“The elusive Lee, who celebrates her 85th birthday on Thursday, has co-operated with a new biography that will reveal why she never wrote another novel. The Mockingbird Next Door is written by Marja Mills, a former Chicago Tribune reporter who has spent years researching her subject, and will be published by Penguin.”
Tag: 04.27.11
Harper Lee Did Not Cooperate On Biography At All, Says Harper Lee
In a statement released by her attorney, the author said, “Contrary to recent news reports, I have not willingly participated in any book written or to be written by Marja Mills. Neither have I authorized such a book. Any claims otherwise are false.”
How Lurid, Media-Fueled Crime Stories Change History
“America’s law books are overflowing with laws passed in direct response to popular and sensational crimes, from Megan’s Law to the Lindbergh Laws; sensational crime stories have changed the ways in which police departments are organized and newspapers are run.”
Major Opera On A Shoestring
“At a time when some companies lament that they can’t afford to do new work, Wolf Trap, which isn’t really a company at all, is figuring out how to do it, on a shoestring, and make it count.”
The Hard Road To Getting The Bolshoi Theatre Back Online
“The project has not gone smoothly, costing some £400m – or around 16 times the initial estimate. In 2009, investigators said millions of roubles had been misspent by a subcontractor. Several contractors were fired from the project by the government, and there were repeated delays.”
Alexei Ratmansky Re-Ups At ABT
“Ballet Theater announced Wednesday that Mr. Ratmansky, who had been committed to the troupe through 2013, agreed to the extension two years before his previous contract was up. The terms remain unchanged: he is to spend 20 weeks a season with the company and choreograph at least one new work a year or restage one of his older dances.”
E-Publishing’s New Possibilities
“Even when publishers are working online, they’re learning to produce things in different shapes and sizes. As music is produced for digital storage, songs are expanding beyond the three-minute limit. And with the ebook, the definition of a book is becoming more fluid.”
A Physical Verdict On Books
“There’s something shocking about physical attacks on books: it’s a denial of the strange power we invest in these inanimate objects; of how strongly they pull on our emotions.”
So What Really Is Canada’s Culture, Eh?
“We’re a smug country, coddled by the predictable rhythms of the seasons, cozy in our British Commonwealth status and interested in nurturing a tiny sliver of distinct Canadian-ness. We like our hockey, royal weddings and bland U.S.-centric entertainment. By our popular-culture tastes we are defined.”
YouTube Expanding Movie Services To Compete With iTunes, Amazon
“YouTube has reached agreement to offer movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment and Universal Pictures on the same day the movies are available on other on-demand services.”