“The first Tintin adventure … forwent the plodding, pane-by-pane mises-en-scène of most early comics in favor of an urgent montage and forward-driving plot. … The Tintin books helped to create the style of the modern blockbuster, and, even now, bridge the gap between a literary audience and a cinematic one.”
Tag: 12.29.11
The Top-Selling Books Of 2011 (Were Mostly Published Before 2011)
“Glance at 2011’s chart, and you could be forgiven for wondering if 12 months have really passed. For this was a year when old books saw off new ones, and paperbacks sent hardbacks packing.”
New Theatre Initiative Moves From Arena Stage To Emerson College
“In a boost to Emerson College’s ambitions to be a force in theater, the two leaders of the American Voices New Play Institute – an influential national player in conversations and research about playwriting – will move next year from Arena Stage in Washington to become part of ArtsEmerson, the Boston college’s two-year-old theater programming arm.”
The Unique Success Of “Wicked” (And Why)
“Wicked” is the rare — maybe even unprecedented — show rich enough to effortlessly carry multiple meanings for multiple demographics, all of them valid, even if the messages that endeared it to my cynical heart are different from a 10-year-old’s take-away.
Why Are So Many Hollywood Movies Duds? Blame Relationships
“It’s hard to imagine where Hollywood would be if no one was willing to take a gamble on what are often complicated creative partnerships.”
2011’s Most-Pirated Movies
Fast Five, The Hangover Part II and Thor were the year’s most pirated movies, topping a list that contained some surprising differences from the most popular movies at the box office.
Big Disruption In Book Industry In 2011 (Much More To Come)
“E-books now account for about 20% of the market — more than double a year ago. An even bigger surge is expected this week and next month, with people unwrapping their new e-readers and tablets. In the next few years, e-books are likely to match print sales and eventually overtake them. For readers, books have never been more accessible or plentiful. But no one is sure what it means for traditional publishers, authors and bookstores.”
Look Out Netflix – New Video-On-Demand Competitors Loom
“Many more digital players will command the attention of studios and consumers in 2012, from would-be Netflix rivals to those sporting entirely different business models and aiming to deliver TV programs and movies to every screen in U.S. homes.”
This Year Commercial Intellectual Property Trumped Civil Liberties
In 2011 lawmakers — Democrats and Republicans alike — turned a blind eye to important civil liberties issues, including Patriot Act reform, and instead paid heed to the content industry’s desires to stop piracy. “Any civil liberties agenda was a complete non-starter with Congress and the Obama administration,” said Cindy Cohn, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s legal director. “They had no interest in finding any balance in civil liberties.”
U2 Tops Concert Ticket Sales In 2011 With $232 Million
“The band brought in $231.9 million US in 34 shows, narrowly beating out British boy band Take That, which took in $224 million after reuniting with its popular front man, Robbie Williams. U2’s 2009 concerts earned $311 million worldwide.”