“A new deal between the leading licensor of rights to Broadway shows and the No. 1 U.S. textbook publisher means schools will soon be teaching students as young as first grade to do the ‘Hey, gang, let’s put on a show’ thing with some of America’s classic musicals.”
Tag: 12.02.04
Tenors, Tenors, Everywhere…
The planet is awash in tenors. They’re popping up everywhere. But have we hit tenor aturation? “Among serious opera people, suspicion is warranted. Legitimately trained tenors often come and go in a few seasons. And ours is a time when questionably trained pop tenors sweep the country with massive marketing campaigns and then disappear before they can develop artistically.”
The Ugliest Building In Town (Why Can’t It go Away?)
Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could wave your hand and the ugliest building in town would go away? Of course ugly is subjective, as John King admits, but there are some basic rules about what defines an offensive piece of architecture…
Sherlock’s First Case
The British Library is putting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s first literary effort on display. “The contents have never been made public or published since Conan Doyle wrote the book while he was working as a doctor in Southsea, probably in the early to mid-1880s, soon after he finished his training at Edinburgh, the city of his birth.”
Those Ancient Romans Traveled In Style
“Underneath a German bus terminal, archaeologists have found the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman roadside rest stop that included a chariot service station, gourmet restaurant and hotel with central heating. The building complex indicates that citizens of the Roman Empire traveled in relative comfort.”
Ballerina Alicia Markova, 94
Dame Alicia Markova, one of the UK’s most influential prima ballerinas, has died aged 94. She died in a nursing home in Bath on Thursday morning, the day after her birthday.
Alabama Legisator Proposes Banning Gay Books
An Alabama legislator is proposing legislation that would ban books with gay characters or themes from libraries in the state. “Our culture, how we know it today, is under attack from every angle,” Gerald Allen says. “Allen said that if his bill passes, novels with gay protagonists and college textbooks that suggest homosexuality is natural would have to be removed from library shelves and destroyed. ‘I guess we dig a big hole and dump them in and bury them’.”
Film Critic Quits For Nothing
After 17 years, Sacramento Bee film critic Joe Baltake is quitting. For what? To do nothing. “That’s what’s so strange,” Baltake told Bites, fresh from reviewing Christmas with the Kranks, a film he suggested makes retiring from film criticism that much easier. “Whenever I tell somebody what my plans are–and I’ve been talking about this for a year now–the inevitable question is, ‘Well, what are you going to do?’ And I say, ‘Nothing.’ I guess the work ethic is so pronounced in this country that the idea of doing nothing seems almost a crime, or a sin or some kind of blasphemy.”
Registering Stolen Art
The Art Loss Register is a small operation. But since its founding, the company has compiled a huge database of stolen art and assisted in the recovery of millions of dollars worth of objects.
Amazon – Not Just For The Books Anymore
For the first time, Amazon, which began in the books business but has steadily diversified in recent years, has sold more of other products than books. “During the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, consumer electronics surpassed books as Amazon’s largest sales category. The milestone, set at a time when its book business also posted record sales, is an important indication that Amazon can diversify beyond media products.”