“Say what you like about this prize – and most of the commentariat have done that pretty freely this year – Booker has a record of picking winners … And that brings up another thing: compared with all the other great literary prizes, even the Orange, the Booker is impressively global. This is why its choice matters, why so many readers around the world are exercised by it.”
Tag: 10.20.11
Missing The Hiss: Some Audiophiles Cling To Cassette Tapes
“The Oxford English Dictionary says it is removing the term ‘cassette player’ from its Concise dictionary. … But cassette devotees say that tapes are underappreciated. They see cassettes following in the shadows of their analog brethren, vinyl records, which are currently enjoying a renaissance.”
The Rules To Successful Movies
“According to Christopher Vogler the hero’s journey is populated by “archetypes”, basic functions that appear in every story. These recurring patterns of behaviour are symbolised by standard character types. The hero — or main character — passes through 12 stages as he goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe or civilisation.”
A Remade Musee d’Orsay
“While the main, arched hall of the museum with its ornate, massive clock has not been touched, now nearly all the building’s other smaller gallery spaces are more intimate, and give the sense of being in an entirely different museum, one that also feels more accessible. The effect, officials say, is not unlike what one might have encountered in the homes of collectors at the time the paintings were created.”
Strike Delays Reopening Of Musee d’Orsay
“Some 34 employees, mostly security guards, staged the walkout to protest the fact that no additional workers had been recruited at the museum despite the addition of more than 21,000 square feet of display space, a museum spokeswoman said.”
Why The Turner Prize Should Be More Like The Booker
“There are two ways in which the Booker – for all this year’s fuss – remains a more serious cultural event than the Turner. Both are encapsulated in this year’s outcome. When all was said and done, the 2011 Booker went to Julian Barnes. There are two reasons why, if he were an artist, he would not be in the running for this year’s Turner.”
Chicago Symphony Deficit Hides Good News
“CSO concerts showed a 1 percent increase in subscription sales over the previous season (which brought a 7 percent drop), also a 17 percent increase in single ticket sales, amounting to record income of more than $4.8 million. The main subscription series finished at 84 percent paid capacity sold, much of that because of patron excitement over Muti’s arrival.”
Halle Orchestra Told To Stop Calling Itself “Oldest”
The 153-year-old Halle Orchestra had used the claim in marketing material. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled it was ‘misleading’ after probing a claim the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was older.”
Occupy Museums To Demonstrate at MoMA, Frick, And New Museum
“The game is up: we see through the pyramid schemes of the temples of cultural elitism controlled by the 1%. No longer will we, the artists of the 99%, allow ourselves to be tricked into accepting a corrupt hierarchical system based on false scarcity and propaganda concerning absurd elevation of one individual genius over another human being for the monetary gain of the elitest of elite.”