A new biography reveals that the famous teacher at the King of Siam’s court was far from the upright Welsh widow of The King and I. She was actually “a mixed-race Anglo-Indian army brat,” a multilingual con woman who became a popular lecturer and globe-trotting journalist.
Tag: 10.11.08
More Movies Skipping Theatres, Going Direct To Video
“Movie distribution today has more in common with carpet bombing than with any carefully thought out marketing strategy. With a movie print costing well north of a grand, hitting 100+ cinemas is a gamble many are unwilling or unprepared to make.” But how to get that review and avoid the stigma of video-only release? “Many movies sidestep the DTV tag by playing in as few cinemas as possible. This provides a chance for the movie to get reviewed as a theatrical release, and justifies shelling out for a celluloid print.”
Las Vegas, Capital Of Theatre?
“Though you may not find Pinter or Hare on the Vegas strip, most other forms of theatrical spectacle are here, from an inevitable clutch of Broadway and West End shows to a seemingly endless parade of Cirque du Soleil spectacles. There are shows here the like of which you can see nowhere else on the planet.”
Housing Project Beats Out Star Architects For Stirling Prize
“The low-rise houses, which made headlines when they faced protests from local residents, beat other buildings such as Zaha Hadid’s acclaimed ski-lift stations near Innsbruck in Austria and the new Westminster Academy in London.”
Hollywood Makes A New Bet On Politics
“Hollywood believes that shows like Saturday Night Live, which has featured Tina Fey’s spot-on impersonations of vice presidential contender Sarah Palin – seen by millions on YouTube – and Jon Stewart’s nightly comedy talk show, have helped make politics sexy and entertaining to Americans who were previously turned off by it. But the big question remains: do Americans really want to be confronted by the issues and wars that define their world and lives?”
Ireland’s New Music Scene Is Thriving
Instead of relying on the existing institutions to help them out, the Irish Composers Collective have found strength, support, and – more importantly – artistic independence by creating their own community.
Movies For Old People (The Future?)
“I’m trying to envision what kinds of movies we’ll see as the largest population bulge in human history starts to age. Surely someone is ready to step up and serve this enormous demographic? Movie-makers’ prime targets are pubescent suburban boys with hard-ons and paper-rounds, but these oldsters have the last half-decent pensions and retirement-plans left, and thus a lot more money to spend on movies than their striving juniors.”
Minneapolis Arts Groups Prepare For Downturn
While smaller institutions aren’t immediately affected by the vagaries of the stock market, they might be the most vulnerable to the “ripple effect” as consumers reduce spending and funders cut contributions.
Copyright Law’s War On Creativity
“The extreme of regulation that copyright law has become makes it difficult, sometimes impossible, for a wide range of creativity that any free society — if it thought about it for just a second — would allow to exist, legally.”
Precaution: Denver Center Cuts $1 Million From Operations
“The tanking economy has the Denver Center for the Performing Arts taking precautionary steps that will cumulatively cut $1 million in spending this fiscal year. The goal is to create a cushion to protect against further market volatility that might soon affect everything from foundation support to possible audience downturns.”