With the mega-success of JK Rowling and her Harry Potter series, many believe children’s book writers are raking in the dough. “Waterstone’s had reported that 10 times more new children’s books were being released every month now compared with 2000, and it found that publishers were spending much more on marketing the genre.” But a new survey says that children’s book writers earn barely subsistance wages – a full third of them earn less than the national minimum wage of £8,827 a year.
Tag: 07.14.05
Freud For Houston
What can Houston Grand Opera expect from Anthony Freud, its new director? “Judging from his current work, Houston audiences will see a mix of traditional and new opera similar to that provided by longtime HGO head David Gockley.”
But Isn’t It Supposed To Be Fantasy?
Harry Potter has seemingly become one of those cultural touchstones that is immune to criticism. Not that there aren’t Harry-haters – there are, but they generally get chalked up as curmudgeons out to ruin everyone else’s innocent good time. But Robert Winder has serious concerns about the craze, and they aren’t just literary. For one thing, the “crass commercialism” of the series has become suffocating. For another, is it really wise to be giving kids one more portrait of the modern world as a place where good and evil are clearly defined, when all our energies are engaged in trying to make sense of a world dominated by gray areas?
A New Digital Music Instrument
A new digital music interface replaces the computer keyboard. “The computer interface is an adjustable, hollow device affixed to four thin metal tubes divided by a bridge into long and short sections. By positioning the fingers on the long section, a player can control pitch; by positioning the other hand’s fingers on the short section, the player can control such things as tempo and volume. Four laser pointers shining down the length of each rod relay the plucking motion to a tiny Web camera located on the bridge. When the player presses on the rods, the finger splits the beam of light, reflecting a splotch of light back to the camera.”
Desperate Housewives Scores Emmy Nominations
“The ABC series, competing in the comedy category, received 15 nominations, sharing status as series front-runner with the rowdy NBC sitcom “Will & Grace,” which also got 15 bids. Premium cable channel HBO once again dominated the made-for-TV category with two of its films, “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers” and “Warm Springs,” each garnering 16 bids to top all nominees.”
Why Won’t Anybody Buy Masterpiece Theatre?
Corporate funding for PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre ended last year, but try as they might, PBS has been unable to find a new sponsor. “Since Masterpiece debuted in 1971, ExxonMobil had been its sole underwriter. PBS is picking up the tab for two more seasons, but at half the previous budget. That translates to about seven titles over 20 Sundays this season – half the output of previous years. A co-production with the BBC, Masterpiece has a core audience of “highly educated, higher-income” women over 50, says a rep for the program. Though that’s not the most prized demographic, PBS president Pat Mitchell can’t understand why the network’s crown jewel is such a tough sell.”
Why PBS Will Always Be Poor
“PBS is in real trouble, financially. Its difficult straits are misunderstood by nearly everyone. When PBS was created, early ideas to tax the sale of television sets and also to tax the broadcast networks (which are profiting off of the government- owned airwaves) went nowhere because politicians fear powerful lobbyists and don’t necessarily fear you. Unless you stand up. But when do you do that? When you worry money will be taken away from PBS. It’s true. People just like you, but possibly more riled, called their representatives, and a bipartisan group of politicians got the message and restored cuts to PBS. Hooray! PBS remains underfunded! See: complicated.”
Video Revolution Creates Generation Of Movie-makers With Nowhere To Go
“Do-it-yourself video technology has given an entire generation of young filmmakers the tools to master the video art form. But it has also created a cutthroat environment where only a few can find work. With an entire generation that has grown up behind the lens of digital technology, the movie industry has become very competitive, filled with young directors trying to break into the business.” There isn’t enough Hollywood to keep them all busy.
A Pink Floyd Opera?
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters has written an opera about the French Revolution. “It’s not just a piece about the French Revolution, it’s about revolution in a much broader sense, and it’s about the capacity that human beings have for personal change. The piece is an exultation and an encouragement to those of us who believe the human race can discover its humanity and its capacity for empathy to the point where it may be possible for us at some point to guarantee the basic human rights of the individual (around the world).”
How Long Should The Intermission Be?
“In the straight theatre, the interval norm has long been 15 minutes, giving those quick off the mark just enough time to swallow a warm, over-priced gin and tonic before nipping to the loo. (My own preference is a brisk walk round the block.) Recently, the National Theatre has extended the standard to 20 minutes, and, given the number of slower, older people in today’s audiences, perhaps that is the optimum. However, the more puritanical breeds of theatre director don’t like reality impinging on their creations at all.”