Tag: 06.14.05

Edinburgh Theatre Auctions Fringe Spot On eBay

An Edinburgh theatre is turning to eBay to try to find a sponsor for this summer’s Fringe Festival. “The Bedlam Theatre, in the city centre, needs £1,600 to pay for the cost of printing 8,000 programmes after an increase in pages due to an extended list of shows. The eBay entry was started at 99p yesterday, with ten days until the close of auction.”

Clear Channel On The Splits

A few years ago Clear Channel was buying up thousands of American radio stations, becoming the giant of the business. But now it’s splitting off some of its enterprises as the aggressive growth backfired. “In the past year alone, its stock is off 25%, to about $29, even after the company bought back about 10% of outstanding shares starting in April, 2004. That’s a steep drop from about $80 a share at its buying peak in 2000. The formerly cocksure Clear Channel is a humbled enterprise.”

Radio Turns To High Def

Traditional radio is facing challenges. Perhaps a solution to some of them might be high definition broadcasting. “More than 370 radio stations are now broadcasting in high definition, a digital format that boosts audio quality and limits static. A handful have begun experimenting with digital “multicasting,” which allows broadcasters to spawn inexpensive sister stations and could give traditional radio a fighting chance against the pumped-up variety of satellite and internet competitors.”

Venice – A Confusing Feast

Adrian Searle find much to like at this year’s Venice Biennale, but there’s too much to get your head around. “The Venice Biennale is filled with nullities and profundities, the silly and the serious. Always, there is too much to see, things to forget and things that surprise and confuse. Confusion is good, but there’s too much of it, even though this is a smaller, better biennale than the previous two editions.”

An Opera Talent Show That Works (At Least It’s Fun)

Opera-tunity is a TV show documenting the search for raw operatic talent, and its fabulously entertaining TV, writes Noel Holston. “The challenge that the English National Opera set for itself was to see if its scouts and coaches could find amateur singers – people with great instruments but against whom life otherwise had conspired – and bring at least one or two of them to a professional level in a matter of months. The ENO got 2,500 video applications, from people literally singing in the shower to roofers belting from the ramparts.”

James Beard Foundation Head Sentenced

“The former president of the James Beard Foundation was sentenced to one to three years in prison Monday in New York after he pleaded guilty to stealing more than a million dollars from the charitable organization he led for nine years. Leonard Pickell, 50, acknowledged he had stolen $1,106,099 by writing foundation checks for such personal expenses as groceries, his daughter’s sweet 16 party, limousines, renovating his home in Howell Township, N.J., and a BMW.”

Brits Clean Up At Banff TV Fest

“A stylish British miniseries synthesizing music, gambling and drama took top prize at the Banff Rockie awards on Monday, leading a British invasion that captured nine trophies as the best shows in international television were honoured. Canada, Japan and the United States each won three international Rockies at the 26th annual awards.”