The Phillips specialists acknowledge that their November sale was only an opening move; the larger effort to disrupt the duopoly has just begun. “We’re still in this phase when we get the sympathy vote. I don’t think it’s a giant leap. It’s just a good step to take.”
Tag: 11.29.16
Researchers: Speaking A Second Language Makes Your Brain Smarter
“In recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.”
National Board Of Review Honors ‘Manchester By The Sea’ And ‘Moonlight’
The Board is one of the quirkier awards-giving bodies in the American film world, but their top prizes this year went to two Oscar frontrunners. Even so, there were the usual surprises …
‘Moonlight’ Rules Gotham Independent Film Awards
The surprise hit about a young gay black man took four awards, including best feature film and a special jury prize for best ensemble cast. Don’t draw too many Oscar conclusions from this, though.
Jury Finds Creators Of ‘Jersey Boys’ Guilty Of Copyright Infringement
The verdict is that the musical’s creators used, without permission, substantial portions of an unpublished autobiography by Tommy DeVito, a founding member of the group The Four Seasons. The jury held that 10% of the show’s success is attributed to the unauthorized material – which could lead to a big cash award to DeVito’s widow.
The Met Gives Up On Getting A New Opera Out Of Osvaldo Golijov
After the wild success of his Pasión según San Marco, Golijov was one of the first composers Peter Gelb commissioned when he became the company’s general manager. Alas, Golijov seems to have a years-long case of composer’s block; this is by no means the first time he hasn’t been able to complete a major commission.
Pioneering Countertenor Russell Oberlin Dead At 88
He was the first male alto to make a solo career in the U.S.; in the 1950s and ’60s he was at the forefront of the early music revival, singing everything from 12th-century English music through Bach and Handel (not to mention Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream). And he didn’t use falsetto; alto was his natural range.
Independent Bookstores Are Making A Go Of It Again (But It’s A Lot Of Work)
“A lot of a bookstore’s success is case-by-case, but the fact that some bookstores are thriving and a lot of bookstores are opening means that there’s something inherently successful in the model.”
UK Closer To Law Banning Ticket Bots
“Although we would not want to close down the secondary market for tickets altogether, clearly the automatic harvesting of tickets sold below market price — so that fans can afford them — for resale at a higher value is wrong.”
Report: There’s A Big Shift Happening In Where UK Arts Orgs Are Getting Their Funding
“Donations increased at 316 NPOs, adding £13.2m to their revenues, but a further 253 saw the value of their donations fall by a total of £12.3m compared with the previous year. Loss of income from trusts and foundations affected 231 organisations, where revenues from this source fell by £15.7m, while 311 benefited from a growth in this income stream, worth £13.5m.”