“Seeing my work go up in flames was extremely painful and I am in mourning. But in some way it did not belong to me any more. I never thought of its commercial value and it is a political act to destroy it. It is something quite beyond me.”
Month: April 2012
Cannes Film Lineup Revealed, And There Are No… Women?
“Last year, a record total of four women had films in competition; this year that number has reverted to Le Grand Zero.”
Nielsen Data: People Record Dramas More Than Other Programming
“Hourlong dramas accounted for 58% of time-shifted viewing, according to Nielsen’s Advertising & Audiences Report released Thursday. Comedies made up 16%, reality shows accounted for 14%, sports represented 8% and news, 4%.”
A Call To Close Second-Rate German Cultural Institutions (To Save Money)
“A call by a group of academics and cultural commentators to close every second state-subsidised cultural institution–in particular art museums and theatres–in response to the economic downturn has provoked a robust response from German artists, filmmakers and writers.”
Pulitzer Fiction Prize Juror: I’m Angry
“Our directive was to nominate ‘distinguished’ works of fiction, published in book form in 2011 that, ideally, spoke to American themes. And 2011 saw a bounty of good novels. We unanimously agreed on our three nominees. In our collective judgment, these very different novels are three very distinguished works of fiction.”
Angelin Preljocaj, Prince Of Dystopian Dance, Turns To Snow White
The French choreographer is known for such projects as a Romeo and Juliet in a totalitarian state and Casanova as a case study of advanced venereal disease. “But when Preljocaj announced he was planning a full-length Snow White … even his most loyal supporters panicked.”
New York City Opera Settles On Two Homes (For The Next Couple Seasons)
“New York City Opera will return to its roots at New York City Center in March after a 48-year absence, splitting the 2012-13 season between its former home and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.”
England Will Hang Onto Its Oldest Book
“The oldest intact European book – the St Cuthbert Gospel – is to remain in the UK after the British Library raised £9m to buy it. The acquisition of the 7th Century copy of the Gospel of St John follows the library’s largest fundraising campaign.”
E.B. White On A Writer’s Responsibility
“A writer should concern himself with whatever absorbs his fancy, stirs his heart, and unlimbers his typewriter. I feel no obligation to deal with politics. I do feel a responsibility to society because of going into print: a writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true, not false; lively, not dull; accurate, not full of error.”
The ‘Cocktail Effect’ – How You Hear Your Friend Through The Surrounding Chatter
“Weaving your way through a crowded party, you spot an old friend. Despite the surrounding chatter you have no trouble filtering out the other voices to focus on her words alone. How the brain performs this trick, dubbed the ‘cocktail party effect’, has been identified for the first time.”