Movies Hit The Net (Legally)

Downloading movies over the internet is becoming a viable and popular business. “A technological step beyond video rentals and pay-per-view cable movie channels, these online movie services provide a legal and reliable way to download and stream thousands of films, from recently released Hollywood blockbusters to vintage serials.”

Examining The DNA Of Opera-Booing

“Booing at the end of opera performances has long been common in Germany, but was virtually unheard of in Britain until the late 1980s. But for the past 10 years, during which ENO has traced a shaky artistic path, audiences have reverted to docility. Which prompts the question of whether audiences conform to national stereotypes – and what makes continental Europeans apparently more discerning, and certainly more partisan, than their counterparts in the English-speaking world.”

Broadway In Vegas – A Trend?

Following Avenue Q’s booking in Vegas, a number of other Broadway shows are eying the gambling Mecca as a potential market. “It makes perfect sense that the hotels in Las Vegas, which need to differentiate themselves on a basis other than gambling, should turn to the biggest live entertainment pastime there is [behind] Major League Baseball. The more exposure Broadway shows get, the better it is for the industry as a whole.”

Be This – New Role-Play Park

A new theme park opens in Florida. The park enlists visitors in role-playing – players assume the identities of firefighters or cops or… and play out a scenario. “The $40 million entertainment complex is billed as the first indoor role-playing theme park in the United States for kids and the beginning of a national rollout for the concept. It’s modeled after a similar park in Mexico.”

Edinburgh – Too Big To Be Good?

The Edinburgh Festival is huge. Enormous. Gigantic. So it’s a big success right? Maybe not, writes David Benedict. “We’re talking art, not merchandise, so why are we so hung up on size? Shouldn’t we be vaunting quality over quantity? Not at Edinburgh. Less is no longer more. This is the festival most easily mistaken for a marathon, and every year some schmuck attempts to beat the record for the number of events crammed into 24 hours.”