“Two of the biggest media groups in Pakistan and India have orchestrated an attempt at a peace initiative called Quest for Peace. The goal is to bring the two nations together through music, literature; and other cultural and business interactions.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
What Makes An Awful Date Movie?
“At first blush, the hallmarks of a terrible date movie might seem rather obvious. Such a movie might feature multiple instances of projectile vomiting, like the Sam Raimi horror flick Drag Me to Hell. It might graphically depict genital mutilation” or, perhaps, “aliens emerging from human rectums.” But these aren’t the kind of movies to watch out for.
Magic Theatre Managing Director Eliminated His Own Job
Scott “Hawkins said that in his efforts to help restructure the company to cope with its financially straitened circumstances, ‘after analyzing the budget in December I decided we could no longer afford a managing director’s salary.'” So, with artistic director Loretta Greco and the board, he “worked out a new structure” and quietly left.
As Black Population Leaves SF, So Might A Bookstore
“While many independent bookstores nationwide have shut over the years, Marcus Books’ travails are rooted in a double-whammy specific to the Bay Area: the recession coupled with a long-term exodus of African-Americans from San Francisco.”
Will Readers Stand For Higher E-Book Prices?
“The angry commenters on Amazon and online message boards,” who wage hostilities whenever an e-book price creeps above $9.99, “could just be a vocal minority. But now, with e-books scheduled to cost $12.99 to $14.99 under new deals that publishers negotiated with Apple and Amazon, a broader swath of customers may resist the new pricing.”
Despite Protest, Polaroid’s Corporate Collection On Block
“More than 1,200 works from Polaroid’s corporate collection, chronicling decades of artistic experimentation by Andy Warhol, Chuck Close and others who pushed the aesthetic boundaries of the instant-film process, will be hammered away by order of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota.”
Defunct Restaurant Sells Menu Covers By Twombly Et Al
Tribeca restaurant Chanterelle, which closed last fall, “asked artists to design about 65 menu covers” during its three-decade run. “Now, the [owners] have put dozens of the covers up for sale to help pay their creditors. Among the artists were Robert Indiana, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Eric Fischl, Ellsworth Kelly and Cy Twombly.”
Suddenly, Woman-Driven Movies Are Box-Office Gold
Since mid-November, “every No. 1 film at the domestic box office not called ‘Avatar’ has been [a] chick movie. … And it’s not that there is some big new trend of more women going to the movies.” It’s that “studios are making more movies now that accurately reflect women’s experiences and interests.”
Lincoln Center Eatery’s Daunting Task: Juggling VIP Egos
“There are 12 constituencies with 500 board members,” says Reynold Levy, president of Lincoln Center, considering the campus’s forthcoming dining spot. “They have spouses, children and parents. There are corporate sponsors, foundation benefactors, donors. They will want every courtesy extended to them at the restaurant.”
Fidelity Donates $500,000 In Instruments For Students
“In a simulcast with similar events in Boston, Chicago and Houston, [Los Angeles] students heard about a musical competition that will give them the chance to perform alongside their city’s orchestra in concert, as well as a chance to receive instruction from professional musicians in their schools.”