“Zhang Xiaogang seems almost untouched by his rise to fame and fortune. An unassuming, bespectacled man of nearly 50, he is unimpressed that his paintings can now command between $500,000 and $1 million per canvas. And several times that at auction.”
Tag: 01.26.08
Character Analysis
“A great deal of nonsense is written about characters in fiction – from those who believe too much in character and from those who believe too little.”
Chicago – A “Music City In Hiding”
A new study says “the music business in Chicago generates $1 billion a year and employs 53,000 people, ranking behind only New York and Los Angeles and dwarfing smaller but more celebrated music towns such as New Orleans, Nashville, Memphis and Austin.” So why does the report also say Chicago is “a music city in hiding”?
Movie Studios Finding It More Difficult To Sell Produt Placements
“It’s definitely getting harder to land these deals. It’s not that it’s impossible to get companies on board. They all want their products on the screen. Getting them to open their wallets and promote those appearances, especially with mega TV buys, is the hard part.”
Vivendi President Says Recording Woes Overblown
“I think altogether today there is an exaggeration in the industry. Of course it is not doing that well, but look at us, we have flat revenues, a good two digit margins and it’s not as dark as what many people describe.”
Bowers Museum Finds This Kind Of Spotlight Uncomfortable
Orange County’s Bowers Museum has been trying to win wider attention for years. Now it’s caught up in raids over stolen artifacts as one of four Southern California museums under investigation. Not really the kind of attention the Bowers was looking for…
FCC Proposes $1.4 Million Fine On ABC For NYPD Blue
The fine is for a scene where a boy surprises a woman as she prepares to take a shower. The scene depicted “multiple, close-up views” of the woman’s “nude buttocks” according to an agency order issued late Friday.
Experts Work To Restore “World’s First Oil Paintings”
“A group of Japanese, European and American scientists are collaborating to restore damaged murals in caves in the Bamiyan Valley, famous for its two gigantic statues of the Buddha that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.”
TV Networks Might Cut Series Pilots
The Hollywood writers’ strike is forcing TV execs to rethink how they do business. Once of the casualties might be the traditional pilot system. Several studios say they will cut back on pilots.
LA’s Ricardo Montalbán On The Rocks
“Internal strife again threatens the future of the Montalbán, one of the most high-profile Latino cultural institutions in Southern California. Tensions spilled over during a recent retreat for top staff to explore ways to build on recent gains after years of shoddy management and spotty programming.”