“Is this the end of independent comic books? That was the fear around the comics blogosphere last week when word spread of a policy change from Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s dominant distributor of English-language comic books. The company has decided to raise the minimum advance order it needs from comic-book stores before it will agree to distribute a title.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Rescuing Mendelssohn, Even Now, From Nazis’ Harm
“A rival’s envy and the Nazis combined to turn Felix Mendelssohn from a hot 19th-century composer to a pariah and left hundreds of his scores unpublished. Real rescue operations began only a dozen years ago. Thanks largely to the Mendelssohn Project, which has been working since 1996 to redress decades of neglect, the composer’s works are being recovered and performed.”
On B’way, At Least, People Haven’t Had Enough Of Bush
“Will Ferrell proved one of the few bright spots last week at the Broadway box office, which saw sales at almost every production fall in the January chill. The first week of Ferrell’s ‘You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush’ pulled in a robust $837,353 … and played to full houses.” So Broadway learns, yet again, that a star will draw crowds, no matter what.
Neil Gaiman Wins Newbery Medal For The Graveyard Book
“Neil Gaiman, a renowned author of science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels and comics aimed at adults, won the John Newbery Medal for the year’s most outstanding contribution to children’s literature on Monday. Mr. Gaiman, 48, won for ‘The Graveyard Book,’ a story about a boy who is raised in a cemetery by ghosts after his family is killed in the opening pages of the novel.”
On-Screen Smoking Ban Lifted In India
“In an obvious setback for health campaigners throughout the country, an Indian court has reversed a federal ban on showing smoking in movies and on TV. A High Court in New Delhi … said that the ban was a restriction on creative freedom. ‘The directors of films should not have multifarious authorities breathing down their necks when indulging in the creative act,’ Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, said.”
Reed Business Lays Off Publishers Weekly’s Top Editor
“Sara Nelson, the editor in chief of Publishers Weekly, the main trade magazine to the book industry, has been laid off in a restructuring by the publication’s parent company, Reed Business Information. Ms. Nelson, 52, spent four years heading up the magazine and had become a lively presence within the industry, speaking frequently on panels and advocating forcefully for books in her weekly column.”
A Strapped Brandeis To Close Art Museum, Sell Collection
“Rocked by a budget crisis, Brandeis University will close its Rose Art Museum and sell off a 6,000-object collection that includes work by such contemporary masters as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Nam June Paik. The move shocked local arts leaders and drew harsh criticism from the Association of College and University Museums and Galleries. Rose Art Museum director Michael Rush declined comment this evening, saying he had just learned of the decision.”
Dearth Of School Libraries Compounds A Crisis In Philly
“Though Philadelphia’s public library services recently landed on the chopping block, the city’s public school students have watched school library services dwindle for years. Today, more than half of the district’s 281 schools have no library staff. In one region, it’s up to 78 percent. … So if some city libraries close, the district is woefully underprepared to pick up the slack for its 167,000 students, library supporters said.”
Gatekeeper Editors May Shake Wikipedia’s Foundation
“Until now, Wikipedia has allowed anybody to make instant changes to almost all of its 2.7m entries, with only a handful of entries protected from being altered. But under proposals put forward by the website’s co-founder Jimmy Wales, many future changes to the site would need to be approved by a group of editors before going live.” Users aren’t happy about the prospect.
When Isn’t It Too Cold (Or Hot, Or Humid) To Play Outside?
“Inauguration organizers admitted on Friday that while Yo-Yo Ma and his fellow musicians were playing live onstage at the ceremony last week, they weren’t miked…. The musicians explained that the temperature conditions would have ruined the sound. What are the optimal climatic conditions for playing an instrument?”