Sales of DVDs have started to slow after huge sales growth in recent years. “The video market is glutted. For big studios that means more jousting over future formats that may restart sales. But for specialty companies that have traded otherwise unavailable horror, action, art-house and exploitation titles, the glut has meant a struggle to survive.”
Tag: 03.04.07
Social Networking And The Local Theatre
“Musicians and comics have been using MySpace as a promotional tool for some time now, but museums, galleries, and dance and theater companies are starting to see the site’s possibilities. For a group trying to reach a larger audience and a younger one, MySpace offers attractive statistics: more than 55 million users, with 28.4 percent under 34, according to a report issued in October.”
Praise Dancing
“Praise dance is a form of worship that seeks to articulate the word and spirit of God through the body. Though it is far from a new phenomenon — in biblical times, dancing was embraced during celebrations and worship — it was forced out of the Christian church during the Reformation, and has been fully welcomed back only in the past 20 or so years. In recent years praise dance has become an increasingly popular part of church services across the country.”
The New Walt Disney?
“John Lasseter, 50, might seem an odd fit for a studio built on old-school cartoons and the mythology of Snow White and Cinderella. But since Pixar was acquired, Mr. Lasseter has been heralded as a latter-day Walt Disney, a cultural arbiter who can rekindle the spirit of Disney’s famous animation at its theme parks, on store shelves and in a theater near you.”
The Hatto Scandal – Don’t Blame The Critics
“The critics who applauded Hatto’s alleged recordings indeed were recognizing great performances by estimable artists. They were doing, in fact, precisely what critics are supposed to do: discern artistic excellence.”
The Dirty Little Secret Of Classical Recordings
“The Hatto scandal reminds us that, even in hands not sullied like his, the piecemeal process by which finished recordings are assembled bears a great moral question mark. The technology of the modern studio has made possible a kind of synthetic perfection in recording undreamt of 50 years ago, in which hundreds of digital edits (tape splices in the old days) create an aural product that sometimes bears little relation to music as it’s actually presented in the concert hall or opera house.”
The True Cost Of Theatre
“There is undoubtedly a discrepancy between what an actor is paid and the value of the art they bring to the stage. Unfortunately, this discrepancy is not limited to actors alone, but also holds true for other artists and professionals throughout the industry.”
Too Much Talking In Chicago?
A year ago Chicago public radio station WBEZ moved to an all-talk format. But is the all-information-all-the-time schedule adding anything to the airwaves? A debate.
Ornette Coleman’s Other Way
“As a largely self-taught musician who dared to be different in the late 1940s and ’50s, Coleman suffered worse indignities than even the most hapless “American Idol” contestant. One bandleader paid him not to solo; others simply fired him. Musicians walked off the stage when he showed up at jam sessions. Coleman was told he played out-of-tune and didn’t know the basics of jazz improvisation.”
Savion Glover, Percussionist
“Referring to the 33-year-old Glover as a ‘tap dancer’ is technically accurate (his instrument is his body) but oddly beside the point. Glover couldn’t care less how he looks; what he lavishes infinite pains over is how he sounds.”