The magazine’s critic reviewed a recording he hadn’t heard. The magazine said: “It is Maxim’s editorial policy to assign star ratings only to those albums that have been heard in their entirety. Unfortunately, that policy was not followed in the March 2008 issue of our magazine and we apologize to our readers.”
Tag: 02.26.08
Simon & Schuster Posts Big Sales Gains In 2007
“Despite a soft fourth quarter in which sales and operating income fell by 4% and 26%, respectively, Simon & Schuster finished 2007 with a sales gain of 10%, to $886.1 million, while operating income jumped 29%, to $88.1 million.”
Unpacking The NY Phil’s Cultural Diplomacy In Korea
There’s “the idea that we, the noble West, are going to bring the good things of classical music to the benighted North Koreans. This attitude is all too familiar in classical music in general: It is the same well-meaning approach that gives so many outreach programs their tinge of benevolent didacticism, the tone of a conductor speaking cheerfully on a podium to educate his or her audience. And another problem with this argument is that, like many opinions, it is not informed by facts. For there is evidence that North Korea does actually have a considerable music life.”
Endless Dithering Over Scotland’s Cultural Direction
“We’ve had charters for the arts, national cultural strategies and sons and daughters of both. See us? See reports? Plus, we’re on our seventh arts minister in nine years, and with each new incumbent comes a new tweak of the portfolio. This is a turnover that makes Italian politics seem a model of continuity.”
What Happened To Open Source Research?
“Open content is still in its infancy and faces some technical and cultural challenges that affect its widespread adoption. People in higher education are accessing OER using numerous technologies, software applications, and Web sites. Content can be found in dozens and dozens of different formats. Meanwhile, some content is behind firewalls, while other content simply requires the user to create a free account, and some is truly open – like Wikipedia.”
San Francisco Opera Heads To The Movies
Unlike the live monthly broadcasts by the Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera’s digital screenings – co-presented with the distribution company The Bigger Picture – are pre-recorded during performances in the War Memorial Opera House, and will be edited in the Koret-Taube Media Suite, the company’s high-tech production facility.
Juno Screenwriter Cody Diablo Finds Celebrity Challenging
“The very things that make her star unique are suddenly being panned and scrutinized. From tabloid newspapers to well-trafficked celeb- and media-sniping blogs, Cody’s meteoric rise has made her something of a target.”
Music In The Service Of Dictators
“In North Korea, the purpose of music, like that of all the arts, is to serve the state. Maestro Kim Jong Il — who in his youth oversaw the transformation of North Korean cinema, opera and performing arts into ‘revolutionary’ forms — understands that mission full well. It remains to be seen how he’ll use the Philharmonic’s concern internally — North Koreans were informed of the visit only on Friday.”
Can Poetry Change The World?
“The subject of poetry being life, and politics being a part of life, poets have written as they thought or might have voted. Whether they actually made anything happen is not clear.”
Repertory Theatre Returns To UK Theatre
“It used to be the case that actors would be formed into companies and would take on new roles as the plays, but not the companies, rotated.” That system went away, but lately, rep companies are making a comeback. “Of course, what with commitments to film and TV such companies cannot be set in stone, but there is something enjoyably comforting about returning to the National and recognising familiar faces being given the opportunity to tackle radically different roles.”