“Binge TV is entering a new phase in which the makers of your shows, in particular at places like Netflix and Amazon, are betting that the satisfaction of gorging on eight to 10 episodes, batch-released, will be enough to glue you to your phone, laptop or, if you’re feeling fancy, your actual television. The joy is in the completion. Neither attention to quality nor narrative structure matter, necessarily. They drop it. You stream it.”
Tag: 01.18.17
Why Old-School TV Sitcoms Are Making A Comeback
It’s not only the Netflix reboots of One Day at a Time* and Full(er) House: after years of single-camera mockumentaries like The Office and Parks and Recreation, networks are turning back to multi-camera sitcoms – often driven by contemporary issues, Norman Lear-style. Elise Czajkowski looks at how the change is happening.
*Any excuse to watch Rita Moreno is a good one.
Tchaikovsky’s Music Is Romantic And Sentimental. So Why Is It Still So Popular?
“From today’s perspective, Tchaikovsky’s musical ideas—whether in the guise of symphonic bombast, or as a buoyant backdrop for dancing fairies and frolicking snowflakes—can seem like quaint artifacts. Why, then, do audiences still clamor for this composer?”
Just Who (And What) Are The Rockettes?
“While the Rockettes are an American symbol — as much as Radio City Music Hall or Mr. Trump and his branded buildings — the group’s individual dancers remain fairly anonymous. They don’t speak unless deemed interview-appropriate by the Madison Square Garden Company, which has fiercely protected them against criticism surrounding the inauguration.”
Cultural World’s Protest Actions Against Trump May Be Missing The Point
“The discussion around such efforts has shown some of the typical – if muddied – ways people talk about the arts intersecting with politics. On the right, a common theme is that celebrity protests are only going to ensure Trump’s re-election by making his supporters feel condescended to. On the left, cultural anti-Trump efforts are being taken as examples of the kind of bold truth-telling Democratic operatives should mimic. Both frames prize electoral impact – policy influence now, voter persuasion for 2018 or 2020 – over all else. Which is a strange way to think about art, a form of communication that exists to do what other forms – political, commercial, journalistic – can’t.”
‘Institutional Critique’ Has Become An Institution Itself, So Artists Are Messing With It
“Even as one very visible portion of the art world becomes ever more soaked in money, artists like [A.L.] Steiner are picking up the ideas of first- and second-generation institutional critique and adapting them to the needs of the present … investigating, tweaking, and even striking out against the operation of museums, galleries, and the very market itself as an integral part of their larger practices.” Steiner, for instance, decreed for one gallery show that cutting in half the gallery’s opening hours was part of the artwork.
Sacramento Ballet’s Firing Of Its Founders: Each Side Speaks Out
“In a two-part feature, we first hear from [board president Nancy] Garton about why the board has decided to move forward with retiring [artistic directors Ron] Cunningham and [Carinne] Binda. After that, the two will talk about what happened from their end and their next steps in life.” (audio)
When Outsider Art Became In: President Obama’s Cultural Legacy
“If there was one place where the Obama administration was consistently ahead of the curve, it was in the cultural sphere: over eight years, the White House served as a staging ground for countless artists, intellectuals and activists, especially those from communities of color, especially cultural producers from New York, long exiled from [institutional] Washington.” (includes audio)
Fence Off The Spanish Steps In Rome? Yes, They’re Considering It
Since Dutch football hooligans damaged the Bernini-designed fountain at the steps’ base in 2015, there’s been a lot of concern about keeping the landmark safe. Paolo Bulgari (of the jewelry house), who paid for the Steps’ most recent restoration, wants to ban sitting on them and to put in a Plexiglas barrier at night; art historian Vittorio Sgarbi says tourists should be charged a euro or two for access.
How Does A Straight Play On Broadway Gross $1 Million In A Single Week?
Cast Cate Blanchett.