“Last week, Sirius announced that it had granted Mr. Stern and his manager more than 34 million shares of common stock, currently worth about $225 million, because certain subscriber levels had been reached. That is on top of the $500 million that Sirius had already agreed to pay Mr. Stern for his salary and production costs. Whether or not Mr. Stern’s show, which begins at 6 a.m., is a success, his decision to jump from free broadcast to subscription radio has bestowed legitimacy to a medium that many had regarded with skepticism.”
Blog
Museums Are Good For Your Health?
Visiting a museum is a good way to relieve stress, says a new study. “Analysis of 28 City high flyers who spent their lunch break viewing art found their stress levels fell by 45% after 40 minutes at the Guildhall art gallery in London.”
Sellars To Direct Mozart’s “Muslim” Opera
Director Peter Sellars is planning a “radical modern production” of Mozart’s unfinished work Zaide. “Mozart was writing about Europeans in the Muslim world directly in his lifetime. The piece is not a historical vignette. Even then, Europe was obsessed with the ‘menace’ of the Muslim world. It’s about how Europeans engage Muslims in a way that is positive, and the concept of mercy coming from both sides.”
Reports Question Truth Of Best-Selling Memoir
Questions have been raised about the truth of James Frey’s best-selling memoir, “A Million Little Pieces.” “The book, originally published in 2003 by the Nan A. Talese imprint of Doubleday, soared to the top of the best-seller lists in the fall after it was chosen by Oprah Winfrey for her television book club. Ms. Winfrey’s enthusiastic endorsement helped the book to sell more than two million copies last year, making it the second-highest-selling book of 2005, behind only “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
Profitable Music With Low Sales
Online music distribution is changing the economics of the music recording business. “In most music stores, CD’s of, say, Chinese or Kenyan pop music would be consigned to the world-music bin as a good will gesture. But the economics of online stores is changing the financial calculations of the music business, making it profitable to sell a relatively small number of copies of a song, as long as a compact disc is not manufactured and distributed.”
Peru Vs. Yale
“Yale historian Hiram Bingham rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911, and, backed by the National Geographic Society, returned with large expeditions in 1912 and 1915, each time carting out – with supposed special permission from Peruvian President Augusto B. Leguía – crates filled with archeological finds. But now, Peru is threatening to sue the Ivy League school, claiming the permission was either given illegally or misunderstood.”
Education Workforce Up 4.4 Percent
The higher education workforce in the US grew by 4.4 percent to just under 3.3 million between 2003 and 2004. “Most of the growth occurred at public universities and at for-profit colleges, and much of it came among employees who provide instruction rather than among administrators.”
What Happened To British Comedy?
“British television has produced a rich library of laughter. There are comedies ranging from Hancock’s Half-Hour and Steptoe And Son to Blackadder and The Royle Family, from Are You being Served? to Allo Allo.” But in recent years, the British comedies have been MIA…
Film Critics Society Names Capote Best Film
In the closest vote in its history, the National Society of Film Critics has named “Capote” as the best movie of 2005. “At the NSFC’s annual voting meeting Saturday in New York City, “Capote” prevailed by a single vote on the sixth ballot.”
Orange Pulls Out, Scots Are Blue
“Telecommunications giant Orange is to reduce financial support for arts north of the Border, which is likely to leave Edinburgh’s renowned film and book festivals with huge holes in their budgets. Other national companies are also expected to reduce sponsorship in Scotland because of sporting events such as the World Cup, which will soak up spare cash.”