“The feud, which could end up in court, is over control of the rights to Fisher’s autobiographical one-woman show, which recently ended a critically acclaimed run at Studio 54. Because it was a hit in New York, ‘Wishful Drinking’ is in demand around the world, potentially bringing in a few million dollars.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Boston Public Library May Close Neighborhood Branches
If closures occur, they will result from “what city officials say is a potential $3.6 million budget shortfall, which stems in large part from a proposed 73 percent cut in state funding. … Other potential cost savings include dramatically reducing hours at all 27 locations and streamlining behind-the-scenes administrative operations.”
Michael Kaiser: Arts Managers Kind Of Hate My Advice
“One arts leader accused me publicly of living in a parallel universe. He was quite upset that his artistic director and his unionized artists threw my advice in his face when he felt he had to make programming cuts. … He was not amused that his artists kept saying, ‘Michael Kaiser says this, Michael Kaiser says that.'”
Iranian Filmmaker Trades Art For Politics
“[S]ince the fraudulent election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June, [Mohsen Makhmalbaf has] set aside filmmaking to become spokesman for reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and, by extension, the democratic green movement. He’s written op-eds, given countless interviews and lobbied behind the scenes.” Too bad he hates politics.
That’d Be A Great Name For A Band. Oh, Wait, It Already Is.
“In the past, identically named acts often carved out livings in separate regions, oblivious or indifferent to one another. Now, it takes only moments for a musician to create an online profile and upload songs, which can potentially reach listeners around the world. … The Internet has become a battlefield for acts squaring off over the same name.”
Dancers Talk Figure Skating
Mark Morris: “If one is gay, as am I, one is supposedly predisposed to adore figure skating. I missed that day at Gay High.”
Most Plagiarism Scandals Are Overblown, But Not This One
“What smells off” in the case of 17-year-old German novelist Helene Hegemann “is precisely Hegemann’s claim to be using her borrowings to advance a cutting-edge concept of artistry. … This would be more plausible if Hegemann had acknowledged from the beginning that she’d included work from other writers in ‘Axolotl Roadkill,’ but by all indications, she did not.”
Charles Dickens’ Dog’s Collar Fetches $11,590 At Auction
“The leather and brass collar is inscribed with Dickens’ name. It had been estimated to sell for $4,000 to $6,000.”
Survey: 85 Percent Want Free Online Content To Stay Free
“Yet the extensive survey by the Nielsen Co. research firm found online consumers may be more willing to pay for certain categories, such as movies, games, TV shows and music, and less likely to pay for news, blogs and user-created videos.”
European Cinemas Revolt Against Disney’s Alice Plans
“Disney said it intended to release the ‘Alice [in Wonderland]’ DVD about three months after the movie appears in theaters…. Theater owners, especially in Europe, fear that will discourage consumers from going to theaters amid a period of record revenue.” So, after spending millions on 3-D upgrades, they’re threatening not to show the movie.