, and never once threatens to quit directing – he even says it’s fun. (Don’t worry, he still disses a few colleagues and whinges: e.g., “I find myself between two millstones of idiocy.”)
Tag: 02.12.10
The Genesis Of Mardi Gras ‘Beadwhores’
“In this edition of ‘Wonks Gone Wild,’ one researcher finds an answer to the Mardi Gras question: How do I get someone to throw me some beads?”
Colossus Meets Behemoth: Wal-Mart, Ticketmaster Team
“With the closing of record stores such as Tower Records, Ticketmaster lost retail outlets for event sales. The new accord will let Wal-Mart shoppers buy tickets for concerts, sports and other events at cash registers in the retailer’s entertainment department….”
Of E-Readers And Eye Strain
“The act of reading is going through a number of radical transitions, but perhaps none is more fundamental than the shift from reading on paper to reading on screens. As consumers decide whether to make this jump and which technology to use, one key question is how reading on a screen affects the eyes.”
New Threat To Shipping Art: Air Travel Security
“The Transportation Security Administration has mandated that beginning on Aug. 1, all items shipped as cargo on commercial passenger airplanes — estimates are that as much as 20 percent of art shipped around the world travels this way — will have to go through airline security screening.”
Jacqueline Wilson Was UK Libraries’ Most-Borrowed Author Of The ’00s
Her books were lent 16 million times by British public libraries in the 10 years to June 2009 – or almost 5,000 times a day.
The New Art Investors (Celebrity Musicians)
“The funding and business side of the visual arts has traditionally been dominated by trust funds, the rich and corporate City patrons. There is evidence that this is starting to change. As the music business became more lucrative, so artists such as Madonna, Sir Elton John, Jarvis Cocker, Brian Eno and his ex-band mate Bryan Ferry invest much of their accumulated wealth in both modern and classical art.”
Hi, I’m Matt. I Play Video Games For A Living
“Most explanations of game testing as a job begin with the sober admonition that is most certainly not just “sitting around and playing games all day”; that it is, you know, an actual job and entails actual work. Of course it is, but it must said that while, yes, it has certain expectations, responsibilities and so on, entry-level game testing would not be found near the top of a list of the world’s most demanding livelihoods.”
A Surprise In The Art Auction Market
“Even auction house pundits could not conceal their astonishment at the miraculous outcome of Sotheby’s Wednesday evening sale, when only three lots of the 77 that came up failed to find takers and the total posted rose to £54.07 million, or about $84.5 million. They still are not quite sure how that came about.”
Video Game Sales Drop Again In January
“Sales of games and consoles fell 13% during January in the U.S. to $1.2 billion from a year earlier.”