Two new Frank Gehry buildings in New York show the good and bad sides of the star architect.
Tag: 10.09.06
YouTube + Google: Good For The Global Conversation
YouTube, Google’s newest bauble, “has at least partially succeeded in convincing established media companies that it can be a partner, and not a mortal enemy that must be destroyed. Along with the (Google) deal came a flurry of licensing announcements with the likes of CBS, Universal and Sony BMG. That doesn’t mean the GoogTube Goliath will be completely immune from a swarm of copyright lawyers descending upon it like a horde of locusts. But it suggests that this new beast will survive their onslaught.”
Churn At The Top Of The Charts
What’s the No. 1 movie? No. 1 music? Book? The bestseller lists change so quickly it’s all a whir. And now it’s difficult to even agree on a definition of what being No. 1 is…
Opera House Beats The Tax Man
A small UK opera house has won against a government attempt to revoke its Tax break. The win has implications for all English charitable organizations.
But The Orchestra Doesn’t?
“Cultural charities suffered a heavy blow today when the the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) lost its appeal to make admission income exempt from VAT.”
GoogleTubing
Google buys YouTube (not yet two years old) for $1.65 billion. Chad Hurley, YouTube’s co-founder and chief executive, has repeatedly said he would prefer for his company to remain independent. Asked about such comments in a conference call with Wall Street analysts and investors held late this afternoon, Mr. Hurley said his company did want to stay independent, adding that “by working with Google, that’s still the case.”
O’Neill Playwrights Conference Locked In Rights Turmoil
“Outrage from playwrights over a proposed policy change by the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, in which it would take a percentage of future royalties from plays presented there, caused the conference to backtrack rapidly over the weekend, leaving confusion about whether the proposal was still being considered.”
New York Arts Groups Slash Ticket Prices
“Perhaps not since the early 1970’s, when Broadway introduced the TKTS booth, have the performing arts in New York seen such sweeping moves to draw audiences by offering inexpensive tickets. The discounts, underwritten for the most part by corporate donors, are an effort to compete for leisure time with an increasing array of multimedia offerings and, in an era when patrons of the theater, opera and classical music are aging rapidly, to reach a younger, more diverse population.”
Cleveland Director Assaults Critic’s Review
Cleveland Play House director Michael Bloom made a very public critique of Plain Dealer theatre critic Tony Brown. “Inspired by an unfavorable review Brown had written of the play and his direction, [he} spied Brown in the back row of the theater, hurried down the aisle and ran the critic down in the lobby, where he passionately delivered an intimate and unrestrained critique of the review.”
Hadid’s Brit Problem
Zaha Hadid has “become an international celebrity in the world of architecture; quite why Britain has been starved of her magic is a puzzle. Although she has been awarded a CBE for services to architecture, it was her adopted homeland (she was born in Baghdad) that very nearly ended her career only a decade ago.”