“Sometime [in 1996] … Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos called a meeting in Seattle. He had a simple but potentially massive proposition. Amazon, then a 2-year-old company that sold only new books, wanted to expand into the used-books market – and Bezos wanted Powell’s to be its sole supplier. … There was a catch.”
Tag: 11.05.14
The German TV Talk Show That Traumatizes American Celebrities
“Not only does the 33-year-old Wetten, dass …? seem to confirm a lot of the world’s less generous stereotypes of Germans – e.g. humorless, weird, with terrible taste in formalwear – its concept is also awkwardly difficult to explain. … The concept: Invite a mixture of German and Hollywood celebrities onto a live stage, interview them, and then make them wager whether a number of ordinary Germans can complete a series of stunts.” And those stunts can be positively bizarre.
Why You Didn’t Get Called To Audition: A Director Explains
“With the best will in the world you cannot see everyone who applies or is submitted by their agent. Even on a fringe profit share production there are over 1,000 CVs to consider. … So how do you pick just 75 candidates?” Phil Wilmott explains how he does it – and he doesn’t like it any better than actors do.
Poland Celebrates Post-Communist Prosperity With A Spate Of New Concert Halls
New venues in Krakow, Szczecin, Wroclaw and Katowice “are seen as symbolic of the triumph over the Communist past and of the adoption of modern European values. … After the halls are built, the question inevitably arises over how – even whether – they can be filled.”
Protesters Unfurl Three-Story Banner in Guggenheim Museum
“The banner, reading ‘Stop Labor Abuse / Countdown to Guggenheim Abu Dhabi,’ was brought into the museum hidden inside a baby stroller.” It was the first of a series of actions “carried out by the Gulf Ultra Luxury Front (G.U.L.F.) activist group.”
What Can You Really Do With An Arts Degree?
A lot, actually, even if the art part doesn’t end up earning you money. “The best programs develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, along with intellectual curiosity, creativity, and an amazing work ethic.”
Why You Should Never Quit Reading A Novel Midway Through
Juliet Lapidos makes the case for why it’s good for you – maybe even important – to finish that book.
Chili Kamikazes: Doomed Orchestra Eats Ghost Peppers While Playing; Video Goes Viral
“In a ‘Jackass goes classical” video, the musicians [of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra] pause after the famously histrionic opening bars of Jacob Gade’s Tango Jalousie to pop the outrageously fiery peppers into their mouths. … Quite why they agreed to the painful challenge is unclear although the fact the orchestra is being disbanded this month after 75 years may have been a factor.”
More Pressure On Arts Council England To Spread Funding Beyond London
“The [House of] Commons culture, media and sport select committee highlights a truth which has long been generally acknowledged: the capital gets a disproportionately high share of cash, whether lottery or grant-in-aid, from Arts Council England.”
More Arts Funding For The Provinces? Why, That’s Just “Glib London-Bashing” (Sh** Boris Johnson Says)
Quoth the Lord Mayor: “London is one of the great world cities for culture, attracting visitors in the millions which helps generate billions the economy of the whole country. Sacrificing this particular golden goose for a bit of glib London-bashing will do little to improve cultural provision in the regions and would be an act of sabotage for one of our country’s greatest assets.”