“Reading dance criticism today one sees that editors know little about the arts, and seem to care less. Many reviews are of the level one could read in smaller American newspapers in the 1940s and 1950s, when there really wasn’t much ballet in America and one could forgive a critic for not having seen much.”
Tag: 11.10.07
Norman Mailer – Louis Menand Remembers
“He was a slugger. He swung at everything, and when he missed he missed by a mile and sometimes ended up on his tush, but when he connected he usually knocked it out of the park. He was immodest about his failures and modest about his successes, which is a healthy trait for a writer and probably a healthy trait for life. He left a huge footprint on American letters.”
First Word On Ray Charles Bio-Musical
Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks “hasn’t decided what her story’s central theme should be. Is it Ray’s redemption through music? The necessity of personal pain as a motivator for great art? The power of music to overcome racism and other ills? All of these issues are melded into Parks’ script, but they don’t form a synthesis. The show comes off as a leisurely catalog-survey through Ray Charles’ life and career, fitfully fascinating but without a through-line.”
Gilberto Gil Resigns As Brazils’ Culture Minister
“Reports from Brazil say the 65-year-old singer will leave his post in 2008 because tests have unveiled a career-threatening polyp on his vocal cords.”
Canadians Go On A Book-Price Rampage
Books in Canada carry two prices on their covers – an American price and a Canadian price (always higher). “Book rage, anyone? As the Canadian dollar hit the $1.10 mark earlier this week, booksellers and publishers began to circulate stories of customers going beyond simply venting their dismay at hapless clerks and turning books into projectiles, sometimes to the point of drawing blood.”
British Museum Puts A Trove Online
Three weeks ago, the British Museum quietly launched its comprehensive website of what it calls flat art: mostly so far its enormous collection of prints and drawings. The drawings, 50,000 of them, have all been catalogued; the prints, by no means.
Strike Shuts Broadway
Most of Broadway’s theaters went dark on Saturday when stagehands went out on strike in a dispute with theater owners and producers, leaving thousands of ticket holders seeking refunds and entertainment alternatives.
Chinese Writer Jiang Rong Wins First Asian Booker
“The prize is sponsored by the Man Group Plc — the financial group behind the world-renowned Booker Prize. Publishing giant Penguin is set to release Jiang’s work next March and it believes the book could become a global hit.”
How Far Can You Push With Work For Kids?
‘Often, societal concerns over language and nudity are in direct conflict with artistic prerogatives. This can lead to heavily sugarcoated entertainment for kids, and afternoons of agony for the parents who suffer through these shows.”
TV Ratings Down, Advertisers Restless
Advertisers are growing restless with TV networks about placement and ratings for their ads. “Through the first five weeks of the prime-time season, the live program ratings for the five broadcast networks are down nearly 10 percent overall, total viewers have slipped 8 percent, and 18-49 demo ratings are down 12 percent.”