Tag: 08.23.05

Speak To Me -Celebs Discover Video Games

“Until recently, most video game voices have been provided by hundreds of anonymous, journeyman actors. Celebrities used to turn up their noses at the idea of such work. But as the video game industry’s earnings began to eclipse Hollywood’s box office numbers — the video game industry rang up more than $9.9 billion in North America in 2004 versus Hollywood’s North American box office of $9.4 billion — celebrity actors have been much more agreeable.”

Shades Of Gray

Monologist Spalding Gray has inspired a generation of solo artists paying homage. “The man who turned the most intimate details of his life into the stuff of brilliant solo storytelling becomes the haunting presence in the lives of a whole new generation of actor-writers. As it turns out, it’s not all that easy to come to terms with an artist who inspired them (directly or indirectly) and then, at the age of 62, committed suicide.”

Times Reflected In fFIDA

Toronto’s fFIDA is the largest dance festival in Canada, and this year’s edition provided a good overview of the dance scene. “The festival had some outstanding choreographies and dancers, but there was also a lot of blancmange. There seems to be quite of few groups of attractive dancers (mostly from Toronto, alas) who can’t choreograph very well. Dance is always a sign of the times and there were very few funny works, and pitifully few political ones. The themes were mostly abstract, or navel-gazing, or angst-filled relationships, and a sharp edge was missing overall. Electronic music-cum-soundscape remains the score of choice, so any dance that actually used something melodic was a relief indeed.”

Americans Abandon TV This Summer

“With the notable exception of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” — by far the summer’s biggest new hit, with an average of 16.8 million viewers — the six major broadcast networks have slogged through a disappointing summer, with household viewing down about 6% compared with the same period last year. Among the advertiser-friendly demographic of adults ages 18 to 49, the slide was even worse, off 10% according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.”

May The Ringtone Be With You

“Once limited to song samples and hip-hop clips, mobile phone ringers increasingly are featuring memorable movie quotes, including dialogue from titles as varied as “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Office Space,” “Without a Paddle” and “Meet the Fockers.” Although the new trend may make customized cellphone ringers even more annoying than ever, they hold the promise of delivering new profits to the studios. Ring tones, as the personal ringers are called, have become a $3-billion worldwide boon for record labels, and Hollywood’s studios and labor unions are now trying to figure out if the movie ring tone market is anywhere near that large.”

The Greatest Painting? What Does It Mean?

“What, exactly, does it mean to call a painting “great”, let alone the “greatest”? If greatness in art has any meaning it is at odds with an opinion poll that throws it open to the people’s choice. If greatness exists it must be objective and absolute and therefore not ours to vote for. Greatness suggests a world historical significance, a sublimity. It has nothing to do with competition.”