Clevelanders going out to theatre or concerts on weeknights may be eligible to come to work two hours late the next morning. “The “Late Out, Late In” promotion, announced Monday, is meant to encourage music and theater fans to enjoy the city’s nightlife, even on weeknights. The city’s tourism agency organized the promotion with participating employers.”
Tag: 04.05.05
Gore’s TV For The Internet Generation
What will Al Gore’s new TV network look like when it launches this summer? “At first called INdTV, the network now named Current plans to air short- form, fast-paced segments and snippets called “pods” rather than shows. Tailored for the short attention span, they will be anywhere from 15 seconds to five minutes long.”
Pulitzer Win Boosts Poet Laureate
US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser’s win of a Pulitzer Monday will boost exposure and sales of his work. Kooser’s publisher Michael Wiegers said that, “in the wake of yesterday’s announcement, he received orders from book distributors for an additional 10,000 copies of “Delights,” which has already sold some 30,000 copies. “You’re looking at selling 40,000 copies of a poetry book in a world where you’d be happy if you sell 3,000.”
American TV Networks Find Religion (Will Ratings Follow?)
America’s TV networks think there’s money in religion. So get ready for a string of religious-themed programming. “A miniseries about the Book of Revelation airs next week, while shows about a Catholic priest probing the supernatural and an Episcopalian minister who converses with God are on the drawing board. Traditionally soft-focused spirituality, exemplified by “Touched by an Angel” and “Joan of Arcadia,” is giving way to programs rooted in specific religions and their elements.”
Early Music Promoter Laurette Goldberg, 73
“A tireless organizer, performer and advocate for early music, Ms. Goldberg probably did more than any other individual to establish the Bay Area as a center for historically informed performance. Through her teaching and institutional work, she helped create a close-knit community of early music devotees and made the Bay Area a magnet for such enthusiasts worldwide. Her greatest legacy is San Francisco’s Philharmonia, which she founded in 1981 and led through the first five years of its existence.”
Is Damien Hirst The End Of An Era? (Thank God!)
Jerry Saltz hates Damien Hirst’s new show of paintings. “In the end, Hirst is just another symptom of the hype, the hubris, and the money that have swamped the art scene lately. I love that weirdos and gypsies are rewarded in the art world. But Hirst and the many others who are currently riding the whirlwind aren’t weird at all; they’re official pitchmen and -women. Hirst’s show merely brings us a step closer to the end of this profligate period. At his glitzy after-party, in an enormous tent on the roof of Lever House—amid dancing models, reveling stockbrokers, and the same successful artists and art world showboats you see at every one of these events—I thought I heard the Drums of Destiny on the horizon.
Saul Bellow, 89
“Bellow was the most acclaimed of a generation of Jewish writers who emerged after World War II, among them Bernard Malamud, Philip Roth and Cynthia Ozick. To American letters, he brought the immigrant’s hustle, the bookworm’s brains and the high-minded notions of the born romantic.”
Mona Lisa Gets A New Home
The Mona Lisa is changing rooms at the Louvre. “Leonardo da Vinci’s 500-year-old masterpiece will be hung alone on a wall in the museum’s Salle des Etats. It will give the millions of people who come to see the Mona Lisa every year a better view of the painting. The Salle des Etats has had a 4.8m euro (£3.29m) renovation to provide a suitable home for the masterpiece.”
Official: Some Non-Profits A Hotbed Of Tax Evasion
The IRS says that some non-profits have become a “hotbed of tax evasion and abuse.” Congress is threatening action. “The findings have already sent alarms through the nonprofit community. Last month the industry-convened Panel on the Nonprofit Sector offered a preliminary report on how laws could be tightened and practices improved to curb abuse. In some cases fraud and abuse are committed by the nonprofit itself, such as when a charity is established to benefit its main donor; in other cases, the nonprofit acts an enabler for tax-shelter promoters, such as when a municipality or union takes a fee to participate in a deal that allocates “profits” to it and losses to wealthy individuals.”
Satellite Radio Is Changing An Industry
Satellite radio is gaining traction. And as it gains credibility, it i changing the programming landscape. “Total subscribers at XM and its competitor, Sirius Satellite Radio, will probably surpass eight million by the end of year, making satellite radio one of the fastest-growing technologies ever – faster, for example, than cellphones. To keep that growth soaring, XM and Sirius are furiously signing up carmakers to offer satellite radio as a factory-installed option and are paying tens of millions of dollars for exclusive programming.”