“The Society of London Theatre questioned 716 people about the influence of TV talent programmes on the productions they were likely to see. … [A] third of people were more likely to attend any musical – not just the one they saw on television; and nearly a quarter would consider a play or comedy as well.”
Tag: 10.21.09
HuffPost’s Unconventional Foray Into Book Coverage
“[T]he arrival of HuffPost Books has some in the journalism world chilled at the prospect of less rigorous thinking about books even as many others are thrilled that the queen of bloggers and new media will devote a portion of her website to books.”
Financial Realities Mean A Leaner Miami City Ballet
Miami City Ballet opens its season this week “without any of the new works or big classical productions that have generated excitement in recent years. MCB’s budget is $11.2 million, down from $13.8 million last year. Eight dancers did not have their contracts renewed….”
E-Books Are Making People Read More: True Or False?
“[S]ome sellers and owners of electronic reading devices are making the case that people are reading more because of e-books,” while publishing executives note e-book sellers’ financial interest in promoting that argument. “Some publishers are also not quite willing to accept the notion that books can make a mainstream resurgence.”
DreamWorks’ Shrek Fails To Thrive On Broadway
“Fall’s been strong on Broadway, with several shows posting weekly grosses of more than $1 million. But at ‘Shrek,’ that number is stubbornly stuck at about $500,000, nearly $300,000 short of the show’s weekly running cost.”
Mandela Plans Legal Action Over Foreword He Didn’t Write
The new book by Denis Sassou-Nguesso, the president of Congo-Brazzaville, “boasts, in large type on the cover, that it contains a foreword written by Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president. … Mandela has issued a statement saying he did not write the foreword. Nor has he read the book.”
The Trouble With Actor-Speak
“This has nothing to do with lack of respect for actors; just a lack of respect for the language they learn – perhaps at acting school – to describe what they do.” There are the verbs, like “nourish,” and the nouns, like “craft” and “journey.” “Does anyone else on the planet talk about their jobs like this?”
UK Arts Council Chief To Conservatives: Funding Is Key
Alan Davey, chief executive of Arts Council England, told a Conservative arts conference that “he had been alarmed to hear old arguments against arts funding resurrected recently; those that say the best art is produced by starving artists in garrets, and that arts funding only subsidises the pleasure of the rich.”
In Developing Countries, TV Can Further Women’s Rights
Economist Charles Kenny “says that a village getting satellite or cable TV ‘goes along with higher girls’ school enrollment rates and increased female autonomy.'” Evidence also suggests “that strong female [TV] characters help women … begin to challenge the power relations between men and women.”
Bailed-Out Banks Own Some Great Art. Let’s See It.
“Last week, the Royal Bank of Scotland agreed to display its corporate art collection to the public, following pressure by Parliament and the art world. … We wondered: Shouldn’t bailed-out U.S. banks do the same? And what, exactly, would they show?”