With a writers’ strike a very real possibility in Hollywood this fall, observers say that TV has a lot more at stake than the movies. “Movie executives generally consider screenwriters to be expendable. But television writers — and particularly the writer-producers who serve as show runners — wield considerable power over a television show, so much so that it often is not clear where their writing duties end and their producing duties begin.”
Author: sbergman
Bronfman’s Grand Central Debut
Does your train station have a concert hall, and an internationally celebrated pianist to play in it? New York’s does: “Vanderbilt Hall, cavernous and echo-y, is not an ideal acoustical environment for serious piano listening.” But Yefim Bronfman, teaming with a New York food bank to raise money to fight hunger, tackled the tricky acoustics with a morning rush hour recital, performed in front of a crowd of jaded Big Apple commuters.
Scientist Creates Microscopic Radio
“A scientist has unveiled a working radio built from carbon nanotubes that are only a few atoms across, or almost 1,000 times smaller than today’s radio technology. The nanotech device is a demodulator, a simple circuit that decodes radio waves and turns them into audio signals… Nanoelectronic systems are considered crucial to the continued miniaturization of electronic devices. Many companies are interested in the long-term potential of the technology.”
Watching A Network Kill Itself
TV networks have their ups and downs, but NBC has been in a years-long slump that has confounded even the most jaded observers. Matthew Gilbert says that the incompetence of the network’s leaders borders on infuriating, and the mistakes they are currently making could have been avoided with the briefest of refresher courses on network mistakes of the past.
Unearthing A Groundbreaking (And Old) Art Show
“It brought culture to the masses and changed how we view our national treasures for ever. So why, asks Joanna Moorhead, was the UK’s biggest ever art show airbrushed out of history?”
Toronto Arts Awards Handed Out
“Forty-thousand dollars in prizes, many expressions of warm fuzzy feelings for a city most Canadians profess to hate and an impromptu singing of O Canada marked the second annual Mayor’s Arts Awards lunch in Toronto yesterday… Artists are nominated by the public, and then juries choose the finalists in five categories.”
Affordable Arts To Storm The Beach
The city of Miami Beach, Florida has approved the creation of a housing district offering affordable living and studio space to artists. “Developers will be allowed to construct new buildings or rehabilitate existing ones with smaller units than typically permitted under city zoning laws, as long as they set aside a portion of the property to develop affordable housing… People who qualify for [the] housing must be artists or employees of cultural arts organizations.”
TV Looks Ready To (Finally) Embrace Online Culture
“Everybody knows that fewer people are watching network TV with every passing year. This year, the networks have mounted their first counterattack. In addition to short mini-videos for the short-attention-span generation, they’re putting full-length free on-demand episodes online.”
Weathering The Scottish Storm
The weather in Scotland, let’s face it, is challenging. Some might call it dismal. But is it just possible that hard weather makes for hardier folk, that Scotland’s entire cultural and political heritage is bound up in its legacy of rain, wind, and gloom?
Hey! Remember Us? We’re Your Best Orchestra!
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is a deeply impressive group, says Michael Tumelty, and could even rank as Scotland’s best classical ensemble. So why don’t you hear much about them? “Let’s be brutally frank: when was the last time you had to queue at the box office, far less round the block, to get a ticket for an SCO concert? Indeed, when was the last time you overheard or participated in one of those animated pub or street conversations where folk raved about the world-class orchestra that played weekly on their doorstep?”