“But whether in the flesh or on-screen, real flight crews don’t want you thinking too hard about the what-ifs … so their moves in safety demos are stylized and abstract. … The life-vest pantomime is a smooth upper-body ballet, each move linked to the next. You’re lulled by the legato; your focus is on the confident visual swirl – inflation tubes, lipstick, finger placement – not on the threat of drowning that underlies it.’
Tag: 07.19.13
Here’s What It Takes For A Play To Become A Hit On Broadway
“Today it’s inordinately hard for a straight play, no matter how good it is, to run on Broadway for more than a few months, since the first ingredient in the modern recipe for theatrical success is the presence in the cast of a movie or television star. As soon as the star in question returns to Hollywood to resume his or her screen career, the show closes. Things really were different in the old days.”
Why We Need Professional Critics
“When I look on Tripadvisor to see whether I am going to be staying at Fawlty Towers or not, I consider most people are capable of spotting rats in the serving dishes. But I do not feel the same way about reactions to artistic endeavour. What I want when I read a book review is to find out what someone cleverer than me and better read than me thinks about whatever’s being reviewed.”
Sure, Amazon Seems Successful Now. But Its Bookselling Strategy Could Backfire
“With challenges to Amazon’s power wilting fast, the company’s stock closed the week at an all-time high. It is not so obvious, however, that the Seattle behemoth is sitting pretty, at least when it comes to bookselling. Amazon could end up being victimized by its own phenomenal success.”
British Race Against Time And Salt Water To Rescue Trove Of WWI Submarines
“It had practically vanished from popular memory that the Germans caused great losses to their main enemy, Great Britain, in World War I through targeted torpedo strikes against the royal merchant navy.”
Nate Silver, Expert Predictor, Leaves The NY Times For Mickey Mouse (& Sports)
“The statistician who attained national fame for his accurate projections about the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections is parting ways with The New York Times and moving his FiveThirtyEight franchise to ESPN, the sports empire controlled by the Walt Disney Company.”
Is New York Better For Musicians Than San Francisco (Or Anywhere Else, For That Matter)?
“Without access to my ‘easy listening,’ the new music swirling around the mixing bowl of the five boroughs, I lose sight of what I’m working on–the things that I’m trying to get into my head and fingers.”
Museum Buildings That Are About To Die, We Salute You
The L.A. County Museum of Art has proposed a huge new building to replace four on its current campus. But what works about the buildings that are already there?
You Know What Ballet Desperately Needs? More Women Dancers
And you know what’s at fault? Billy Elliot. Seriously: Billy Elliot.
‘The Wire’ Never Got Its Due – But The Show’s Actors Are Everywhere
The critically beloved show that never found its audience or got any major awards has changed the face of TV, movies, and even Broadway.