“At stake is a $50,000 tax bill — a portion of the colony’s total tax bill on its 450-acre compound — and MacDowell’s status as a tax-exempt organization. That status, which the colony has had since it was founded in 1907 as a community of artists, has long been affirmed by the town’s selectmen. The town recently changed its mind on that score, however.”
Tag: 12.08.05
Why America’s Regional Theatres Are Dying
“The sun is setting on America’s regional theaters, as they’ve existed for the past half century. There are also other reasons — cultural and technological, leading to the reality that putting on shows can no longer be the primary purpose of theater. Such a purpose — as a sole purpose — is unsustainable for either profit or nonprofit theaters in an era of funding cutbacks when the Internet, iPods, cell-phone cameras and flat-screen TVs have added to the already tempting distractions of California’s beaches, mountains and amusement parks.”
Study Suggests Video-On-Demand Cable Viewers Rent Fewer DVDs
“More than half of the nearly 500 users surveyed — even among those who described themselves as medium to light users of Starz on Demand — said that they rented and purchased fewer DVDs because of the availability of films on the on-demand platform. Of the roughly 14 million Starz Encore subscribers, about 3.6 million regularly access the Starz on Demand service.”
Comcast To Consider Offering Family TV Package
Comcast Corp., the top U.S. cable operator, says it will consider offering a family tier of cable programing to address indecency concerns raised by lawmakers and media regulators.
2005: Where Science And Culture Met
“The developments of the past year show that the ‘accepted wisdom’ on science isn’t as quickly or as widely accepted as perhaps it once was — partly because of a skeptical political climate, and partly because the Internet provides wider access for dissenting views. Those societal challenges are sparking the rise of a new breed of scientists: media-savvy folk who aren’t afraid to join the fray themselves.”
I’m 206. Live With It!
“Thanks to advances in medical technology, an overall improvement in working conditions and a better understanding of how nutrition and exercise affect longevity, the average biped can reasonably expect to hang around for 80 years or more. But 80 years is a trifle. Why not live 150 years? Why not 200? Why not forever? Some people think this is not only possible, but that it’s a good idea.”
Living Longer (But Living Healthier?)
“Life expectancy in the U.S. has been rising almost without interruption since 1900, thanks to several factors, including extraordinary advances in medicine and sanitation, and declines in some types of unhealthy behavior, such as smoking. Those trends may allow life expectancy to continue to inch up despite the increases in obesity and high blood pressure.”
Star Indie Station Struggles Behind The Scenes?
Seattle indie station KEXP has been a huge hit since being adopted by billionaire Paul Allen a few years ago. The “station has grown exponentially into a $3 million enterprise that attracts fervent listeners all over the world and serves as a tastemaker for an eclectic mix of new, alternative, and international music. The total weekly audience has almost doubled since 2000, to roughly 100,000 listeners. Each of the past few years, the station has raised vastly more money than the previous, surpassing ambitious goals. Revenue from membership has more than doubled in two years, to $1.5 million. Beneath the surface, though, KEXP has been under financial strain.”
Smithsonian’s Shameless Cash Grab
Did the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum sell its soul to the devil this week with the announcement that it would screen the latest Harry Potter flick in its IMAX theater? “The screening decision had nothing to do with education, or enlightenment, or any of the other grand ideals public museums have always been built around… no one is even pretending that this is about anything other than getting as much cash as possible, as quickly as possible.”
Gibson On The Holocaust? No Thanks.
News leaked out this week that actor/filmmaker Mel Gibson, who ignited a firestorm last year with his bloody biopic, The Passion of the Christ, would be involved with a new ABC-TV project dramatizing the memoir of a Holocaust survivor. It didn’t take long for Jewish groups nationwide to respond, accusing Gibson of “minimizing” the Holocaust in past statements, and demanding that he not be a part of the project.