A team from the Chinese Ministry of Culture comes to Broadway to try to learn its secrets. “We want to know how your Broadway musicals could attract such large audiences. And why our comprehensive art forms — with singing, dancing and drama — could not attract such a large audience.” They “hope to find a way to stem a troubling loss of audience from hundreds of traditional, state-supported Chinese opera houses. Attendance at these houses has dwindle as more modern, youthful entertainments have multiplied.”
Tag: 12.23.02
Frankfurt Book Fair’s Big Changes
The Frankfurt Book Fair is under new management. And new management has plenty of ideas about making changes. Among the biggest would be moving the fair to Munich, in part to thwart Frankfurt hotels who gouge attendees with jacked-up rates. “A move would be revolutionary—the book fair has been in Frankfurt for more than 50 years. ‘It’s not our goal to make that move. But if it’s necessary, we would not back off from it’.”
Stuck In My Head And Driving Me Mad…
What is it about some songs that makes them stick in your head? And why is it that those songs tend to be the worst kind of songs, those awful songs you’d never ever admit you liked…
CD Sales Slide During Holidays
“In the five weeks since mid-November, when the record labels began their biggest holiday blitz in recent memory, compact disc sales were down 12.9 percent compared to the period in 2001, according to data from Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks music sales.” This despite some high-profile releases by some of music’s biggest stars.
Running Conflicts – Choosing Books For TV
The “Today Show” TV bookclub was born when Oprah canceled her popular hit-maker. But Today’s twist – inviting well-known writers to pick books for the show invites conflicts of interest. Some writers want to pick work by their friends (and why wouldn’t they?). But the show says it wants to rule out blatant conflicts of interest. Okay, but…
WTC – An Argument With Reality
So what if ideas for structures on the World Trade Center site seem impractical. “It’s only because members of the public have taken the trouble to argue with reality that the official process of reimagining ground zero has taken a turn for the better. What we’re learning, at this stage, is how to put the shoe on the other foot.”
Writers Who Passed In 2002
Who died this year? MobyLives has a list of writers whose lives ended in 2002. Their work….?
The Pressure To Make It
Students at America’s top universities have little time for fun. They’ve had to work too hard to get in. “They’ve usually started a few companies, cured at least three formerly fatal diseases, mastered a half dozen or so languages, and marched for breast cancer awareness through Tibet while tutoring the locals on conflict resolution skills and environmental awareness. Their main lack is time. Students boast to each other about how little sleep they’ve gotten, and how long it’s been since they had a chance to get back to their dorm room…”