“Almost 52 million people – 90% of the UK population – watched the Olympics for at least 15 minutes, the BBC said. That made it the biggest national television event since the current ratings system began – ahead of the 2002 World Cup, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.”
Tag: 08.13.12
New Low: How Many Albums Do You Have To Sell To Top The Charts?
“Album sales have fallen to a new low after Rihanna topped the UK chart with a weekly sale of less than 10,000 copies for the first time since modern statistical records began.”
Is Fan Fiction Taking Over?
“Fanfic is seen as the lowest point we’ve reached in the history of culture – it’s crass, sycophantic, celebrity-obsessed, naive, badly written, derivative, consumerist, unoriginal – anti-original. From this perspective it’s a disaster when a work of fanfic becomes the world’s number one bestseller and kickstarts a global trend.”
The Close Call – Lucky Break Or Near Disaster?
“Probability wise, near misses aren’t successes. They are indicators of near failure. And if the flaw is systemic, it requires only a small twist of fate for the next incident to result in disaster. Rather than celebrating then ignoring close calls, we should be learning from them and doing our very best to prevent their recurrence. But we often don’t.”
Study: Watching TV Reruns Might Be Good For You
“Television, movies and books can be more than leisure activities; in some cases, they fulfill needs, like restoring self-control, that people are reluctant or unable to fulfill through other means.”
Drowning In Debt, Atlanta Symphony Heads Into Contract Negotiations
“The city’s largest cultural group, having run up $5 million annual deficits in recent years, is facing a daunting accumulated debt nearing $20 million. … Symphony management has resolved that the bleeding must stop and is amid increasing fractious contract negotiations with the committee representing its 93 musicians to replace the four-year agreement that expires at midnight Aug. 25.”
Getty Museum Signs Art Exchange Pact With Rome
“The museum said it has signed a bilateral agreement with Rome’s Capitoline Museums to create a framework for the conservation and restoration of artworks as well as future exhibitions and long-term loans. The Capitoline Museums are a group of art and archaeological museums that date to the 15th century. They are among the oldest public art museums in the world.”
Feeding China’s Hunger For 3-D Movies
“Currently, 7,000 of China’s 11,000 screens are 3-D capable. … In 2008, two 3-D films were shown in China; roughly 30 will appear in the country by the end of 2012. From January to June, 21 3-D films – 13 percent of all 159 theatrical releases – accounted for 46 percent of the box office gross.”
New Zealand’s Newest Dance Troupe Has A Smashing Debut
“But the brains, and talent, behind the brand new New Zealand Dance Company are determined to break down those barriers. And if the company’s glorious weekend debut at Auckland’s ASB Theatre is an indicator, we will all be singing from the same songbook in no time.”
Why Don’t US Liberals Have A Canon Like Conservatives Do?
“Any self-respecting young conservative knows the names you’re supposed to spout: Hayek, Rand, Ludwig von Mises, Albert Jay Nock. … ontrast, have been moving in the other direction over the last half-century, abandoning the idea that ideas can be powerful political tools.”