“There’s more at stake here than Dan Brown’s royalties. If the judge in London rules that the set of ideas Leigh and Baigent espoused can be copyrighted, it would set a troubling precedent that could trip up authors and filmmakers who craft works around any new historic or scientific research. It’s worth noting that a federal judge in New York rejected a lawsuit against Brown last year by novelist Lewis Perdue, saying any similarity between their books was in ideas that could not be copyrighted.”
Blog
Sorting Out Where Movie Critics Are In The Food Chain
“It is known that the opinions of America’s movie critics, the majority of whom work for newspapers, do not necessarily have a great impact on a film’s box office. Film reviewers do, however, have a real impact on adult filmgoers who are seeking a high-quality movie and on the growing number of organizations that award prizes for movies.”
New Policy For A New Radio Landscape
Canada needs a new official policy on commercial radio. “We no longer have one single and regulated system of radio services delivered over the public airwaves and free of charge to Canadians. Instead, we have both a regulated system of the past and a largely unregulated, parallel system of new delivery platforms for audio content.”
LA Phil Jumps Into The Download Business
The Los Angeles Philharmonic unveils plans to begin making digital downloads of its concerts available. “Ten years from today, they might not be making CDs. We really don’t know what the delivery system will be. The new technology takes investigation, investment and practice.”
A New Plate Of ENO
The English National Opera has hastily assmbled a new season for next year. “Opera companies usually plan and book years in advance but so deep has the crisis been at ENO that in December there was not one confirmed production for the 2006-07 season.”
Jerry Lewis Gets France’s Highest Honor
Jerry Lewis was awarded the French Legion of Honor this week. “Lewis received the honorary title of ‘Legion Commander’ in a raucous ceremony in Paris – hamming it up for the cameras, winking, sticking out his tongue and making his trademark funny faces. True to form, the comedian turned what is generally a sober event – set in a gilded hall of the Ministry of Culture – into a virtual slapstick routine.”
Brown’s Brief – Fascinating Reading
A brief filed in a London court details author Dan Brown’s process in writing the Da Vinci Code. It’s a 69-page, unofficial memoir from an author who has rarely spoken to the media since his novel became an international sensation, a document intended not for reporters or general readers but for the officials of a British courtroom.
Barnes & Noble’s Boffo Quarter
The bookseller’s income was up 6.3 percent in the last quarter of 2005. “For the quarter ended Jan. 28, Barnes & Noble earned $122.98 million, or $1.76 per share, helped by strong book titles across all categories and a robust online business. That compares with $115.63 million, or $1.56 per share, in the year-ago period.”
MFA Officials To Meet With Italian Officials
Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts director Malcom Rogers will go to Italy to meet with officials over Italian claims that the MFA has looted objects in its collection. “What we hope comes out of this is the exchange of information, information we have not received yet. Right now, we don’t even have a list of the objects the Italians believe were looted and sold to the MFA.”
So How Much Of A Factor Are Ticket Prices?
“It’s a truism in the classical music business that income from ticket sales rarely covers more than 50 percent of the cost of putting on a performance, and our look at some representative Bay Area groups supports that. Given this fact, every organization, regardless of its size or prestige, has to do a lot of fundraising just to break even. But how those prices are determined can still be a mystery to the concert-going public.”