“For the first time since tourism was invented, France has slipped from its perch as the world’s top destination. And the authorities are taking it so seriously that new guidelines are to be given to those working with foreigners to urge them to be better hosts.”
Tag: 09.02.07
The Writers That Try To Disappear
“Reclusive writers are living perfectly reasonable lives. The fact that they’re reclusive isn’t the phenomenon: The phenomenon is our reaction to the fact that they’re living normal lives. It has the opposite effect than what I think these writers want: People are intrigued by it. ‘My God — look!’ Your idea is to disappear and you end up with the spotlight on you.”
The Blockbuster Summer That Was
“The movie industry had its first $4 billion summer and will finish with a haul of about $4.15 billion from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers. That was up 8 percent from last summer and surpassed the previous high of $3.95 billion in summer 2004.”
Apple Cancels NBC Downloads After NBC Cancels Apple
“NBC Universal notified Apple late Thursday that it would not renew its contract to sell digital downloads of its television shows through iTunes when the agreement expires in December. Apple retaliated by saying Friday that it wouldn’t sell any shows from the fall season.”
Ohio Dance Company Dials It Back
Ohio Dance Theatre, the ballet company based in Oberlin, is stepping back from normal operations during the 2007-08 season to reassess and reorganize.
Where Are This Season’s Big New West End Plays?
“Whereas last autumn at least had the commercial transfers of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Frost/Nixon to set pulses racing, this season is offering retreads, however fresh, of familiar territory: even All About My Mother, like Elling before it, comes to us already a cinema brand name. Not for the first time, one is reminded of the large-scale, commercially viable new play as an endangered species, which is another way of saying that you can’t rely on Alan Bennett and Tom Stoppard to keep theatre afloat every year.”
The New TV: Amateurs Rule
There was a time when calling a sho “amateur hour” was an insult. “But the slur has lost its punch. Any given evening, on any broadcast or cable network, could be amateur night now, and suffer no more for it than high ratings and crowds of commercials.”
Researchers Uncover Leonardo’s Methods
“Italian researchers say they have been able to reconstruct for the first time, stroke by stroke, how Renaissance master painter Leonardo da Vinci created his works of art.”
Challenging The DeYoung’s Seriousness
San Francisco’s DeYoung Museum is having a great year at the box office. “Despite the booming attendance, some local artists, art dealers, collectors and other frequent museumgoers have begun to question [director John] Buchanan’s priorities, wondering whether he is more interested in fluff than fine arts.”
Sorting Out The Real Reasons Arts Eduction Matters
“It’s true that students involved in the arts do better in school and on their SATs than those who are not involved. However, correlation isn’t causation, and an analysis we did several years ago showed no evidence that arts training actually causes scores to rise. There is, however, a very good reason to teach arts in schools, and it’s not the one that arts supporters tend to fall back on.”