Copyright: what do we want it to do?

guardian.co.uk: "A recurring question in discussions of digital copyright is how creators and their investors (that is, labels, movie studios, publishers, etc) will earn a living in the digital era.

Voice of 'Dora The Explorer,' Nickelodeon End Dispute

backstage.com: "A teenage actress has dropped her claim that Nickelodeon massively underpaid her for lending her voice to the plucky cartoon heroine of 'Dora The Explorer,' and the network said Friday she would do some more work on the pioneering children's show.

PBT's 'Nutcracker' to cast its magical spell once again

Post Gazette: "Six trailers of scenery, hundreds of pairs of shoes, 200-plus costumes and two casts totaling about 300 dancers. No, this is not a new jazzed-up version of 'The 12 Days of Christmas.' It's some of what goes into producing the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's annual performance of 'The Nutcracker.'

In 'Hobson's Choice,' Michael Ball plays 'an irascible, bombastic, egotistical, alcoholic monster'

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "After performing more than 40 roles in his 33 seasons at the Shaw Festival in Canada, actor Michael Ball usually likes to spend the off-season winter months relaxing at his house in Toronto.
This year, he's making an exception.

'The Nutcracker': An American tradition for families

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Every year since 1986, Frank Irvin has taken his daughters Kadence, Juliet and Abigail to see 'The Nutcracker.' This year, he's looking forward to extending his family tradition by taking the first of his granddaughters to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's production of the Christmas classic.

Why I Hate Comp Tickets

Arts Marketing: "If there is one thing that can kill your earned revenue quicker than anything else, it is a misguided complimentary ticket policy. Someone asked me the other day why I hate comp tickets so much, so I decided to list my top reasons

Spider-Man on Broadway: Can it do what a blockbuster does?

The Globe and Mail: "After almost a year of postponements and postponed postponements, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the most anticipated superhero musical in the history of humankind, had its first preview this week in New York.

SAG-AFTRA Joint Board Approves Studio Deal

Backstage: "The boards of SAG and AFTRA meeting jointly Saturday morning approved by about 89% to 11% the recently-achieved tentative TV/theatrical deal with the studios, the unions announced. The decision was expected.

Opera in Cinema series set to debut at Oaks Theater

Review: "The Oaks Theater and Emerging Pictures have partnered to showcase the Opera in Cinema series, which presents European opera in high definition and surround sound. International ballets and Shakespeare plays will also be featured.

How Modern Life Is Like a Zombie Onslaught

NYTimes.com: "ZOMBIES are a value stock. They are wordless and oozing and brain dead, but they’re an ever-expanding market with no glass ceiling. Zombies are a target-rich environment, literally and figuratively. The more you fill them with bullets, the more interesting they become.

Spain's cultural heritage under threat amid economic crisis

The Guardian: "Economic woes risk sweeping away cultural riches as modern gems such as the Chillida museum closes through lack of funds.

SAG Health Plan Announces Benefit Changes

backstage.com: "The Screen Actors Guild’s health plan has announced several benefits changes. According to information posted at the SAG-Producers Pension and Health Plans website, effective Jan. 1, plan members’ children will now be eligible for health coverage until the age of 26 regardless of student or marital status. Among the other changes:

Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’ at Brooklyn Academy

NYTimes.com: "Maybe it’s just a ripple effect of the “Spider-Man” obsession gripping Broadway, but Gisli Orn Gardarsson’s astonishingly athletic interpretation of the traveling salesman who awakes one morning transformed into a bug in “Metamorphosis” seems more arachnid than insect.

PICT's Andrew Paul to carry on duties from Las Vegas

post-gazette.com: "Andrew Paul is moving to Las Vegas in two weeks, just as 'Hobson's Choice' is finishing its run in Oakland.

RSC signs five-year deal to make Roundhouse its London home

TheStage.co.uk: "The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced a five-year plan to present an annual London season of work at the Roundhouse in Camden.

Les Bouffes du Nord Face Budget Cuts

Ionarts: "As mentioned briefly a few weeks ago, the 85-year-old director Peter Brook is stepping down from the leadership of his ground-breaking theater troupe, which rejuvenated the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris. As feared, the French government has taken advantage of his departure to make some substantial cuts to the theater's government subvention.

A Steve Martin Event That Disappointed the 92nd Street Y

NYTimes.com: "In the history of intellectual chatter, the events of Nov. 29, 2010, at the 92nd Street Y will be archived under disaster. Or comedy. Some viewers of an interview with Steve Martin on Monday apparently thought that it dwelled too much on the art world. That night, a conversation between Steve Martin, the writer and actor, and Deborah Solomon, who writes a weekly interview column for The New York Times Magazine, resulted in the Y’s sending out a next-day apology, along with a promise of a refund.

Critical distance is a far-off fantasy

guardian.co.uk: "Many theatre professionals like to keep their distance from critics. There are actors who never read their own reviews and directors who think criticism is an irritation. In their turn, many critics refuse to socialise with the people they write about, sometimes even declining an interval drink from the publicity department, and showing no interest in the business beyond what they see on the stage.

CMU mines 'Midsummer' laughs

Post Gazette: "'A Midsummer Night's Dream' conjures Shakespeare at his most whimsical and mischievous; you can easily imagine the Bard having an LOL moment as he put quill to parchment and transformed a pompous would-be actor into an ass.

Kevin Spacey to Star in Sam Mendes-Helmed 'Richard III'

backstage.com: "Kevin Spacey will star in the title role of William Shakespeare's 'Richard III' next summer, The Bridge Project confirmed Wednesday.