“[E]xpecting [Michael] Phillips and [A.O.] Scott to deliver network-sized ratings in an era where hardly anyone under 40 pays attention to critics is a fool’s errand. Despite their intellectual heft and engaging personalities … they are being asked to revive a format that is as moribund as a black-and-white detective series.”
Tag: 08.05.09
Judging An E-Reader By Its Cover
“Perhaps the kind of case you’re holding when looking at the screen of an e-reader shouldn’t matter. After all, a true reader gets lost in the words, whether on a screen or a page. Who notices the boundaries of the page? Does the case holding the screen make that much difference? But to me, the tactile experience of reading is relevant.”
Sharper Than A Serpent’s Tooth: The Piven Monologues
“An evening exploring the controversy surrounding Jeremy Piven’s surprise departure from the recent Broadway revival of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow will be presented at Joe’s Pub next month. … The evening was created by Alena Smith (Public Emerging Writers Group 2009) with Jordan Seavey (EWG ’09) and Anna O’Donoghue.”
Here We Go Again: Republican Lawmakers Restart The NEA Culture Wars
“U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns [R-Fla.], joined by 50 fellow congressional Republicans, has fired off a scathing letter to the head of a federal arts agency, expressing outrage that taxpayer money went to groups that produce ‘objectionable and obscene movies, plays and exhibitions’.”
NY Times Turns Culture Editor Into Restaurant Critic
Sam Sifton, currently the paper’s culture editor, will replace Frank Bruni in October. “Bill Keller, the executive editor [of the Times], called the decision both eccentric and obvious. … Mr. Sifton steps into a job that Ruth Reichl, Biff Grimes and Mr. Keller himself told us that, in some ways, doesn’t quite have the power it used to.”
Europe’s Oldest Map (14,000 Years) Discovered
“A team of archaeologists have matched etchings made 14,000 years ago on a polished chunk of sandstone in northern Spain to the landscape in which it was found. They claim to have the earliest known map of a region in western Europe – a prehistoric hunting map.”
Author Of Twilight Novels Accused Of Plagiarism
Stephenie Meyer “has been served with a ‘cease and desist’ order sent to her publisher, Hachette Book Group USA, by lawyers acting for Jordan Scott. The letter claims that the latest volume in Meyer’s Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, which was published last year, ‘shows a striking and substantial similarity’ to Scott’s book The Nocturne‘.”
LACMA’s Axed Film Program Attracts An Online Crusade
“Who knows the wrath of a film community scorned? The Los Angeles County Museum of Art does. In a little more than a week, the controversy over LACMA’s decision to ax its 40-year-old film program has grown into a full-blown online debate, with the museum starting its own electronic forum Tuesday in response to an aggressive Facebook campaign and online petition seeking to restore the much-loved but debt-ridden program.”
Sorting Out What Miracles Are (Or Would Be) And Are Not
“These days most people think it unscientific to believe in ‘miracles’, and irreligious not to believe in them. But would the occurrence of miracles really violate the principles of science? And would their non-occurrence really undermine religion?”
Central Park Great Lawn Events Must Limit Crowds: Report
“An independent report released Tuesday recommends a 55,000-person limit for events on the Great Lawn in Central Park – essentially supporting the city’s current regulations. The report is the latest twist in a saga extending back to 2004.”