“Television executives say the chats deepen viewers’ interest in a show, making them more likely to watch next time. BET stunned its competitors last month when “The Game,” a sitcom about football players’ relationships with women, drew more than seven million viewers, thanks in part to fevered online chatter.”
Tag: 02.20.11
The Dancer Who Rose From The Corps To Running The Company
“Valerie Wilder rose from company dancer to general manager of the National Ballet in Toronto, but is now leading the Australian Ballet company into its 50th anniversary next year.”
The Line Between TV, Movies Has Disappeared (Sort Of)
“There was once a time, children, when an actor could be a movie star or a TV star, but not at the same time. Nowadays, the system even works in reverse. Actors whose movie careers have cooled can reinvent themselves on TV.”
Our Complicated Relationship With Machines
“We’re fascinated by machines that can imitate humans, but also feel an existential discomfort around them–an uneasiness that stems from their ability to obscure what seems like a fundamental truth of the universe, the line between the living and the inanimate.”
WGBH Boston In Showdown With Its Union
“We have a looming deficit. We have to make cuts every year to balance the budget. Most of the shows on TV are made by independent producers, and they work very differently. We have a 40-year-old contract, and we have to hire more people than everybody else to produce the same type of work.”
Software That Breaks Down Music Into Its Component Pieces
“The screen displays the various components of a track, which can be manipulated with a click of a mouse; pitch, tone, duration, pretty much every element of a composition can be tampered with.”
Detroit Symphony Cancels Season After Musicians Reject Offer
“Saturday’s developments call into question not only the next few months in the life of the DSO but also next season and beyond. No major U.S. orchestra in memory lost an entire season to a labor conflict, and no one knows what will happen next in the DSO saga.”
Examining an Endangered Species: The Cunningham Dancer
“Since [Merce] Cunningham’s troupe began in 1953 it has consistently contained a number of the world’s most extraordinary dancers.” Alastair Macaulay considers the particular qualities of some of that company’s performers as the group winds down its existence.