The vast majority of Netflix’s viewers (upwards of 80 percent, according to him) watch licensed content (“Friends” and the like) and in order to create a library of programming audiences will pay for, they’ve gone massively in debt: “Netflix is currently in the hole for about $20 billion in debt and obligations and still operating at a loss.” – Washington Post
Blog
Literature’s Cult Of The Sad, Suffering Female
Leslie Jamison considers “the enduring appeal of the afflicted woman — especially the young, beautiful, white afflicted woman: our favorite tragic victim, our repository of rarefied, elegiac sadness” — and considers other approaches, both those of other sorts of women writers to suffering and those to life and its misfortunes that don’t focus on despondence. – The New York Times Book Review
Want To See The Sistine Chapel Without The Crowds? It’ll Cost You
For just $76 per person, you can take a guided tour through the halls of the Vatican after the crowds have gone home. Tour groups now arrange affordable, intimate nighttime visits to the heart of Vatican City. – Artnet
U.S. Supreme Court To Rule On Whether A State Can Be Sued For Violating A Creator’s Copyright
Back in the 1990s, videographer Frederick Allen documented the salvage of the pirate Blackbeard’s 280-year-old wrecked ship on the North Carolina coast. Earlier this decade, a department of the NC state government used some images and video of Allen’s without permission or payment — and, when Allen sued, the state legislature passed “Blackbeard’s Law” to exempt the state government. Allen’s consequent federal lawsuit has now made it to the Supreme Court, and reporter Eriq Gardner lays out the somewhat tricky legal issues involved. – The Hollywood Reporter
Cleveland Orchestra: First Balanced Budget In Three Years, Endowment Up To Record High
For the first time since 2015, the orchestra this year is in the black. On a budget of $53 million supporting everything from concerts and touring to outreach and special presentations under music director Franz Welser-Most, the orchestra in fiscal 2019 reported a surplus of $24,000. – The Plain Dealer
There’s Going To Be An American-History-And-The-Bible Museum On Philadelphia’s Independence Mall
The American Bible Society is building a $60 million museum, roughly halfway between Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center, that it’s calling the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center, whose exhibits will focus on the role of the Bible in the history of the United States and its social and political movements. The ABS is billing the Center as for “people of all faiths and no faith.’ Alaina Johns asks just how sincere that billing is and wonders how welcome such a museum should be at the nation’s birthplace. – Broad Street Review (Philadelphia)
Employees At LA’s Marciano Art Foundation Gave Notice They Were Unionizing. Two Days Later They Were Laid Off
A tersely worded email sent to employees at 6:13 p.m. Tuesday stated that attendance was low and that the museum would be closing its current exhibition effective Wednesday. – Los Angeles Times
What Happens When You Get Your Dream Ballet Career And You’re Still Miserable?
“Countless dancers find themselves at a crossroads when they question whether they still love dance, whether the sacrifices are worth it or whether a professional career is truly what they want — or truly possible. We spoke with three dancers who faced this crucial turning point and achieved the right balance of ballet in their lives.” – Pointe Magazine
Everything It Takes To Put On, And Get Through, Philip Glass’s ‘Akhnaten’ At The Met
Says Anthony Roth Costanzo, who plays the title role, “It brings you back to the most fundamental things about your technique. And if your house is not in order, you’re not going to get through it.” Joshua Barone looks at preparations for the challenging three-hour opera, from designing and assembling the “weird fever dream” costumes and sets to teaching the chorus to juggle to waxing off all the star’s body hair to conductor Karen Kamensek’s karate chop.” – The New York Times
Philip Glass Has Zero Interest In A Legacy (But Lots Of Interest In ‘Selling Out’)
“If the question is whether, a century from now, his operas will get new productions, his symphonies will circulate more frequently, or pianists will take on his études, Mr. Glass couldn’t care less. ‘I won’t be around for all that,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter.'” As for commercial versus noncommercial work? “My attitude has been that they’re both the same. Why is it better to get a check every week from a university than to get royalties? Of course I’m a sellout. What else would I be?” – The New York Times