Tag: 04.04.06

Sony Begins Selling E-Book Reader

Sony is beginning to distribute a new e-book reader, which it hopes will popularize the devices. “Ever since they emerged in the late 1990s, when they were widely labeled as the future of publishing, e-books have suffered because there was no popular device to read them on. Previous readers have been criticized for being difficult to look at and for lacking the intimacy of a bound paper text.”

Surprise – Zukerman To Return To Orchestra Early

Pinchas Zukerman, who abruptly left his national Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa in mid-season, says he’ll return early from his announced break. “No reason for the return was given to subscribers. Christopher Deacon, the orchestra’s managing director, said yesterday that Zukerman first broached the idea of ending the sabbatical in a phone call from Europe 10 days ago. Details were firmed up last week.”

Ask The Audience – LOTR Surveys The Crowd

Producers of the Lord of the Rings musical now playing in Toronto are offering audience members bribes to answer questions about the show. “According to LOTR producer Kevin Wallace, the surveys are principally intended to determine the show’s demographic — who’s coming, and where they’re coming from — in order to target media and public relations campaigns more precisely. But it also asks respondents to cite elements they liked and didn’t like about the production.”

Overweight Kids? Blame TV

“Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System found that a 3-year-old kid exposed to two hours or more of TV a day was nearly three times more likely to be overweight than a child who watched fewer than two hours. That stands to reason: If a kid is watching TV, he’s not burning off fat. Once again, however, TV is being blamed for society’s ills, rather than society being blamed for its own problems.”

TV For 6-Month-Olds? Hmnnn…

The creators of Sesame Street are producing a new series of shows for kids as young as six months. This has some child development experts upset. “There is no evidence that screen media is beneficial for babies and growing evidence it may be harmful. ‘Sesame Beginnings’ will encourage babies’ devotion to TV characters that have been licensed to promote hundreds of other products’.”

So What? As Long As They’re Talking About You…

General Motors launches a website where visitors can make their own ads for an SUV. Of course many of the ads ridicule the vehicle. Think GM’s mad? Hardly. ‘We’re engaging consumers in this two-way discussion. It’s creating buzz and people are learning about the product.’ In just two weeks, more than 21,000 ads have been created. Visitors have emailed them to others 41,000 times. There have been 250,000 unique visitors to the site and over 2.4 million page views.”

Oscar Treadwell, 79

Cinncinnati jazz radio host Oscar Treadwell was a legend in the business. “He and his passion for music were immortalized by some of jazz’s masters. Charlie Parker composed “An Oscar for Treadwell,” which he recorded in 1949 with Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Buddy Rich. In 1950, Wardell Gray recorded “Treadin’ with Treadwell.” And in 1955, Monk sent Mr. Treadwell a copy of his composition “Oska T” for use as a theme song.”

Kong DVD Beats Theatres In First Week

The King Kong movie has sold $100m (£57.4m) in its first week out on DVD. That beats what the film did at the movie theatres in its first week in release. “The film, made by Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, sold 6.5m copies in the format. In its first five days, King Kong took $66m (£37.8m) at the North American box office, falling short of the $75m (£43m) it was expected to make.”