The Getty has had a rough year. Several top execs have left, an LA Times story detailed the high compensation of director Barry Munitz, and the State of California is investigating the institution’s operations. Is it any wonder the Getty has hired expensive PR consultants to work on its image?
Blog
Obsessed With Terror (But Why?)
What is it with the popular culture’s obsession with terrorist imaginings? “In the four years since 9/11, British culture has seemed rather ghoulishly obsessed by terrorism, and by the possibility—no, likelihood—of some terrible atrocity being visited upon us.”
Conflicted Out – Does It Make A Better Book Review?
Why is it desirable to require book reviwers to have no “conflict of interest” regarding the books they review? “To begin with, the world of fiction is pretty small. The number of folks who are any good at writing reviews of fiction is smaller still. By the time you find one willing to review a book, it’s inconceivable that he or she not have preconceived notions about the author, the author’s work, or the proper way to write a novel. A hundred other conflicts may exist: relationships with literary agents, friends, or friends of friends; workplace affiliations; political sympathies, religious views; and on and on. Also, writers are notoriously petty people: I’d wager that nine out of 10 who receive a bad review can discover some undisclosed conflict or conspiracy that caused the reviewer to slag them.”
Google Halts Book-scanning Project (For Now)
Google has temporarily suspended its project to scan libraries of books after complaints from publishers. “Google wants publishers to notify the company which copyright books they don’t want scanned, effectively requiring the industry to opt out of the program instead of opting in.”
Denver Library Pulls Thousands Of Spanish Books
The Denver Public Library has pulled thousands of Spanish-language books fromk its shelves after complaints the books might be inappropriate.l “About 6,500 fotonovelas, popular in Mexico and other Latin American countries, have been temporarily recalled from Denver Public Library branches. The review could be completed by next week. The Denver library system, which includes a large Spanish-speaking population, has been offering the fotonovelas for about 15 years but started receiving complaints last week after a local radio host said some books contained ‘shocking’ illustrations.”
CD Burners A Bigger Threat To Big Recording Companies Than Downloading?
“Music copied onto blank recordable CDs is becoming a bigger threat to the bottom line of record stores and music labels than online file-sharing, the head of the recording industry’s trade group said Friday. Burned” CDs accounted for 29 percent of all recorded music obtained by fans in 2004, compared to 16 percent attributed to downloads from online file-sharing networks.”
World Music – A Tension Between Art And Selling Recordings
World music can be endlessly inventive. “The debate throughout the polity in recent weeks has centred on issues of multiculturalism and tolerance. The world’s problems are not going to be solved by people playing crazy rhythms, and meaning it, but it is a small indicator that we are travelling in the right direction. There is another imperative at work here, however – that of selling records. Music is an industry, as well as an art form and a cultural tradition; and it happens to be an industry that is finely honed in its marketing and promotional techniques. And, wouldn’t you know it, the requirements of commerce and artistic integrity occasionally fail to gel.”
The Secret To “Idol” Popularity? Humiliation
American Idol has become a phenomenon. “You should be watching “American Idol” because not only is it riveting television, but it’s also one of those rare amalgamations that taps into the American imagination — there’s the dire need to be famous, the longshot-dreamer feel-good story, the bitter infighting and, most successfully, the idea of public humiliation. Make no mistake about it — “American Idol” succeeds primarily on its rampant, painful-to-watch, grounding down of wannabe stars.”
Payola – Can You Buy Hits?
It’s called “taste magnetics: People experiencing art together are apt to concur on its merits. When you laugh, I’m more prone to smile. When you flinch, I grimace. We’re swayable. Taste magnetics also helps account for the persistence of payola, or radio ‘pay for play.’ That bogeyman of the music biz is back. Reactions seem split: Camp 1 cries, ‘See why the radio is so full of lousy music?’ while Camp 2 yawns, ‘Same as it ever was; you can’t buy hits.’ Each has a point.”
Les Grands Gets A Makeover
Montreal’s Les Grands Ballet has often seemed more “worthy” than exciting. But a new artistic director has the company focusing on “new European choreography, in addition to dances by familiar names, and the repertory would be performed by dancers chosen as much for their personal qualities as for the requisite technical skills.”