All three of the remaining presidential contenders can reasonably claim to be bestselling authors. But as the campaign drags on, only Barack Obama has seen a major spike in sales accompany his rise in the polls. Sales of Obama’s two memoirs have averaged 35,000 per week in 2008, while Hillary Clinton and John McCain are racking up fewer than 1,000 sales each.
Author: sbergman
Seeing Cuba Through The Lens Of Art
“All of the current soul-searching concerning a Cuba after Fidel is entirely in line with the sort of contemplation that began decades before he showed up and is evident through most Cuban art… And being Cuban involves a certain sense of isolation, of the kind best-known to an island people.”
Guillaume Côté’s Unexpected Second Act
National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Guillaume Côté has been gradually crafting a second career for himself, as a composer. Now, his ballet company is showcasing his first orchestral work as part of its spring program, on which Côté will also be a featured performer.
Transfer of Power At Chicago Children’s Museum
“Peter England, chief executive officer of the Chicago Children’s Museum for the last seven years, is retiring effective the end of April. England, 63, said Friday that his departure from the Navy Pier museum is the culmination of a succession plan, with his duties gradually transferred to Jennifer Farrington.”
Hollywood Treading Carefully In An Uncertain Year
“Around the industry, executives are wrestling with versions of the same dilemma: Should they go forward with movie projects that might be disrupted by an actors’ strike if shooting does not end by the guild’s June 30 contract deadline? Or should they wait, with the risk that prospective films will fall victim to afterthoughts and lost momentum?”
New Line’s 40 Eclectic Years
New Line Cinemas, which was folded into Warner Bros. last week, was a tough studio to define, and a fascinating one to watch. “New Line was not a specialty division or a genre label. It went highbrow and low, sometimes playing for the niches and sometimes for the mass audience. It was an oddity and an anomaly.”
Dia Foundation Director Resigns Abruptly
“Only nine months after taking over, Jeffrey Weiss has resigned as director of the Dia Art Foundation, saying he had realized he was not cut out for the job… His exit will not come as a surprise to many in the art world. Some thought Dia and Mr. Weiss were a mismatch from the start.”
No Time To Build Your Audience In An Online World
The 20-something drama “quarterlife” didn’t seem like a good fit for a traditional TV network, so its creator turned it into one of the most popular online shows around. Naturally, the TV networks noticed, and NBC snapped it up and debuted it as an hour-long drama last week. They canceled it three days later.
Author Caught Fabricating Holocaust Memoir
“Eleven years after the publication of her best-selling Holocaust memoir – a heartwarming tale of a small Jewish girl trekking across Europe and living with wolves – [Misha Defonseca] yesterday admitted the whole story was a hoax.” The confession followed revelations in the French and Belgian press that Defonseca was not who she has been claiming to be.
Troubled CanStage To Try Collaboration
“In the past month, CanStage has been caught up in a whirlwind of negative publicity” including high-profile resignations, firings, and financial crises. Now, the company has unveiled a new plan to collaborate with three other Toronto theatre companies in what is being called the Berkeley Street Project.