“This pilot season, with heightened pressure on networks to make sure new shows break through the clutter and compete with hundreds of cable channels, Netflix and the DVR, the big-four networks have increasingly turned to feature-film directors. Adjusting to TV isn’t always easy. Unlike in film, where auteurs impart their vision, in TV the writers rule.”
Tag: 05.06.11
Restorers Try To Save Ancient Nevada Rock Art After Vandals Spray Paint
“The art, left by American Indians thousands of years ago, was the target of graffiti vandals in November. Areas as large as 9 feet wide were covered with maroon spray paint, apparently for the shock value of the damage, police said.”
Ailey’s Director-In-Waiting
“Robert Battle is still artistic director ‘designate’ of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater — he officially takes the steering wheel from outgoing director Judith Jamison on July 1. Although his appointment was announced last year, he says 12 months of preparation have barely been enough to learn to drive the Ailey showboat.”
Warning: UK Theatre’s Tony Successes Not Possible Without Government Funding
“Director Tom Morris has claimed that “War Horse” and “Jerusalem” – the two UK-originated shows which feature heavily in the nominations for this year’s Tony Awards on Broadway – would not have been possible without government subsidy.”
Can Ai WeiWei’s Art Change China?
In more than 2,700 posts, Ai increasingly criticized the government, calling for freedom of speech and unfettered information. Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator at London’s Serpentine Gallery, calls the blog “one of the greatest social sculptures of our time.”
Why We Misspeak Osama For Obama
“Nouns replace nouns, verbs replace verbs, and so on. If “Obama” were a verb instead of a noun (as in, the Democrats are going to Obama the GOP in 2012), we would be substantially less likely to confuse it with the noun “Osama.”
CUNY Trustee Elaborates On His Objections To Tony Kushner
Jeffrey S. Wiesenfeld “said he was surprised to get enough support from other trustees to block the Kushner degree. He had thought, he said, that he was going to register his dissent for the record and move on.”
Classic Bubble – When Every Movie’s A Classic
“If it is a few years old and someone has paid to have it restored, a movie will now invariably be counted as a classic. In the era of TCM (Turner Classic Movies), DVD, digital distribution and the long tail, more films are available than ever before. In the process, the canon has swollen to bursting point.”
Artificial Intelligence Versus The Machine
“Human beings like to think of themselves as possessing unique capabilities such as being able to use tools, employ a language with syntactic rules and process complex mathematical equations. Aristotle argued that only people could reason. Yet the development of ever more powerful and complex computers has chipped away at these claims.”
Sotheby’s Proposes 125 Percent Pay Raises For Its Top Execs
“The total compensation, up 125% from $6.8m in 2009, includes base salaries, plus other annual remunerations such as cash incentive bonuses and awards of Sotheby’s shares. These additional perks take the total level of pay to at least five times these executives’ base salary, and nearly nine times for the chief executive William Ruprecht.”