“When the average infomercial shopper (who earns $51,000 a year) picks up that phone, he is choosing a Slanket over a Snuggie, yes, but also, maybe even half-consciously, voting for the sales routine itself, as if the Slanket ad were an endearing American Idol contestant.”
Tag: 04.13.09
Latin Bandleader Manny Oquendo, 78
The native New Yorker, an expert on percussion and the timbales, infused Latin jazz with the típico Cuban rhythmic style.
English PEN Mounts Challenge To UK’s Harsh Libel Laws
“English PEN has said it is ‘startled by the extent’ to which the UK’s libel laws are now preventing publishers and journalists from releasing contentious material. Working alongside Index on Censorship, English PEN is building a dossier of cases from publishers, editors, bloggers, NGOs and lawyers to support its case for reform of the libel laws. The work is in response to a report last year by the UN Human Rights Committee.”
Tulsa Ballet Names New Boss
“Scott Black, who has served as executive director of the OK Mozart International Festival for three years, will become managing director of Tulsa Ballet” in July.
The Glory Of Book Covers, Online
“Book Cover Archive [bookcoverarchive.com] is an elegant and simple site whose stated goal is ‘for the appreciation and categoriazation of excellence in book cover design’.”
The End Draws Near For A Manhattan Classical Music Store
“A crossroads of maestros and tyros, the venerable Joseph Patelson Music House in Manhattan has been like a living room for the classical music world. For more than six decades its shelves bulged with the fruit of Mozart and Bach, Stravinsky and Strauss, to be plucked by shoppers who wore its wooden floors black and sought counsel from expert and sometimes cantankerous sales clerks. Yes, you know it is coming: Goodbye, Patelson’s.”
In Vancouver, Film Production Is Thriving
“Film production may be stalling in Los Angeles, where filming is down more than 56 percent in the first three months from 2008. But it’s blossoming once again here in Vancouver, where film and TV crews are almost as ubiquitous as looming Grouse Mountain. … The city’s triple threat of a favorable currency exchange, strong tax credits and established infrastructure may not be sexy, but it is proving highly effective.”
Full-Frontal Nudity On TV! Oh, Wait — It’s Life Drawing.
“This summer, Channel 4 will broadcast a new series … featuring nude models. The show, provisionally titled Life Class: Today’s Nude, hopes to promote a return to elementary skills of drawing and painting, and spark a revival of more traditional, figurative art. Some viewers, no doubt, will not appreciate the chance to study full-frontal male and female nudity at 6pm, three hours before the 9pm watershed.”
Once Again, Tribeca Fest Aims To Cheer An Anxious City
“The Tribeca Film Festival, founded eight years ago in the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks, is again trying to lift the morale of a city in crisis. Organizers, mindful of the U.S. recession, rising New York joblessness and a shorter roster of sponsors, have tried to include more comedies and uplifting stories for the April 22 to May 3 event and maintain free events such as outdoor screenings.”
For Baryshnikov, A New Job Duty: Making The Ask
“Just as he mastered pirouettes years ago as a young dancer, Mikhail Baryshnikov is getting the hang of asking friends and strangers to donate to his nonprofit Manhattan arts center. ‘I was better at raising money for someone else than I was for myself, but I’m getting better’ at buttonholing for the Baryshnikov Arts Center, said the 61-year-old dancer and artistic director….”