“Whatever” easily beat out “you know,” which especially grated a quarter of respondents. The other annoying contenders were “anyway” (at 7 percent), “it is what it is” (11 percent) and “at the end of the day” (2 percent).
Tag: 10.08.09
Lloyd Webber Launches Phantom, Part Deux
Set on New York’s Coney Island in 1907, 10 years after the Phantom fled Paris, it is co-written by Ben Elton and has taken more than two years to complete.
Briton Mark Clements Is Milwaukee Rep’s Next A.D.
“Clements, 48, will succeed artistic director Joseph Hanreddy, who is leaving the Rep this spring after 17 years with the company.”
Making Music With Bicycle Bells In Downtown LA
“‘Eine Brise: Transient Action for 111 Cyclists,’ by the late Argentinian composer Mauricio Kagel, … will have its L.A. premiere Feb. 22 outdoors on Grand Avenue’s pavement. Kagel’s quickie composition, no more than two minutes long, calls for 111 bicycle riders to ring their bells, whistle and emit vocalized effects in unison, on command.”
Despite Rich Autumn Offerings, Book Sales Have Fallen
Last week, “book sales were down about 4 percent compared with the same week last year, suggesting that” none of the fall’s big titles, not even Dan Brown’s, “were helping booksellers to overcome the sludgy economy.” But there’s always the holiday season to save the day, maybe.
London Mayor Says He’ll Leave Arts Council Post Vacant
Foiled by the culture secretary in his attempt to appoint “the former editor of the London Evening Standard, which championed his campaign for the mayoralty, to run the Arts Council’s London branch,” London Mayor Boris Johnson “is prepared to leave an empty seat at the helm of the regional body following the government veto.”
Suzanne Fiol, ‘Downtown’ Arts Impresario, Dies At 49
“Opened in 2003 in a former garage in the East Village, Issue Project Room” – which Fiol founded, directed and steered to stability – “quickly established a place in the small circuit of downtown clubs and makeshift theaters that specialize in the fringes of contemporary music … [as well as] literary readings and art exhibitions.”
Why Americans Work Long Hours (It’s For A Sense Of Well-Being)
“Newly published research provides a possible answer. Americans, it turns out, are more likely to be paid by the hour than workers in most industrialized nations. And people who get paid an hourly wage are more likely to link well-being to income.”
Plans For New Westminster Theatre In London On Hold
“Ambitious plans for a multimillion-pound relaunch of the Westminster Theatre” – an off-West End venue that closed in 2002 and later burned down – have been set back until at least 2011.” Negotiations over development requirements and financing have “stalled.”
London Mayor Accused Of Cronyism In Arts Council Bid
“The Mayor of London tried to install Veronica Wadley, former editor of the Evening Standard, which championed his campaign for the mayoralty, to run the Arts Council in London. He recommended her for the job despite the shortlisting panel judging that she was insufficiently qualified to take the role.”