Sunday, June 28, 2009

Worth A Look...

Short week this week. Still some interesting stuff:

It’s a Wrap for 20th Century Props

NYTimes.com: "Mr. Schwartz, the owner of 20th Century Props, plans to go out of business next month and auction the inventory. Battered by the surge in out-of-state movie production and the demise of scripted programming on network television, the once-thriving business — one of a handful of its type remaining — is failing."

Therapist keeps Cirque performers in top condition

timestranscript.com: "Gurie, 29, is health-services supervisor with 'Saltimbanco,' the touring Cirque du Soleil arena show. She was watching a number called Chinese Poles as the company went through its training routine. A few hours later, the acrobats would don outlandish, colorful costumes for the opening performance of a five-day run in Lakeland, Fla."

Michael Jackson patented a gadget to perform dance magic

DVICE: "As we mourn the loss of spectacular dancer, frenetic and staccato singer, and professional weirdo Michael Jackson, the gadget world reminisces about a patent Jackson filed in 1993. Remember that supernatural, gravity-defying 45-degree lean Jackson performed with his troupe of dancers on 'Smooth Criminal'? Jackson used wires and harnesses in the 1988 music video, but that wasn't possible when he performed the trick live in 1992."

US Copyright Law, King Lear, and Jammie Thomas-Rasset

Groklaw: "I was goofing off, looking up some information on Wikipedia on King Lear, and here's what struck me. If the current US Copyright Law had been in effect over Shakespeare, I think he could have been sued by many authors for copyright infringement for writing that masterpiece."

Stop Just Putting Out Fires, Start Really Working

WebWorkerDaily: "It always starts with checking email first thing in the morning. Open, read, react, and an hour later, reply. Open, read, react, and an hour later, reply. On and on it goes, until it’s two o’clock and not one smidgen of paid work has been done, or if it has, it’s been done in a haphazard way, usually at the client’s demand instead of using my own tried-and-true schedule and system. By the end of the day, I’m zapped and feel like a heel for allowing my work to control me, instead of the other way around. There has to be a better way!"

Should I leave L.A. after one year?

Salon Life: "I live in Los Angeles. I've been here almost a year, trying to get into the film industry. It was once my great dream, and now it seems that I've merely moved to a land where everyone is shallow, miserable and hates their career. That or, like me, they are poor, talented and unable to find something with even the hope of moving up in the world."

Stadium Authority questions delays, design of North Shore amphitheater

Post Gazette: "The chairwoman of the city's Stadium Authority board raised concerns yesterday about potential delays in the construction of a $12 million North Shore entertainment complex and the design of the proposed facility."

Cirque Celebrates 25th Anniversary!

Fascination! Newsletter: "Cirque du Soleil cast, crew and staff went to great heights to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people to simultaneously walk on stilts on June 16, the date of its 25th anniversary. To mark this historic milestone, audiences at the Cirque du Soleil shows on June 16 experienced special performances including commemorative gifts for everyone."

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