“The BBC has pulled out of re-broadcasting Dennis Potter’s landmark drama series The Singing Detective in its 25th anniversary year because managers were not willing to pay an extra £5,000.”
Tag: 11.09.11
English National Ballet Chief To Step Down
“Craig Hassall, managing director of English National Ballet, is to leave the company at the beginning of next year. Hassall is to take up the new role of chief operating officer at [impresario] Raymond Gubbay Limited in February 2012.”
The Renovated Bolshoi? Feh – Mariinsky To Anchor A Whole New Cultural District
“Moscow took center stage for the arts when the Bolshoi Theater opened on Oct. 28, but St. Petersburg, the historical cultural capital, will quickly answer Moscow’s challenge with an entire cultural complex set to open in fall 2012.”
Pippi Longstocking Books Are Racist, Says German Theologian
Feminist theologian Dr. Eske Wollrad says, “It is not that the figure of Pippi Longstocking is racist, but that all three in the trilogy of books have colonial racist stereotypes.” Astrid Lindgren’s daughter, Karin Nyman, begs to differ.
Why Google And The Recording Labels Don’t Get Along
“Labels are essentially suppliers, and Google wants to be a distributor. The labels want a high price. Google wants a low price. They have oppositional aims. That’s just capitalism.”
Amazon.com, Big Foot Publisher
“Amazon has moved aggressively into publishing over the last year, signing major writers including bestselling self-help author Timothy Ferriss and actress and director Penny Marshall – the Marshall deal for $800,000 (£500,000), according to reports – and launching a phalanx of new imprints covering everything from romance to science fiction, each move a further blow to an increasingly nervous community of traditional publishers.”
Music Critic Crosses Over To The Other Side
“Pierre Ruhe, former classical music critic for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, has taken the job of artistic administrator of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Ruhe left the AJC in 2009 along with the theater, book and art critics, and launched ArtsCriticATL.com, a web site focusing on the local Atlanta arts scene. “
Big Sales, Prices At Post-War Art Sale
“It was a big auction — 91 works — running the gamut from masters like Warhol and Twombly to many of today’s trendiest artists. And it made big prices. The sale totaled $247.6 million, which fell between its $226.4 million to $312.3 million estimates.”
Publishers Turn To Making Trailers To Sell Their Books
“Commercials, or so-called book trailers, have become increasingly common as publishers look for novel ways to market their best sellers at a time when fewer people are buying physical copies of booksand chains like Borders Group are shutting down.”
Plans To Offer Cheap Broadband To Poor
“The Federal Communications Commission is launching a $4-billion program to narrow the digital divide by making high-speed Internet access and computers more affordable for more than 25 million mainly low-income Americans.”