US TV ratings are down considerably, even after striking writers came back to work. But while it’s convenient to blame the strike for the slippage, the strike is not solely to blame…
Tag: 05.06.08
UK Opera Company Gets Big Funding Boost
Opera North is to benefit from a £3.5 million grant of Lottery funding from Arts Council England, which will be put towards the running costs of its new centre in Leeds.
The Livent Fraud Trial: Charges Of Duplicate Books
“Among the allegations: Drabinsky and Gottlieb directed staff to inflate earnings, income and assets, allowing the company to maintain its share price. Suppliers were induced to issue invoices with false dates. Accounting software was changed to foil auditors.”
Colleges Puzzle Over Escalating Recording Industry Complaints
In recent weeks, universities have seen a huge increase in the number of complaints about illegal student downloading from the Recording Industry Association of America. But colleges say they have seen no increase in network traffic, and are questioning the legitimacy of the RIAA complaints.
Smithsonian Decides To Go It Alone In Restoring Historic Mall Building
“Last November the Smithsonian solicited ideas for a public-private partnership to save the building. It also conducted a staff survey about how the building could be used. The public submitted 11 proposals and the staff came up with 2,000 ideas.”
Violinist To Perform For Cab Driver Who Returned Violin
“A violin virtuoso plans to replace the airport cacophony of taxis and airplanes with the exquisite tones of a 285-year-old violin to give thanks to the cab driver who reunited him with the lost instrument.”
Stephen King/John Mellencamp Musical Postponed
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, “with music by Mellencamp and book by King, was pushed back to allow creatives more time to complete work on the project, according the Atlanta’s Alliance Theater.”
A Literary Crisis Of History
“Authors face a dilemma of the imagination today. The crux of this dilemma is the literary imagination’s relationship to the historical imagination.”
The Insane Policy Of Book Returns
“Publishers have convinced retailers that stacks of books piled high in the aisles will attract customers and spawn bestsellers. It’s a leaky theory posing little risk for booksellers. If the books don’t sell, they’re only out the cost of shipping and handling the returns.”
Where Is Britain’s Muslim Theatre?
“New British drama, in the years ahead, will increasingly come from minority groups; by giving a platform to these fledgling writers, the Court Theatre is spreading information and light. We all need urgently to learn about the multicultural society in which we live.”