“People would REALLY stop coming to the theater. And we’d realize that it wasn’t ‘risk’ we were missing all along, but connection to our audiences. And we’d start re-thinking things.”
Author: ArtsJournal2
Despite Blockbusters (And Crazy $$ For The Avengers), Box Office Is Down
Summer box office receipts fell about 3 percent compared to last year – and audience numbers were the lowest in 20 years.
But That Summer Box Office Isn’t All About The Boys
“As tempting as it is to think of summer as ‘boy movie season’ and fall as ‘grown-up lady film season,’ our cinematic habits are, thankfully, much more nuanced than that.”
The Bookworms Of China Just May Save Traditional Publishing (For Now)
“Driving sales is a literate population that emphasizes education and self-improvement. Censorship has become less draconian since Mao’s time and publishing has become more commercial. As a result, readers of Chinese books today have more choice of genre, voice and subject matter than they have had at any time in the last 60 years.”
The Olympics: Disastrous For London Museums
“Museums in London suffered dramatic falls in visitor numbers in the run-up to the Olympic Games, with some as much as 40% down on last year.”
Activists Disrupt Israeli Dance Group’s Performances In Scotland
As protests went on during three separate performances by the Batsheva Dance Company, “the dancers stood stock still on stage, the curtain was lowered and the house lights brought up until the protesters were ejected.”
Allan Kozinn’s Facebook Statement
What Kozinn himself had to say about the surprise reassignment: “I’ve heard, seen and covered a few lifetimes worth of great and interesting music although there’s a great deal more I wanted to do – I’ve really enjoyed watching the new music world really catch fire in recent years.”
New York Times Causes Outcry By Reassigning Classical Music Critic Allan Kozinn
Alex Ross; “Many in the music world, myself included, are baffled and saddened by this development: a petition calling for his reinstatement gathered hundreds of signatures overnight.”
No, Not Everyone Is A Critic (It’s An Art, And A Passion)
Daniel Mendelsohn: “In the nineteen-seventies, when I was a teen-ager and had fantasies of growing up to be a writer, I didn’t dream of being a novelist or a poet. I wanted to be a critic. I thought criticism was exciting, and I found critics admirable. This was because I learned from them.”
Best. Treehouses. Ever.
At Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s house: “The tree house complex for children Kenzie and David will boast cedar-shingle roofs, a secret tunnel, rope bridge, fireman’s pole, basket and pulley, spiral staircase, trap door and rope ladder, double swing set and trampoline deck.”