A reporter finds — after a lot of walking around, and behind a very inconspicuous door — the current offices of “one of the most glorious burnouts in corporate history.” The execs, he finds, are quite aware of their mistakes but determined to keep going, because they proved that “there is a massive group of people — into the millions — who are interested in moviegoing subscriptions.” — The Ringer
Blog
Woody Allen Sues Amazon Studios For $67 Million For “Breach Of Contract”
The new complaint states: “Amazon has tried to excuse its action by referencing a 25-year old, baseless allegation against Mr. Allen, but that allegation was already well known to Amazon (and the public) before Amazon entered into four separate deals with Mr. Allen — and, in any event it does not provide a basis for Amazon to terminate the contract. There simply was no legitimate ground for Amazon to renege on its promises.” – New York Magazine
What Makes Television About History Succeed?
“Television’s scale and range testify to a remarkable level of public engagement with the past. And this makes it an excellent medium for history. The formats, so different from a textbook or monograph, often leave academic historians uneasy. A lecture-style delivery transferred to the screen is more palatable to many than anything that risks sensationalising or romanticising. … [But] drama and comedy are safety nets for catching those who hated history at school.” — History Today
Theatre About The Brain
Ten years ago, theatre about neuro conditions or neuroscience was rare. Now it’s everywhere, and sparking all sorts of innovation. There is a new emphasis on neuroscience as opposed to specific neurological conditions. – Howlround
Ben Hecht Hated Hollywood. He Also Helped Create Two Of Its Most Important Genres
“The best screenwriter in Hollywood was contemptuous of movies as an art form (‘an outhouse on the Parnassus,’ Hecht declared), and had little trust in the wisdom of studio bosses and producers (‘nitwits on a par with the lower run of politicians I had known’).” Nevertheless, Jean-Luc Godard said in 1968, “he invented eighty per cent of what is used in Hollywood movies today.” — The New Yorker
Netflix’s New Horror Movie Set On The Art World
The newest entry into the canon of bad art-world satires is director Dan Gilroy’s Velvet Buzzsaw, which premiered on Netflix last weekend. All the familiar grotesques are here: greedy gallerists, ruthlessly ambitious assistants, tax-dodging collectors, a critic so accustomed to churning out self-serving aesthetic pronouncements that he can’t help but bitchily opine about a dead colleague’s casket. – The Baffler
How A Book Gets The Cover You Judge It By
Three senior designers at publishing houses talk about the process of conceiving and trying out different designs, then choosing the one they think works best. — The New York Times
GuideStar And Foundation Center, Two Key Parts Of US Nonprofit Ecosystem, Will Merge
“In this case, neither organization’s name will survive, and both CEOs will be incorporated into the structure of the new organization, which now goes by the inspired name of ‘Candid.’ (As in, ‘a Candid Assessment of this’ or ‘a Candid Report on that.’)” — Nonprofit Quarterly
‘A Great Teacher Is A Gift. A Great Line Editor Is A Miracle.’
“Instead of thinking about line editing as a forgotten art, one callously consumed by the book business, we should consider it a privilege — a gift — enjoyed by some writers, but not most. … [It] is the ultimate union of writer and editor; the line-edit means we cede control, and the pen, to someone else. It is a gift of trust, and it must go both ways.” — Literary Hub
Dance Companies, Stop Making Dancers Pay To Audition! (An Open Letter)
Teacher and former dancer Sara Bibik: “When we ask dancers to do it, we say to ourselves, ‘We are a struggling company trying to make ends meet. We are incurring an expense and so we have to try to make that up.’ This doesn’t hold enough water … because you pay this business expense when finding new employees or contractors for all other positions.” (Such as controller, stage manager, or executive director.) — Dance Magazine