“Who will survive publishing’s Ice Age? Undoubtedly, the companies that can command developments in the impending digital book revolution.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Evolution Or Devolution: Is The Internet A Force For Good?
“Some of today’s most vaunted tech philosophers are embroiled in a ferocious argument. On one side are those who think the Internet will liberate humanity, in a virtuous cycle of e-volving creativity that may culminate in new and higher forms of citizenship. Meanwhile, their diametrically gloomy critics see a kind of devolution taking hold….”
MOCA Chooses Broad’s $30M Bailout; Strick Gone, CEO In
“After weeks of conjecture, the board of the financially strapped Museum of Contemporary Art has voted to accept a $30-million bailout offer from billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, a founder and life trustee of the museum and the city’s largest arts patron. In addition, MOCA’s beleaguered director, Jeremy Strick, has resigned and MOCA has appointed UCLA Chancellor Emeritus Charles E. Young as the museum’s first chief executive.”
SAG Pushes Strike-Authorization Vote Back Two Weeks
“Facing growing internal dissent, leaders of the Screen Actors Guild have postponed SAG’s divisive strike authorization vote for two weeks. … The delay comes with the anti-authorization effort gaining traction among SAG members with over 1,400 having publicly declared that they’ll vote against the measure.”
Shakespeare Santa Cruz Raises $415,000, Saves Its Season
“It’s going to be a joyous holiday season at Shakespeare Santa Cruz after all. The week of existential crisis is over at the acclaimed 27-year-old theater company, and for fans of professional theater in the redwoods, the news couldn’t get much better. SSC not only met its university-imposed fundraising goal, it exceeded it by six figures.”
Puccini At 150: He Transcended Opera’s Artifice
“Puccini was not just a guy who wrote a few good, slushy tunes, but a lifelong perfectionist, an innovator, and a man and musician of the modern world. Above all, his sense of dramatic timing is second to none, and he’s able to cut straight to the emotional core of a character.”
When A Play’s No Good (Or: How Else To Say ‘Interesting’)
“Going backstage to see mates [after watching them perform in a play] throws up interesting moral conundrums, particularly if you’re an actor yourself and know how things work. If you’ve enjoyed the show, all is sweetness and light: gazes can be returned, questions can be asked and backs can be slapped. But what if it’s the biggest turkey before Christmas?”
From NY Governor, A 4 Percent Tax B’way Doesn’t Need
“Facing ‘Black Tuesday’ – when the first six of 13 shows slated to close go dark on Jan. 6 – Broadway has been hit with a final indignity: a 4 percent tax on theater tickets.” The item is part of Gov. David Paterson’s list of proposed taxes and tax increases. “Executives say the fee could be the final blow to an industry reeling from dwindling ticket sales.”
Then There Was One: Most Of Opera Gala’s Singers Cancel
“DiCapo Opera Theater said it had been hit by a small storm of cancellations for its Puccini 150th anniversary gala concert, a fundraiser, scheduled for Monday night. On its Web site, of the five singers singled out as taking part only one, Fabio Armiliato, was expected to appear….”
At Last, Speed-The-Plow‘s Elevated Vitriol Levels Explained
“The pleasingly insouciant revival of David Mamet’s anti-Hollywood screed ‘Speed-the-Plow’ was one of the few shows on Broadway this fall to actually attract an audience. … That’s why the news of star actor Jeremy Piven’s premature departure (he says he suffers from abnormally high levels of mercury, because of a diet heavy in sushi and Chinese herbs) from ‘Speed-the-Plow’ this week caused such an orgy of self-serving consternation. Everybody was about to make money.”