“We need a guide who combines the gifts of a literary critic and a trained theologian to work out how far the novels of Dostoevsky can be used as vehicles for such explorations. We also need a guide who is deeply versed in the ethos and spiritual traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church to place Dostoevsky, and the tormented exchanges of his characters, within some intelligible historical framework. Luckily, the Archbishop of Canterbury combines all these qualities, and more.”
Tag: 10.08.08
Why Twitter Doesn’t Want to Make Money (Yet)
“Twitter wants [according to its founders] to have both a sustainable product and business plan before it starts to capitalize on its community… [But] there may be a deeper, psychological reason that Twitter can’t follow the dollar. It may have a Peter Pan complex-it just doesn’t want to grow up.”
BBC Worldwide Faces Political Heat for Its Success
A British MP is launching an inquiry into whether the commercial arm of the UK’s public broadcaster has become too aggressive and is unfairly competing with private enterprise.
Suddenly, A Glut Of Concert Venues In L.A.?
“Within the next two months, three music venues capable of holding 8,000 concertgoers will open in Los Angeles. Even with the economy faltering, venue operators and promoters believe the simple law of supply and demand will keep the concert halls full, provided the ticket price is appropriate. Other industry execs, however, think the city may have a glut on its hands.”
A Cutthroat New Category: The Tony For Humanitarians
“The Tony Awards will inaugurate the Isabelle Stevenson Award next year, with the nod going to a member of the legit community with a notable track record as a volunteer for humanitarian, social service or charity orgs not necessarily tied to theater.”
Looking for Spiritual Meaning in the Banking Meltdown
With all the financial turmoil coinciding with Yom Kippur and the end of Ramadan, clergymen are fielding some tough questions. “The young man, a business student, had a theological complaint to register: Why did Islam make such a big deal about the principle of mutual benefit? What was the matter with just taking care of yourself?”
Slowly, Modern Dance Takes Root in Egypt
Despite 15 years’ struggle with conservative clerics, nervous officials, small audiences (who sometimes boo) and an uncomprehending society, the Egyptian Modern Dance Theater Company and its school have firmly established themselves in Cairo’s arts scene.
No R-Rated Salome for Met’s HD Broadcast
As Karita Mattila finishes her Dance of the Seven Veils this Saturday afternoon, the Metropolitan Opera’s live simulcast into movie screens worldwide will not show what she calls her “slutty, two-second nude pose.” A spokesman pointed out that the company markets the broadcasts as “family-friendly events.” (He also observed that one can find the pose on YouTube.)
Oh, Forget the Nobel! It’s Not About Literature Anyway
“If we are shocked to discover that politics or some agenda external to mere aesthetics or ‘excellence’ impinges on the judgment of literary work in an international context, we haven’t been paying attention.”
Taking Product Placement All the Way
“Now there is a new form of the practice, put to use in a new Webisode series. Instead of inserting the brand into the production, these new series essentially insert the production into the brand.”