WRIGHTEOUS OBSESSION

Pop-paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould seems to bring out the worst in science writer Robert Wright. For the last decade Wright has been writing inexplicably hostile reviews of Gould’s work – even his supporters detect an element of obsessive stalking. Until last December, when the New Yorker published the latest of Wright’s diatribes against the incredibly successful public intellectual, Gould has remained silent. Is Gould’s refusal to respond to Wright’s provocations the sign of a savvy alpha male or a passive-aggressive bully? – New York Magazine

IN BLACK AND WHITE

“The secret imperative behind most of Hollywood’s black and white star pairings remains: Look but don’t touch. We’ve all been trained by years of movie-going to know that at some point in thrillers or romantic comedies – after the growing rapport, the looks that linger just a second longer than necessary – the male and female leads will get together. Except, that is, when the leading couple is interracial.” – Salon 02/14/00

ONLINE OBJECTION

Jack Valenti is president of the Motion Picture Association of America, and has shown with two lawsuits in the past few weeks that he’s serious about grabbing control of copyright protection on the web. The high-profile suits threaten to curtail some of the freedoms that coders and Net entrepreneurs have been taking for granted. – Salon 02/14/00

THEATRE DICTATE

A study for the Arts Council of England finds that traditional “text-based” drama is rapidly losing its appeal to modern audiences. “A funding review of 50 theatres, mainly in the provinces but including some noted London venues outside the West End, has found an alarming decline in the popularity of conventional plays. The review suggests that ‘live theatre’, such as laser, acrobatic and video spectacles, have wider appeal and should be embraced by theatres as a condition of receiving public grants.” – The Telegraph (UK)