“But how well can TV play the Web’s game? A large part of the appeal of video-sharing sites is that anyone can upload a video in a heartbeat, and that clips of Mentos exploding and men dancing are just a click away. Though now more interactive with on-demand features, television offers far less freedom for the viewer.”
Tag: 03.05.07
Study: Link Between Smoking And R-Movies
“Researchers found that white adolescents with the most exposure to R-rated movies were nearly seven times more likely to have started smoking compared to those with less exposure.”
Radio Companies Must Pay FCC Over Payola
“Documents revealed that stations received payments for playing songs by top recording artists such as Jennifer Lopez, John Mayer, Jessica Simpson, Maroon 5 and Franz Ferdinand. Clear Channel Communications Inc., CBS Radio Inc., Entercom Communications Corp. and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. have agreed to pay the broadcast regulator a total of $12.5 million US and provide 8,400 half-hour segments of free airtime earmarked specifically for independent record labels and local artists.”
Bloggers Push Song To Prove Point On major Labels
“The directive is simple: on March 22, anyone who wants to stick it to the major record labels is being asked to purchase a copy of the song Mine Again, by the independent band Black Lab, at the iTunes Store. If enough people do so, it will send Mine Again to the tippity-top of the iTunes singles charts. It would be like giving the music industry the finger.”
Canada’s Governor General Awards Get Prize Boost
“The prize for individual winners of Governor General’s literary and visual and media arts awards will be raised from $15,000 to $25,000. The council will also boost its contribution to the Governor General’s Awards for performing arts so the value of the prize will be increased to $25,000.”
I, Oboist; I, Bookie
“Those who knew H. David Meyers for his musical achievements likely had no idea of his other pursuits. Between early 2001 and 2004, according to his plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Meyers operated a business called Sports International 2000 that solicited and helped place thousands of bets on college and pro football and basketball games from gamblers in Montgomery County, Northern Virginia and elsewhere.”
Miami PAC Complains About Panhandling
Panhandlers have found their way to Miami’s new performing arts center. So “Miami Performing Arts Center Trust Chairman Parker Thomson recently wrote a letter to Miami city leaders complaining of panhandling in the neighborhood on nights of performance. That letter sparked controversy at City Hall, though Thomson says he was just passing along gripes from patrons.”
Granta Names Top Young US Writers
The 2007 list, published 11 years after Granta’s original American selection, lowers the age for qualification as a “young novelist” from 40 to 35. “People seem to be writing (and publishing) fiction sooner,” explains the editor of Granta, Ian Jack “… they have, at least in theory, a head start on their predecessors and should be getting better, quicker.”
America’s Librarian Of The Year (And Why)
Maryland’s Mary Baykan blends “strong research, creativity and a down-home approach into a potent argument: that libraries, far from being anachronisms in a digital world, are latent powerhouses of change, as ready for activation as so many unused cables.”
Toys? Make Sure They’re The Right Ones
“For the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics is taking a stand on toys, drawing a line between those that lead to healthy development and learning, and those that don’t. The Academy of Pediatrics is not going so far as to tell parents what toys to buy young children, but it would approve. ‘We like simple toys that encourage imagination’.”