“JK Rowling has written a short prequel to her popular Harry Potter books. But the 800-word tale will not be published – instead it will go under the hammer at a charity auction in London next month.”
Tag: 05.29.08
Theatrical Guessing Game
Improvisatory theatre is the hot new thing in London, and critics there don’t seem quite sure what to make of it. “You can see why: impro delivers a smack in the face to much that our culture holds dear… Until impro happens, there’s nothing to say about it. And once it’s happened, it’s sort of unreviewable, because it’s not going to happen like that again.”
Huge Increase In On-Demand Books In 2007
“The production of traditional books rose 1% in 2007, to 276,649 new titles and editions, but the output of on-demand, short run and unclassified titles soared from 21,936 in 2006 to 134,773 last year.”
Universal Jumps Into The Live Concert/Artist Management Business
“Universal Classics and Jazz, the worldwide market leader in classical CD sales, announced on Wednesday the formation of Universal Music Classical Artists Management and Productions. According to an internal statement the new division is meant to provide management services for and produce live events for prominent classical musicians.”
Report: Broadway Had Slightly Down Year In 2007/08
Paid attendance at Broadway shows, at 12.2 million, was down slightly from last season’s record of 12.3 million. Broadway grosses were off by about $1 million, at $937.5 million.
Scientists Reconstruct Iraqi Antiquities Virtually
“A technology normally used in reconstructive surgery to create prosthetic limbs is now being applied to create reproductions of Iraq’s precious and fragile cuneiform clay tablets, according to an Italian team of researchers.”
Report: Ticket Booking Fees Can Add 30% To Cost Of Tickets
The research found that Theatre Tickets Direct, for example, imposed hefty fees on bookings for West End musical Buddy, with audiences paying £142.64 instead of the face value of £110.
Indy The Way You Want Him (And Why Not?)
“Fans of pop culture are tired of being told a given movie mustbe seen in the theatre. They are also tired of being scolded by the likes of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for preferring DVDs. Perhaps owing to the poor quality of most modern motion pictures, this is the era of the platform agnostic. Today’s film fan would just as soon watch Indy’s latest exploits on an iPod or computer monitor or TV set as the silver screen.”
Tarantino Attacks Film Composers
Quentin Tarantino, a film-maker who believes that the camera was invented to portray violence, made a scathing attack on film music composers yesterday, saying that he would never trust any of them with his films.
La Scala Commissions Global Warming Opera
“La Scala officials say the Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned to produce an opera on the international multiformat hit for the 2011 season at the Milan opera house. The composer is currently artistic director of the Arena in Verona.”