Clear Channel pulls Howard Stern off its stations “as public scrutiny over salacious speech and suggestive behavior on TV and radio is on the rise after Janet Jackson bared her breast during the Super Bowl halftime show. The move also came the day before Clear Channel chief executive officer John Hogan is to appear before a House subcommittee hearing on broadcast decency.”
Tag: 02.25.04
Hall Sets Record For West End Performances
Jerry Hall set a record by appearing in six West End theatre performances in one night. “In just under three and a half hours, the Texan supermodel graced the stage in Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Fame, Blood Brothers, Anything Goes and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Although she did not have any lines to learn – all were non-speaking roles and one lasted just 30 seconds – the performances last night earned her a place in the Guinness World Records.”
Worrying About The White Barn
“Nearly five years after the death of Lucille Lortel, a clause in her will may determine whether the historic, 148-seat White Barn Theatre in the Cranbury area of Norwalk, Conn., a major summer-stock venue for over 50 years and a key part of her legacy, will be sold or razed, and whether cluster houses will rise on the 18 acres surrounding the site.”
Shakespeare On Ice (Literally)
“Several years ago, Rolf Degerlund, the director of the Ice Globe Theatre, had a vision. Returning to Sweden from London and a visit to the newly restored Globe, he thought, why not recreate the theater in snow and ice? ‘What I imagined was actors playing Hamlet with clouds of frost coming from their mouths’.”
Plugged In, Tuned Out
How are portable electronics changing our behavior? Take iPods, for example. “Music allows people to use their eyes when they’re listening in public. I call it nonreciprocal looking. Listening to music lets you look at someone but don’t look at them when they look back. The earplugs tell them you’re otherwise engaged. It’s a great urban strategy for controlling interaction.”
Did Disney Rip Off Nemo From French Book?
“A French children’s book author told a Paris court yesterday that the main fish character in the Disney film Finding Nemo, which has so far grossed $850m (£457m), was a direct copy of his own creation, a cheerful orange and white clown fish named Pierrot.”
Supreme Court To Take Up Nazi Art Theft Case
The US Supreme court is taking up the case of an American woman trying to sue Austria for paintings stolen from her family by the Nazis. “The court will decide by summer if she can sue the Austrian government to recover six paintings, worth an estimated $150 million, in federal court in California.”
Solving The Medici Assassination
“One of the most notorious crimes of the Renaissance, the attempted assassination of Florence’s grandest son, Lorenzo dei Medici, has been solved more than 500 years later.”
Philadelphia Orchestra Gift And Its Obligations
A $50 million gift to the Philadelphia Orchestra came with some strings. “The Annenberg grant is the biggest in the ensemble’s history and is believed by orchestra leaders to be the second-largest gift ever made to an American orchestra. Taken as a whole, the 12-page agreement, which is signed by Annenberg and orchestra leaders, outlines a broad set of institutional ambitions for the world-famous ensemble – some new, others tried but hobbled in the past by a lack of money. Still, all of the programs outlined in the 12-page agreement cannot be paid for with the interest and other income eventually generated by the $50 million nest egg.”
Study – Critic Raves = Big Box Office
“A USA TODAY study of movies released in 2003 found that the grades handed out by critics had a significant relationship to the money the movies grossed. In general, the better the reviews, the higher the box office. Even a half-star meant millions of dollars more for a movie’s total take.”