Netflix has greenlighted four new series and is planning even more. Why? “To some degree, Netflix was essentially forced into doing original programming. The kind of series Sarandos coveted most — critically acclaimed serialized dramas from HBO and Showtime — were never going to make their way to the streaming side of Netflix.”
Author: ArtsJournal2
Harry Potter E-Books: Minting Money For The Author Who Kept Control
Even though the e-book sites had some glitches on day one, J.K. Rowling’s newest venture sold more than $1 million worth of e-books and audiobooks in its first three days. “The blockbuster sales are a victory for Harry Potter’s creator, author J.K. Rowling, who battled e-book giant Amazon.com for the right to sell the books through her own website, Pottermore.”
Mauricio Lasansky, Master Printmaker Who Depicted Horrors Of Nazism, 97
An Argentinian who founded the printmaking program at the University of Iowa in 1945, Lasansky created massive prints with complex, multiple colors and techniques. “Although Lasansky was considered a wizard of printmaking technology, ‘The Nazi Drawings,’ as his series is known, used plain paper and ordinary pencil — the most humble, universal materials possible, he explained.”
Ballerina Dreams Of Dancing In A Soccer Stadium
South Africa Ballet Theatre principal dancer Burnise Silvius: “In 2010, South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup. The FNB Stadium, now renamed Soccer City, hosted several big matches there. … Presenting classical ballet in such a venue would do a lot to expose our art form to those who have not had the opportunity to enjoy it.”
If Target Wants Canadian Custom, It Has To Carry Canadian Culture
The giant chain store can’t just waltz into Canada with all-U.S. books and CDs. Nope. “The federal government is conducting a review of retailer Target Corp.’s proposal to enter the Canadian market to determine whether books and other cultural products have enough home grown content.”
What’s The Point (Or Points) Of ‘Engagement’ With The Audience?
“Amidst the conversations, grants and re-naming of staff positions, what common values, if any, do we believe engagement should hold as a growing body of practice?”
No More Performing, But Plenty Of Entertaining: A Q&A With Thomas Quasthoff
The baritone singer has retired from performing, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost what even he calls his big mouth. “Believing in God? Well, you know, too many bad things happen in the world for that to be possible. I believe that man is a faulty design. Human beings have truly misunderstood that sentence in the Bible, the one about man subduing the world. But I do believe in art.”
Reviving Nuclear Wasteland Through High (Heeled) Fashion
These shoes were made for planting – canola seeds in nuclear waste zones of Japan.
When Artists Take On Social Issues, Do We Give Them Too Much Credit?
“It’s easy to understand why curators, critics and others have a soft spot for artists engaged in ‘social practice’ — those who roll up their sleeves and use their skills to try to bring about some sort of real-world change, whether raising awareness about domestic violence or helping to rebuild post-Katrina New Orleans. But is it possible that when it comes to social practice that the art establishment has a blind spot too?”
Happiness Isn’t Necessarily Part Of Religious Life
But joy is – or so says a longtime NPR guest.