The Father Of Standup Comedy

In the 1850s, Cleveland newspaperman Charles Farrar Brown began writing satirical columns as the character Artemus Ward, “a mostly literate showman of twenty-two years experience as a ‘base exhibiter of depraved monkeys and unprincipled wax works’.” By the end of the decade, “he added the ‘e’ to his last name, climbed onto a stage in Connecticut and made people laugh for an hour or so.” No performer had tried anything like that in a theater before.

UK Business Funding For The Arts Down 7 Percent In 2011

“Overall, private sector investment in culture in 2011 rose by 4% to £686 million, driven by an increase in support from trusts and foundations and individual giving. Of that £686 million, business support now accounts for £134.2 million, trusts and foundations for £170.3 million (up 10%) and individual giving for £382.2 million (up 6%). Within those results, theatre suffered a particularly poor year with private sector support falling by 10% from £53.8 million to £48.2 million.”

Surprise: Grammy TV Ratings Were Higher Than Oscar’s

The Oscars weren’t even the most-watched awards show on television this month. The Grammys Got an audience of 39.9 million. “The Nielsen Co. estimated Monday that 39.3 million people watched the Oscars on ABC Sunday night, up from the 37.9 million viewers during the much-panned 2011 show where James Franco and Anne Hathaway shared hosting duties.”