“British theatre has been a broad church – and the result? Tension, perhaps, but for 50 years Britain has arguably led the world in producing top-class theatre-makers, whether they have made it with a pen or a pointy finger or a bit of both. But now, it seems, ‘the play’ – or at least, the model of a script, written by a playwright, directed by a director and performed by an actor – has had its day. Admittedly, those of you who have been to the theatre recently might be forgiven for thinking this prognosis a little premature, but judging by the hand-wringing of a procession of some of the nation’s leading practitioners, the play is dead – especially the well-made one.”
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The Zen Of Wikipedia
“The site, which has more daily visitors than The New York Times and USA Today sites combined, is as much an encyclopedia as a social outlet. Wikipedia has many rules, but they’re all highly breakable. (One essay states: ‘Ignore all rules.’) This philosophy, which some describe as the site’s “essence,” doesn’t always inspire goodwill.”
Why Turkey Dropped Charges Against Its Most Famous Writer
Charges of “anti-Turkishness” had proven an embarrasment to the government. “There is surely some irony in that fact that you can now be prosecuted in Europe for denying a genocide and prosecuted in Turkey for asserting that a genocide took place. For a country that has long created fictions out of its own past, it is all the more fitting then, that it is a novelist who starts the dialogue about what really happened.”
Motion Picture Association Accused Of Piracy
“The Motion Picture Assn. of America, the leader in the global fight against movie piracy, is being accused of unlawfully making a bootleg copy of a documentary that takes a critical look at the MPAA’s film ratings system.”
Disney Buys Pixar
Disney has made a deal to buy animation powerhouse Pixar “in a $7.4-billion deal that will make Pixar CEO Steve Jobs the entertainment company’s single-largest shareholder.”
The CW: It’s UPN + WB
The WB and UPN TV networks are shutting down this fall. In their place, a new channel – CW – aimed at “young ethnic” audiences will be launched. “By shutting down the two small networks that jousted over the same pool of 18- to 34-year-old viewers and joining forces to capture that audience, the companies are essentially bowing to the reality of an increasingly competitive marketplace, executives acknowledged.”
What The Pixar/Disney Deal Means
“In the complex and sometimes querulous dynamic between media and technology companies, such a move would no doubt raise questions about the ripples those ties can be expected to cause. For example, would Mr. Jobs view Disney as the preferred content supplier for future generations of Apple iPods and other hardware that distribute and play media products like songs and TV shows? And would Disney’s media rivals be less inclined to do business with Apple as it introduced new services because they would be abetting a competitor?”
Canada’s Culture Minister Voted Out
Canada’s culture minister Liza Frulla was defeated in Monday’s national election. “During Frulla’s tenure as culture minister, major issues on her plate included the introduction of satellite radio to Canada and the continued call for increased, stable funding for institutions like the Canada Council, the Canadian Television Fund and the CBC.”
Contract Dispute At San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is locked in contract negotiations with its musicians. “At issue is the combination of base salary and extra payments that musicians earn after a certain period with the orchestra. Under the most recent contract terms, a player with at least 25 years with the orchestra earns a minimum of $110,760 annually. According to the musicians, the latest management offer would bump that to $114,140 in the first year, which would rank the Symphony last among the nation’s top seven orchestras; they’re asking for $117,104, which would put them squarely in the middle.”
Perkins Wins Childrens Book Honors
Lynne Rae Perkins’ Criss Cross, a humorous series of vignettes, illustrations and poems about a group of small-town teenagers, has won the Newbery Medal for “the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature.”