“While the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s tussles with its government paymasters finally concluded last month after the federal budget outlined a specific financial commitment for the next three years, it suddenly has a clutch of new adversaries in the private sector who are pledging to fight its attempts to become more financially self-sufficient.”
Month: April 2012
What Ballerina Tamara Rojo’s Appointment To Run English National Ballet Means
“The Spanish ballerina also has no hands-on experience of running a company, but she has been in training, as it were, for some time, going on directors’ courses at National Ballet of Canada and the annual DanceEast directors’ retreat.”
Philadelphia Orchestra’s Bankruptcy Cost Triple
“When the Philadelphia Orchestra filed for Chapter 11 last spring, its leaders said the reorganization would cost $2.9 million in legal and administrative fees, and they predicted the orchestra would be out of bankruptcy in the latter part of 2011. The legal tab now looks likely to be triple that initial estimate, and the case is entering its second year.”
The Clamped-Down (But Hugely Ambitious) World Of Western Opera In Beijing
“Writers are expected to reinforce goodwill for opera in Beijing. When an iconoclastic visitor (this iconoclastic visitor) asks if a local critic could write a negative notice of an event at the NCPA, the answer is simple: “No.”
Why Good Stories Are Important To Us
“Steve Jobs, it seems, understood intuitively an important facet of our minds: we like to know where things come from. We like stories. We like nice tales. We need our myths, our origins, our creations.”
I’ll Be Famous After I’m Dead (Maybe Not)
“The afterlife of the artist is a tricky thing. Some bestselling writers seem to be forgotten mere seconds after their deaths; others aren’t truly appreciated until decades into their posthumous career. Many artists and writers are subjects of campaigns to re-establish their place in the canon. A few take, but most fall back into oblivion until someone else takes up the cause 10 years later.”
Scientists Develop Software To Spot Spam Reviews
“Signature giveaways often included timing: spamming groups often file their ‘reviews’ in quick bursts, the researchers say. And as the spammers are often briefed by a contracting agency working for a rival (for bad reviews) or the product maker/hotel/restaurant (for good reviews) each cod reviewer falls into the trap of using very similar language.”
Why Publishing Isn’t An Industry Anymore
“Publishing is not evolving. Publishing is going away. Because the word ‘publishing’ means a cadre of professionals who are taking on the incredible difficulty and complexity and expense of making something public. That’s not a job anymore. That’s a button. There’s a button that says ‘publish,’ and when you press it, it’s done.”
Is The American Shopping Mall Dead?
“Almost no new malls are being built any more anywhere in the country. In fact there are scores of malls that are dead and abandoned. Many others are on life-support and are close to being boarded up or redeveloped into more productive use.”
Everyone Loves James Franco, The Man Who Can Do Anything
“After a somewhat heady and hilarious dissection of Franco’s short film Dicknose in Paris (a clip was shown), the conversation ricocheted among topics, including Franco’s love of Faulkner; insider stories about director Nicholas Ray; Natalie Wood and Dennis Hopper during the filming of Rebel Without a Cause; and the upcoming MOCA show called ‘Rebel.'”