OPERA IN THE ROUND

They’re performing “La Traviata” this weekend in Paris – in the actual locations where Verdi set them – the Italian Embassy in Paris, the Queen’s hamlet in Versailles, the Petit Palais, near the Champs Elysees and the Isle St. Louis, an island of 17th-century town houses in the middle of the Seine. The project involves 500 musicians, five satellites, 31 cameras, 400 projectors and 10 audio and video studios, not to mention $20 million, and it will be broadcast live to a potential audience of 1.5 billion in 125 countries. – Variety

RECORD SALES IN THE LAND OF THE FREE

With all the complaining and suing going on about who controls music on the internet, you might think that sales of recordings would have dried up. Surprise – despite the wide availability of free music on the internet, sales of recorded music have smashed records in recent months. And the internet is getting the credit. – Wired

JUST MEAN AND PETTY

“Eager scholars send their precious manuscripts off to journals in the hope that maybe, just maybe, this time they will be published. Months later, their papers come back with rejection letters from editors and accompanying anonymous reviews. Those reviews are supposed to help the writer improve his or her work, but many reviews do not offer constructive criticism. Some are simply critical. Others are downright abusive.” – Chronicle of Higher Education

“CLASSIC MUMBO-JUMBO”

Presidential candidate announces an investigation into why so many Hollywood movies are fleeing Canada. “One recent report by the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America said so-called runaway production has cost the Los Angeles film community 20,000 jobs and cost the U.S. economy $10 billion. But Canadians question the claims. B.C.’s production industry, the biggest in Canada, is worth about $1 billion, so where’s the rest? – Vancouver Sun