There’s at least one Ground Zero project that appears as though it will be done right – the new PATH train terminal. “Here is how it happened: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, acting on its own, invited qualified professionals to apply for the job and selected Mr. Calatrava, the presiding master builder of bridges, airports and rail stations. No jury. No pandering to populism. No public performances. Alternate proposals were not displayed and debated. The result was presented, and the reaction has been appropriately ecstatic.”
Tag: 02.01.04
Taking A Byte Out Of Live (Performance)
Debates have raged for years about whether it’s okay for performers to lip-synch while performing live. “But now, after decades of derision and outrage, audiences are warming up to the fakery.” Indeed, some fan “not only don’t mind a little gimmickry — they prefer it. They may have no choice: live pop performances rely on an ever-more-intricate mix of live music, prerecorded sound and high-tech tricks, including new programs that produce the same flawless sound as a lip-synched performance, even if the person singing is jumping around, hanging upside-down or just plain out of tune.”
Stolen Ivories Returned
Five ivory sculptures stolen from the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto a few weeks ago, have been recovered. “The palm-sized sculptures – valued at $1.5 million – were dropped off at the office of Toronto lawyer Dennis Morris, who turned them over to police on the weekend.”
The Evolving Book
Books always seemed so traditional. And then came the promise of e-books, giving readers more control of how they read. But “after an initial frenzy of attention, neither hypertext nor e-books gets much ink these days. Are readers ceding control back to writers?”
Insta-Talk Novel
A French writer has written the first novel in shorthand instant messaging language. “Phil Marso has published (on paper) an antismoking novella for teenagers called ‘Pa Sage a Taba’ (Not Wise to Smoke), composed in the jambalaya of abbreviations, slang, and neologisms that teens worldwide use to send each other text messages online and via cellphone.”
Selling Out Abroad
Why do big stars promote products? Because they can make big money. But “like Bill Murray’s character in the film, most A-listers will do ads for these types of products only in non English-speaking countries. Why? Because they’re paranoid about tarnishing their images back at home in Hollywood. In the age of staras- luxury-brand, no celebrity worth their Golden Globe nomination wants to be associated with pedestrian consumer items. Or to look like a money-grabbing sell-out.”