“The biggest public charity in New England,” the Boston Foundation, “is changing the way it hands out millions of dollars to a wide range of community groups, giving more money to those it considers to be the most effective and cutting funding to others.”
Tag: 09.16.09
Dance Training Is What Let Patrick Swayze Smolder
“Look at Swayze in Dirty Dancing, and you can see that attentiveness, that focus: his ‘hungry eyes’ fixed on hers, his concentration on her performance. It’s both powerfully romantic and deeply sexy, and Swayze clinches it not because of his acting but because he learned dance partnering.”
Violin-Repair Shop Runs Afoul Of The Law
“[T]ucked into the nooks and crannies of the city are thousands of microbusinesses, bookbinders and jewelry makers, pet groomers and Pilates trainers. If they are prudent enough not to bother the neighbors, most of them escape official notice, even if they are in violation of zoning laws.” One violin-repair shop isn’t so lucky.
How To Make A Fortune Acting On B’way (Hint: Be A Star)
“Broadway money will never be Hollywood money, of course. But with a hit show, a big star can do quite nicely — especially when the lifting, in a production like ‘A Steady Rain,’ isn’t especially heavy.”
Pirated Lost Symbol Is Already Online
“The Lost Symbol was available for download via peer-to-peer sites including The Pirate Bay and Scribd.com on Wednesday morning. ‘Thank you so much! You just made my day. :)’ said one Scribd user, while another requested that the book file be sent to their email.”
For A Conductor, How Much Work Is Too Much?
Christoph Eschenbach’s dozen-orchestra, multi-tour season schedule looks punishing. “The slightly frightening thing is that this workload is about par for the course for a major international conductor. But it does raise questions about a human’s ability to sustain a high level of performance, week after week.”
Harry Potter, The Theme Park
A “so-called theme park within a theme park,” Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter “will be faithful to the visual landscapes of the Harry Potter films produced by Warner Brothers…. ‘We’ve tried to include something from every book,'” an art director for the movies said.
Smithsonian Violated Its Own Rental Policy
The Smithsonian Institution says it “made an error in allowing the Federation for American Immigration Reform to hold an event Tuesday night at the National Postal Museum.” FAIR advocates “a temporary moratorium on all immigration”; Smithsonian policy bars rentals to “groups which are partisan, political or religious in nature.”
Trinity Church Music Director Says He Was Fired
Owen Burdick, who “built up Trinity Church into a major force on the New York classical music scene,” says his sudden “resignation” a couple of years ago was instead a firing. Burdick “said he wanted to set the record straight because, in his view, Trinity … has sought to push him to the sidelines of its history.”
Blockbuster To Shutter Hundreds Of Stores
Blockbuster plans to close from 810 to 960 of its stores by the end of 2010 and “might convert an additional 250 to 300 locations to outlets that focus on used DVDs. … There are 4,356 Blockbuster locations throughout the country, meaning 24% to 29% could be closed or altered within 16 months.”