BookScanning has become popular for a few reasons having to do with the culture of journalism and publishing. In general, the publishing world treats money the way old-line WASPs once did—as a subject that genteel people simply don’t discuss. The only question considered to be more indelicate than how much one was paid to write a book is how many copies it has sold.
Tag: 05.02.06
Who Loses Most In WB/UPN Merger?
“Diversity on broadcast network television has been an issue for years and though each network has promised to better reflect the viewing audience — and in some cases delivered on those promises — UPN has been the only network to actively program for an African American audience.” With the merger, however, 23 hours of programming — 13 from the WB and 10 from UPN — will be lost.
Why Paintings Don’t Work On TV
Visual art is unlikely ever to be a ratings success on TV. “The problem is that there is only so much footage of paintings an audience will tolerate, so TV tends to turn art history into a series of easily digested dramas. Tales of struggling artists, eccentric collectors, sexy models and huge prices are the staples of art telly and can overshadow the art. But maybe part of what makes a work of art great is its story.”
Is Michael Frayn Retiring?
That’s the rumor about the playwright, at least. “What seems to have happened is that Frayn, asked by a reporter the traditional question as to what he was writing at the moment, replied with an absolute honesty that honours both his old NUJ card and his hobby of philo- sophy: nothing.” Not to worry, though. “A few weeks on, he is about to begin a screenplay of Headlong, his 1999 novel about an art-theft, but has no inklings of new books or plays, and is too scrupulous or superstitious to assume that they will come.”
$50 Million For Canada Council
The new Canadian government has promised $50 million over two years for the Canada Council for the arts. “That’s well short of the more than $150 million over three years that had been promised by the previous Liberal government.”
Is The Web The New Rock ‘n Roll?
“Forty years ago, music was leading a social revolution, disrupting the establishment and empowering a new generation. Today’s web technology and social media, known as Web 2.0, or the second wave of the internet, are leading a similar challenge and the long-term effects are likely to be greater. Once again we are divided into those who get it and those who don’t.”
Monet Waterlilies Get An Unveiling
“After six years of renovation work delayed by archaeological mishaps, Claude Monet’s giant Water Lilies are finally back on display at the Orangerie museum in Paris, in a space restored to match the French impressionist’s vision of how his work should be hung.”
More Plagiarism In Viswanathan Book
More plagiarism charges have been made against Kaavya Viswanathan’s “How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life.” At least three passages “bear striking similarities to writing in ‘Can You Keep a Secret?,’ a chick-lit novel by Sophie Kinsella. The copying from Ms. Kinsella’s book does not seem to be as extensive as Ms. Viswanathan’s borrowing from two novels by Megan McCafferty, ‘Sloppy Firsts’ and ‘Second Helpings,’ both published by Crown, a division of Random House. In that case, Crown contends that more than 40 passages were copied from Ms. McCafferty’s books.”
Provenance And Scholarship Do A Dance
The study of old artifacts is becoming problematic when it comes to looking at objects. “On one side are archaeologists and other experts who say that most objects without a clear record of ownership or site of origin were looted, and that the publication of such material aggrandizes collectors and encourages the illicit trade. On the other side are those who argue that ignoring such works may be even more damaging to scholarship than the destruction caused by looting.”
Three Convicted In “Scream” Theft
Sentences have been handed down in the trial of six men charged in the theft of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” “They faced various charges relating to the theft of the paintings on 22 August 2004 from the Munch Museum in Oslo. The three convicted men received prison sentences of between four to eight years for their role in the theft.”