Monday, January 31, 2005

 
Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many
tomorrows.
- Michael Landon

Thursday, January 27, 2005

 
Actors Secure $200 Million TV/Theatrical Contract:
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) announced today that they have negotiated a sweeping $200 million agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on a new three-year television and theatrical contract
(from SAG).

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

 
Seth Godin has a post on his blog referring to another blog's post about how an obscure album started to really sell. The song, called Dragostea Din Tei, has started to drive CD sales after people half a world away from the musicians (O-Zone) synced it to some flash animation.

I'm sort of thinking out loud, but I have the hunch that this kind of worldwide digital-remixing/reperforming (combined with the Long-Tail phenomena) could continue change the world of media. I doubt it will replace media's traditional forms, but may open other channels for media products to reach the audience. As actors, this change in how media moves from creators to consumers may affect us and our incomes (e.g., allows us to self-distribute in ways that were not before possible). Then again, I'm just thinking out loud.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

 

How Shakespeare Died

Many historians and biographers have remarked upon William Shakespeare's surprising interest in sexually transmitted diseases, and now a study conducted by an infectious diseases specialist concludes that the bard likely had syphilis and that mercury, used to treat the disease, could have poisoned the playwright and contributed to his death
(from discovery.com). Not everyone agrees with this study's findings. His works on-line:

Thursday, January 13, 2005

 
Actors Sell Their Talents: Make something people want to buy.
Sometimes, salesmanship is overrated. What matters more is real marketing, marketing that involves making the right product, not hyping it
(from Seth Godin).

Sunday, January 09, 2005

 
Chicago Is Becoming the City of Choice for Pre-Broadway Tryouts:
...the out-of-town Broadway tryout is back from the dead, and the resurrection started in Chicago.
The revival began in 2001, when Mel Brooks' "The Producers" tried out here, doing boffo business and laying the groundwork for the show's subsequent triumph in New York.
Since then, the Windy City has been on a roll as a Broadway launching pad, nurturing "Movin' Out," the Billy Joel-Twyla Tharp musical that worked out its kinks in Chicago on the way to becoming a smash on the Great White Way, and "Sweet Smell of Success," which was well-received here but failed to find an audience in New York.
With a metro area of about 9 million, it has the requisite population base. It has a sophisticated theater audience with a track record of interest in new work. It has an ample supply of technical crew and stagehands who, due to union concessions, come considerably cheaper than their counterparts in New York.
Perhaps most important, it has the necessary infrastructure, in the form of several large and (with the help of about $50 million in city funds) beautifully restored theaters - which, incidentally, are owned by Clear Channel Entertainment and the Nederlander Organization, both regular investors in Broadway musicals, including most of the Chicago tryout shows so far. The beauty of the arrangement is that Broadway in Chicago has the ability to host substantial pre-Broadway runs at one or more theaters while continuing to offer subscription series and/or alternative fare at its other houses
(from Chicago Sun-Times).

Saturday, January 08, 2005

 
Humor is the only test of gravity, and gravity of humor; for a subject which will not bear raillery is suspicious, and a jest which will not bear serious examination is false wit.
-Aristotle