“Shuffling to join in all this real-estate ferment, the New York Times has lately moved out of its gloomy castle on West 43rd Street and into airy new headquarters designed by Renzo Piano with Fxfowle. Endowed with daylight, elbow room, a decent cafeteria, and window shades that respond to the sun, it’s almost enough to put a reporter in a good mood. How disappointing for the rest of us, though, that the Times has built itself a stolid lump of a building.”
Tag: 11.30.07
TV Writers’ Strike Reality: A Flood Of “Reality” Shows
“The current WGA strike fell smack during production as well as the Age of Reality, putting the brakes on scripted shows and giving networks a quick fix for schedule holes. It remains to be seen how viewers — or the reality genre itself — will withstand the onslaught.”
A Miami Museum Unlike Any Other
“The Miami Art Museum on Friday unveils a working design for its new $220 million bayfront home that, safe to say, looks unlike any building in Miami — or any other place.”
Despite Hong Kong, London Still Dominates Asian Art Market
“The Asian Art week, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last month, suggests that London is bound to remain a world center of Chinese art collecting for quite some time. What ultimately matters in difficult fields such as Chinese ceramics or jades is knowledge, and London runs far ahead of the competition.”
Who Won, Lost In Broadway Strike
“The producers have achieved changes in work rules that, over time, should curtail some (though not all) of the featherbedding on Broadway. In addition, they should be able to cut down the cost of the load-in, that very expensive period during which shows are physically put into the theater. But to achieve those ‘savings’ they had to give up nearly $40 million in gross box-office receipts.”
The Virtual Book Tour – A New Era For Books
“Observers say the traditional author tour has been in decline: Fewer writers are being sent out, and those who do tour make fewer stops. Among the many reasons for this shift are marketing tools that have made it possible to orchestrate a virtual encounter, without the hassle or expense of travel.”
SF Symphony Takes A Different Approach For TV
The San Francisco Chronicle performs a Shostakovich Symphony while the cameras are running. It’s a distinctly different performance than one a few months ago when the cameras weren’t there…
Why Aren’t Movie Stars Supporting Writers In Strike?
A powerful producer observes that the top movie talent is “not touching [the strike] with a 10-foot pole.” Why? “They don’t want things to change. They have the greatest deal in town. Why hurt the golden goose?”
Desperately Seeking Susan To Close
Only two weeks after it opened in London’s West End, the musical “Desperately Seeking Susan,” based on the movie by the same name, is closing.
Will Writers’ Strike Doom Soap Operas?
“Ratings for soap operas have been in decline for years as some longtime shows have met their demise while others barely cling to life. That’s why many who follow the genre are concerned about the possible ramifications of a drawn-out writers strike in Hollywood.”