The BBC’s new chairman made major cuts in the corporation, but did he go too far? “My fear is that the government will say, fine, we’re pleased to see you’re prepared to beat yourself so willingly, we’ll finish off the job. And if he has got it wrong, thousands of staff will have lost their jobs for nothing.”
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Oscars Won’t Revive Original Musical Category
The board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has decided not to activate its dormant original musical category because only five films would have qualified for consideration. “Although academy rules state that the original musical category can be activated provided there are at least five movies eligible, the board chose not to go that route.”
The Superstar Kids Shows
The hottest thing in London theatre? It’s nothing in the West End. “In five revolutionary years showbusiness has faced the fact that many of its biggest commercial names are stars of children’s TV shows.” The new ‘arena shows’ for the pre-school generation are drawing thousands. “Such shows, based on Thomas the Tank Engine, The Tweenies, Bob the Builder and Andy Pandy, draw in thousands of families who would not normally consider themselves theatre-goers. More than one million parents and children have now paid up to £20 a head to see the shows. A new ‘super-show’ of the CBeebies hit, Balamory, is expected to be seen by more than 55,000.”
Phantom – What Becomes A Hit (And Why?)
Phantom of the Opera has played for what seems like forever. What’s the attraction? “It’s the same as any big hit. All you have to do is tell the audience something they want to hear. The enduring Broadway masterpieces affirm something that matters profoundly to the audience. Do you want to believe that everyone is entitled to their 15 minutes of fame? You’ll love A Chorus Line. Is it important to feel confident that your culture will endure despite political upheaval? Fiddler On The Roof is just the show for you. So what does The Phantom Of The Opera tell us? It’s such a big hit because it sends out two reassuring messages. No matter how inadequate you feel, it’s possible that the person you’ve dreamed about can be yours, if just for a moment. And the second message?..”
Streetside Stores Rally To Compete Against E-Tailers
The idea that people will buy all their music, movies and books online is just wrong. Look at how savvy bookstores, record stores and video rental companies are changing the customer experience. “It’s the customer – that would be you – who designs the shopping experience now. The notion that all books and discs will soon be bought online, or that independent stores must be crushed between e-tailers and chains, ignores how inseparable ‘shopping’ is from ‘lifestyle’.”
Religious Lobbyists Say American TV Is Anti-Religion
The Parents Television Council (aka the FCC spammers) issues a new report saying (surprise, surprise) that American TV networks are anti-religious. “At a time when nervous media outlets are taking the national temperature and deciding a particular conservative strain of religion is in, there’s the possibility the Parents Television Council study may be taken seriously. That would be an unthinking response.”
Deep Freeze – UK Artists Betrayed
Why were British artists so upset at the arts funding freeze announced last week? Because for the past few years, for the first time in a long time, arts funding had become significant. “Across the country, thousands of artists and thousands of projects have been properly funded for the first time in living memory. For the first time in our professional lives there has been money for experiment, money for growth, money for creative investment. A revolution occurred in Sheffield, where Michael Grandage turned the new money into world-class theatre. At Tate Modern and the National Theatre, visionary leadership has been rewarded with substantial investment and the results are palpable success. Give the RSC a couple of years and it will join them. There is no doubt that this investment was creating a cultural golden age in Britain.”
Getting Spacey At The Old Vic
So how is Kevin Spacey’s reign at London’s Old Vic going? “Spacey, 45, is in need of a hit with the critics. His tenure got off to a wobbly start when a production he directed, Cloaca, by Dutch playwright Maria Goos, received a critical mauling, although advance ticket sales were impressive. Months earlier a major presentation in which Spacey announced his plans for the Old Vic, one of the nation’s most historic theatres, was overshadowed by tabloid probing about a strange incident in a nearby park” where Spacey said he was mugged.
What You Want? A Surgeon Who Plays Video Games
A doctor says that playing video games improves the accuracy and success of surgeons. “Surgeons who play video games three hours a week have 37 percent fewer errors and accomplish tasks 27 percent faster, he says, basing his observation on results of tests using the video game Super Monkey Ball.”
Who Cares About Critics?
Barry Koltnow doesn’t have a high opinion of movie critics (he is one himself). And he wonders why people put so much stock in what they write. “Why do you believe anything a movie critic tells you? Just because they see movies all the time doesn’t make them an expert on what you want to see.”