Google is offering to broker sales of books online for publishers. “The new offering would allow people to sign in and purchase immediate, browser-based access to books, Google said on its site. Purchasers would not, however, be allowed to save a copy of the book to their computer or to otherwise copy pages from the book. Google is marketing the new program as the first of several tools intended to help book publishers boost their revenues, though it was unclear Monday how many had signed up. Pricing would remain entirely at the book publisher’s discretion.”
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Chart-Fixing Downloading Discovered, Disallowed
Over-eager fans of a band tried to promote the group by buying multiple downloads of the group’s new recording to boost them in the charts. But the buying was discovered and disqualified. “Due to over-enthusiastic members of the band’s fans and family, an unacceptable number of records were ordered per person online. Sadly, rather than these sales ending up supporting the band, this has resulted in The Modern’s chart position of number 13 being deemed invalid according to The Official Charts Company’s strict rules and regulations.”
Brown Testifies In Plagiarism Case
Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown started testifying in his plagiarism trial. “Mr Brown said Mr Baigent and Mr Leigh were just two of a number of authors who had written about the theory. ‘Yet I went out of my way to mention them for being the ones who brought the theory to mainstream attention. I would like to restate that I remain astounded by the claimants’ choice to file this plagiarism suit. For them to suggest, as I understand they do, that I have hijacked and exploited their work is simply untrue’.”
A Dance Movement Of Fractious Parts
Mark Morris is celebrating his company’s 25th anniversary this year. Tere O’Connor and Susan Marshall are celebrating 20th anniversaries. “Together with Morris, they possess the force of a movement. But with all the bickering, no one has noticed. And modern dance’s health depends on people noticing. Without an acknowledged history, an art form has little chance of a robust future.”
The Great Battle Of The DVDs
“A new war has broken out as two new generations of DVD players hit stores this year. Both are targeting owners of high-definition televisions, promising to maximize their set’s capacity for razor-sharp images. One is called HD-DVD. The other is called Blu-ray. North America gets its first real look at Sony’s Blu-ray player in Las Vegas this week, with the new format hitting stores May 23. HD-DVD players go on sale at the end of this month. And soon stores will stock movies on DVD specifically formatted for one player or the other.”
Another Play – The Success Burden
So you’ve produced a play and it’s been well received on Broadway. Now what? “Expectations rise along with the number of opportunities to disappoint fans, who tend to want what they’ve so memorably enjoyed before. Then, of course, there are the critics, a few of whom specialize in holding artists to the impossibly high standards of their best works. These dramatists (one almost feels inclined to label them ‘poor little rich’) are damned if they attempt to produce more of the award-winning same and damned if they don’t.”
The man Who Turned Scottish Ballet Around
Three years ago Scottish ballet was in disarray. The company was being moved forcibly from being a traditional company to going modern. Then Ashley Page came along. “The former Royal Ballet principal dancer and acclaimed postmodern choreographer took up the reins there just over three years ago. Since then, armed with the expertise gleaned over his 27 years with the Royal, and energy reserves worthy of Kazakhstan, he has not only created two full-length works for the company (Nutcracker and Cinderella, the latter of which he’s also taking south): he has turned it almost completely around.”
The Cult Of Cool
we’ve wanted to be “cool” now for 50 years. “No other cultural phenomenon in the United States has lasted so long. None has determined so powerfully how we want to be thought of. And even the geekiest among us, the proudest and most combative of misfits, lepers with ulcerated noses forever pressed to the glass, have at one time or another allowed it to influence their decisions. It is that much an American standard.”
Finalists For This Year’s Criticism Pulitzer
This year’s Pulitzer Prize finalists for criticism? Tyler Green has the early word…
Amazon Taking The Online Hollywood Plunge?
Is Amazon getting ready to enter the online download business? Reports say the company has been in talks with major movie studios. “Amazon has been increasing its spending in research and development. Financial analysts have thus far reacted positively to the prospect of Amazon entering the digital download business, which boasts higher margins than the retailer’s traditional business. Amazon’s investment in technology and content grew 57 percent in the fourth quarter.”