“Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. has told the New York Public Library that it is unable to complete the purchase of the Donnell branch … in Midtown for $59 million, the library said Monday.” The library, which last summer vacated the five-story building across the street from the Museum of Modern Art, was to have owned and occupied some space in the new 11-story hotel building.
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Sometimes The Law Says No To Endowment Spending
“It’s a frustrating quandary for universities, orchestras and other nonprofit organizations in two dozen states. They have the money they need to save jobs, offer scholarships and put on a solid schedule of programs, but face state laws that keep them from using any of it.”
Courting ‘Youth,’ Boston Symphony Tries $20-Under-40
“After seasons of offering discounts to college students and hosting preconcert social events, the [Boston Symphony Orchestra] this season is trying to throw open its doors even wider, selling $20 tickets to anyone under the age of 40. Those concertgoers would be spring chickens for the BSO, where the average age of attendees is 49 and the average season-ticket holders is 54.”
Protesters Take Over Stage During Playwright’s Talk
“Protesters invaded the stage at London’s National Theatre to object to what they view as ‘racism’ in the new play England People Very Nice. Two men carrying placards interrupted a talk by the playwright Richard Bean for 10 minutes until removed by security. … The protesters plan to picket the sponsor of the comedy, described by the theatre as ‘a riotous journey through four waves of immigration’.”
Another Reason To Keep The Kids Away From TV: Asthma
“Children who spend hours in front of the television are at greater risk of developing asthma than those who are more active, a study has found. Youngsters who watched more than two hours of TV a day were twice as likely to get the respiratory condition as children who watched less, according to research by British scientists. … The finding builds on recent work that points to a link between asthma and low levels of physical activity.”
At The Theatre, Risk = Good; Anxiety = Bad
“Anxiety kills theatre. I reckon that audiences are almost always willing to embrace risk, just as long as they are confident that they are in safe hands and have faith that the company is taking them somewhere interesting, and for good reason. … But anxiety is something else entirely….”
Commercial Breaks Enhance Our TV Viewing (Yes, Really!)
“[W]hy is it that commercial interruptions always ruin TV programs? Maybe they don’t. In two new studies, researchers who study consumer behavior argue that interrupting an experience, whether dreary or pleasant, can make it significantly more intense.”
Amazon Backs Down On Kindle’s Speech Function
“Publishers and authors now have the power to silence the Kindle 2 e-book reader. Amazon.com Inc. reversed course Friday on the device’s controversial text-to-speech feature, which reads digital books aloud in a robotic voice. The company gave rights holders the ability to disable the feature for individual titles. … [T]he Authors Guild had objected to the text-to-speech function, saying Amazon doesn’t have the right to essentially turn e-books into audio books.”
Thanks To Feds, Blagojevich Inks Six-Figure Book Deal
“Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has landed a deal to write a book in which he will focus on ‘the discussions, the considerations and the factors involved in picking’ a U.S. Senate successor to Barack Obama…. Blagojevich’s publicity agent, Glenn Selig, said the deal was with an independent publisher, Phoenix Books, and was worth six figures. The news release said Blagojevich will expose the ‘dark side of politics’ that he witnessed as a former congressman and governor.”
Chinese Artworks’ Provenance Takes On Greater Weight
“Western dealers said it may be more difficult to sell high-value Chinese works of art after a collector refused to pay for two Qing bronzes on which he had placed the winning bid at a Paris auction last week. … The risk of Chinese government disapproval may make important items connected with its emperors unsaleable without detailed ownership records, they said.”