“Just a few years ago, the notion of Univision catching and surpassing them would have had mainstream network executives rolling with laughter. They’re not laughing now.”
Tag: 10.27.10
Fake Wyeth Painting Uncovered Before Sale at Christie’s
Since Andrew Wyeth died last year, at least seven forgeries of his paintings have been identified on the market. The latest, discovered last spring, was a copy of Wyeth’s Snow Birds that had been expected to sell for up to $500,000. Fortunately, an art dealer in Seattle had recently sold the real thing to a collector …
The Ultimate IQ Test?
A research team at the UK Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit has developed what its leader calls “the ultimate test of intelligence.” (Test included at link)
‘There Are Good Reasons Why Critics Occupy the Best Seats’
Michael Billington: “The most basic is that we are there to work. If we are doing an overnight review, we need an aisle seat to get out quickly. Even something as simple as the overspill of light from the stage helps if one is making notes. … [A play is] more likely to get a considered review if the critic is not hampered by acoustic or sightline problems.”
Margaret Atwood, Graphic Artist
“She’s an award-winning poet and novelist, and a Canadian icon. Now, Margaret Atwood is receiving accolades for her online cartooning skills as well. An avid Twitter user, Atwood surprised two fellow tweeters by offering to design superhero comic costumes for them, befitting their Twitter identities.”
Doonesbury Hits 40
Slate offers an all-star series to celebrate the comic strip’s definitive entry into middle age: Jeffrey Toobin on Mike Doonesbury; Walter Isaacson on Duke; Gail Collins on Joanie Caucus; Gene Weingarten on Mr. Butts; Nicholas von Hoffman on “what happened when Hunter Thompson told me Garry Trudeau was spying on him.”
Enormous Changes at the Next-to-Last Minute for Women on the Verge
“With opening night (and performances for the critics) fast approaching, the creators of the new Broadway musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown [have] added several changes … most noticeably a new number at the top of the show that had been the Act II opener.” The creative team has still not settled on the show’s finale.
Entertainment Industry Gets A Registry
“Major studios, cable and technology companies on Wednesday announced the launch of an Entertainment Identifier Registry (EIDR) to track movies, TV shows and other assets much the way books are coded.:
The Books Prisoners Request
“A former Boston prison librarian has revealed some of the literary preferences of American inmates. And according to Avi Steinberg, aka “Bookie” to the inmates of Suffolk County House of Correction, popular requests are The Diary of Anne Frank, Robert Greene’s Machiavellian self-help manual The 48 Laws of Power, and anything by Sylvia Plath.”
Byron Janis – A Pianist Despite The Pain
“Debate aside, there’s no doubt that Mr. Janis has smashed the conventional wisdom that you need healthy hands to be a virtuoso pianist.”