“Roeper was one several prominent journalists, sports stars, politicians and celebrities who had paid to increase their Twitter followers with fake accounts, according to a New York Times report published over the weekend. Roeper’s Twitter following currently numbers over 225,000, but it was not specified by the Times report how many of those followers were fake.”
Author: Douglas McLennan
Chicago Sun-Times Axes Long Time Theatre Critic Hedy Weiss
Weiss did not respond to a request for comment, but she told friends she was notified weeks ago that her position was being eliminated. Weiss had been covering theater and dance for the Sun-Times since 1984 (which actually makes it 34 years).
Why You Should Still Collect DVDs
“I’m not against digital media, and I think it’s certainly a fine way to have access to your films without taking them with you. But when you become solely reliant on digital sources, you have fewer options than you think, and you’re certainly not getting the best version of the movie available. All of this is troubling because streaming is dominating the landscape.”
Grammys In The Crosshairs After Last Week’s Malethon
Having apparently learned nothing from the many men forced to walk back tone-deaf commentary during the #MeToo movement, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow almost immediately made things worse. He responded to the hashtag by urging women to “step up.”
Female Recording Execs Demand Grammys Boss Step Down
The letter, signed by over a dozen female execs, calls Neil Portnow’s comments “spectacularly wrong” and says he is “oblivious to the vast body of work created by and with women.” The letter goes on to list statistics of gender discrepancy in the recording industry, as well as at the Grammys themselves.
How Do You Program Diversity When We Have Diverse Reactions?
Matthew van Besien: “When we step back and remember that one person’s provocation may be another person’s reality, we are also reminded that it behooves all of us to move out of the echo chamber and expose ourselves to environments where people may disagree with us.”
Today’s Bands Making It By Playing More, Smaller Markets
“If you’re only playing 10 or 12 or 15 markets, and touring is the income-generator, there’s a real temptation to play markets too often. It’s a real tough balancing act between playing often enough in the same market, or market area, and playing too much.”
A Rare John Coltrane Vinyl Recording Selling For $19,000?
A Love Supreme is widely lauded as a high water mark of the genre. The test pressing is in VG condition, exists in a generic sleeve, and has a Van Gelder Stamp on both sides of the vinyl.
How To Diversify Your Museum? Here’s What Works
Whose point of view are art museums in the business of representing? As one interviewee at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) succinctly put it, if you have a diverse curatorial staff, you curate differently.
How Urban Design Polices Public Space
Hostile design–whereby public spaces are modified to deter certain activities such as rough sleeping and skateboarding–is a “stealthy way of policing public space. These designs legitimise the point of view that homeless people are the enemy. Instead they need support, often with addiction or mental health.”