“While people’s strategies for ridding themselves of unwanted aural guests fell into one of two broad categories—distraction or coping—the most successful way to remove an earworm, they found, was to deal with it head on, by intentionally listening to the song or singing it out loud, no matter how embarrassing the song.”
Tag: 02.28.14
Where The Oscars Orchestra Was (Not In The Theatre)
“While TV viewers could hear the song, they couldn’t see the orchestra in the Dolby Theatre. That’s because the orchestra was about a mile away from the stage.”
Officials Seize Ancient Roman Statue in Queens, Saying It’s Stolen
“United States officials said that they began tracking the life-size, 1,700-pound statue last year after they were alerted that it had been exhibited for sale at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan by Phoenix Ancient Art.” (Why is so much art crime lately in Queens?)
What’s Wrong With Art Today
“Big art, big artists, big dealers and big money play their roles in a hypnotic and well-rehearsed production, and toothy smiles abound. Yet this intoxicating spectacle is just the most public manifestation of a problem in the art world that has become increasingly obvious over the past decade: more and more, the cart is pulling the horse.”
What’s Really Wrong At The Metropolitan Opera (The Experience Sucks)
There’s no lobby, the food is bad, the bathrooms are inadequate, and… Why is it so hard to take care of audiences when they spend a lot of money to go to the opera? Manuela Hoelterhoff unloads.
How Brazilian Funk Left The Favellas And Moved Into The Mainstream
“Funk’s newfound popularity is fueled by listeners from a generation that has undergone the biggest class shift in Brazil’s history: tens of millions of people moving out of poverty to form a new middle class. If economic empowerment has given this new class a voice, funk has given many of its members something to sing.”
Music For The Hardest Days (No, It’s Not *Exactly* Therapy)
“Turning to music for comfort and solace is not a subject that is talked about much—not out loud, at any rate—in our community, even though it is a perfectly natural inclination, and something that many of us engage in regularly.”
What Does The Explosion Of Pre-Academy Awards Do For (And To) Movies?
“An increasingly eclectic group is also capitalizing on the Oscar-season feeding frenzy, taking advantage of celebrities’ and filmmakers’ willingness to be seen just about anywhere, accepting virtually anything, in a bid to generate heat for the prize that really matters.”
Will The Oscars Honor Camera Assistant Killed On Film Set?
“The 27-year-old was killed last week and has inspired the ‘Slate for Sarah’ social media campaign where crew members post photos and comments with Jones’ name written on their film slates.”
Do The Oscars Mean Anything At All? [AUDIO]
Bob Mondello: “I don’t think they mean anything. And it drives me nuts they’re taken so seriously. Let me give you an example. In 1952, the picture that won best picture was ‘Greatest Show on Earth,’ the circus movie. ‘Singing in the Rain’ was not nominated. What kind of sense does that make?”