“Is it completely insane to try to finish a first draft of an entire novel in three weeks?” writes Dahlia Lithwick, who ordinarily covers the Supreme Court. “Is there something quintessentially chick-lit-ish about trying to do something patently impossible and overreaching? Yes! But that’s where you come in.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Romance Novels’ Hot New Niche: Amish Love Stories
“Most bonnet books,” as they’re called, “are G-rated romances, often involving an Amish character who falls for an outsider. Publishers attribute the books’ popularity to their pastoral settings and forbidden love scenarios à la Romeo and Juliet.”
A Saunter Through The Met With NY Phil’s New Conductor
“What I like about museums is that people can come in and look around without feeling Âinadequate if they don’t understand everything they see,” Alan Gilbert says. “But classical-music concerts have become identified with a pretentious notion that a listener must understand every note to enjoy the music.”
Army Archerd, Variety Writer Since 1950s, Dies At 87
“Army Archerd, who became an industry institution and beloved figure in his more than half a century at Daily Variety, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. … Archerd was one of the first writers to link AIDS to a celebrity when he wrote a piece detailing, amid denials from the actor’s publicists and managers, that Rock Hudson was undergoing treatment for AIDS.”
Warner Bros. Settles Suit Brought By Tolkien’s Children
“The lawsuit, which sought to terminate New Line’s rights to all of Tolkien’s works including ‘The Hobbit’ until the claims were resolved, was settled in the nick of time. Not only were the plaintiffs scheduled to go to trial Oct. 19, but the two ‘Hobbit’ movies are slated to go into production next year….”
Classical Music Finds A Place In Nightclubs
“Though classical music isn’t supposed to make you want to drink (quite the opposite), that option is increasingly available in trendy New York settings better known for indie rock.” For performers and audience, a club venue makes for a very different experience.
A Course By Any Other Name Would Have Fewer Students
“As schools compete for students and faculty come under pressure to boost enrollment in their classes, colleges from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to Wellesley are jazzing up course catalogs to entice a generation of students drawn to the dramatic.” And it’s working.
As Europe Objects To Books Deal, Google Tries To Pacify
“Google said it would limit the out-of-print books it plans to make available online in order to appease European publishers, authors and other copyright holders objecting to a proposed American court settlement allowing Google to sell digital books on the Internet.”
In Rebellion, Iranian Youth Embrace A Classical Musician
When classical Persian musician Mohammad Reza Shajarian “objected to the use of his songs to celebrate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election as president,” he inadvertently boosted his career. Online, young Iranians are “urging others to attend Mr Shajarian’s concerts and to buy his album, in an apparent bid to defy the authorities.”
Tell Me, Mr. Saatchi, Why Is Your Book A Series Of Q&As?
Coming from a notoriously closed-mouthed public figure, “the publication of My Name is Charles Saatchi and I Am an Artoholic (MNICSAIAAA) is in many ways a much bigger sensation in the art world than any number of rotting cow’s heads. … It’s the format that really confounds expectations, though.”