Malcolm Sinclair: “‘The default position if you see a part that has no particular ethnic characteristic, is to presume it is white. Why should you? There are maybe more parts [specifically] for black, asian, south east Asian actors now, but why can’t they be playing all the other parts? … You have to call the people that actually make the decisions to account, which is the producers and directors.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Complex Psychology of the Geek
“And while this may provoke many to reach for their light sabers, among the qualities [these researchers] consistently find in this population are narcissism, neuroticism, and depression. … [Yet they’re] not linking geek culture with mental illness or antisocial behavior. Among their findings is that, contrary to the stereotype of the isolated, obsessed fan, geeks – while largely apolitical – report above-average levels of civic engagement.”
Suddenly, Philanthropists Are Getting Grief For Giving Mega-Donations
“In recent months, a hedge fund billionaire was denounced for his $400 million gift to the already wealthy Harvard University, David Geffen took flak for gifts that plaster his name on a Manhattan concert hall and a Los Angeles school, and the wife of a Wall Street banker was roasted for trying to put her name on a small Adirondacks college. Even Bill Gates, who has given billions to battle diseases, is taking lumps.”
Barnes & Noble Tries To Morph From Bookstore Chain To ‘Lifestyle Brand’
New CEO Ron Boire wants to turn around the company – reeling from both the relentless rise of Amazon and continuing losses on the Nook e-reader – by offering toys and games, electronics, and even LPs and turntables. “Everything we do around learning, personal growth and development fits our brand,” he said.
Confessions Of A Nielsen Ratings Junkie
“[I] never developed much of a rooting interest in big-league sports. Instead, I fell in love with the ratings game – the sport – of network television. ABC, CBS, and NBC were my teams; their dozens of shows my players; the Nielsen chart the playing field.”
Why Some Poorly-Rated Shows Keep Getting Renewed
“The rapid destabilization of live ratings and the sheer volume of mediocre results throws any conversation about relative success right out the window; even so, at least a handful of these shows are all but assured a return engagement next season.” It’s all anout time-shifting and reruns the secondary market now.
What Became Of Candy, Little Joe, And The Other Characters In Lou Reed’s ‘Walk On The Wild Side’?
With the passing of Warhol superstar Holly Woodlawn, The Guardian reviews – verse by verse – the fates of her cohorts.
The 100 Best British Novels, As Picked By A Panel Of Foreigners
“What does the rest of the world see as the greatest British novels? In search of a collective critical assessment, BBC Culture contributor Jane Ciabattari polled 82 book critics, from Australia to Zimbabwe – but none from the UK. This list includes no nonfiction, no plays, no narrative or epic poems (no Paradise Lost or Beowulf), no short story collections (no Morte D’Arthur) – novels only, by British authors (which means no James Joyce).”
What Makes A ‘Great British Novel’?
“The book that fits the title of ‘Great American Novel’ is often debated, with contenders including Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom. Yet what elements would make up its equivalent across the Atlantic – the ‘Great British Novel’? This video attempts to answer that question – through the words of a few authors who made the top 25.”
Are Britain’s Best Authors Women? They’re Certainly Rockin’ BBC’s Top 100 British Novels List
Female novelists wrote six of the top ten titles on the list, including the top three, and make up 40% of the total. The UK certainly has a long tradition of great women authors, from Jane Austen to Hilary Mantel, but previous lists haven’t been quite so equitable. What made the difference here? (Actually, it’s those bloody foreigners.)