The New York Observer » The Culture Czar http://www.observer.com Just another WordPress site Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:10:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en What’s Worth Downloading on Google Books? The e-reader battle rages on as Google has announced the release of more than a million public domain books in the open, ePub format. ePub is a document format that makes it easier for anyone with an iPhone, a BlackBerry or a Sony eReader to access books on mobile devices--no need for a fancy new Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/media/whats-worth-downloading-google-books The Russians Did Save the Art Market! The auction of Yves Saint Laurent's art collection in Paris last night brought in an astounding $262 million, according to Bloomberg. In fact, the sale set records for works of seven of the major artists, including Henri Matisse's 1911 still life of cowslips in a vase titled Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose, Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/daily-transom/russians-did-save-art-market The Observer‘s Own Adam Begley to Write Updike Bio for HarperCollins Adam Begley, The Observer's longtime book review editor, has signed on with HarperCollins to write a biography of John Updike, who died last month of lung cancer at the age of 76. Mr. Begley sold the book through the literary agent George Borchardt, and will be edited by Tim Duggan. The publication date is Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/media/observers-own-adam-begley-write-updike-bio-harpercollins Single Person’s Movie: Meet the Parents It's 2 a.m. and you awake with a jerk, alone in your fully lit apartment and still on the couch. On TV, the credits of some movie you've already seen a billion times are scrolling by. It feels like rock bottom. And we know, because we're just like you: single.

Need a movie to keep Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/style/single-persons-movie-meet-parents Tom Cruise: The Comeback Kid! A funny thing happened on the way to the funeral being held for Tom Cruise's career ... Valkyrie became a hit. Well, maybe calling it a "hit" is a bit too much. But still, the film, which was dragged through the muck for the better part of a year, grossed a respectable $153 million Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/o2/tom-cruise-comeback-kid Facebook: Nevermind! We’re Reverting to the Old Terms After confronting an online uproar and a federal complaint from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Facebook revised their terms of service early Wednesday morning, reverting to their original privacy policy. In early February, Facebook removed a portion of its Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/media/facebook-nevermind-were-reverting-old-terms The Academy Awards Go Disney We're not sure if you realize this, but the Oscars are this Sunday! We'd say they snuck up on us, but since the awards season is now longer than a pregnancy, we'd be lying to you if we did. The Hugh Jackman-hosted 81st annual Academy Awards were supposed to be cloaked in secrecy, but Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/o2/academy-awards-turn-disney-channel-save-ratings Watchmen-mania at a Fever Pitch on the Internets! That sound you hear rumbling in the background isn't your CPU tower about to explode from overuse (seriously, you should think about turning your office computer off when you go home), it's the geek stampede about to unleash itself over Watchmen. We're nearly two weeks away from Zack Snyder's "visionary" take on the groundbreaking Alan Moore Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/style/iwatchmeni-mania-fever-pitch-internets We Love You, Hollywood’s New Trend Whether it's dual movies about giant asteroids hitting earth or a couple of television programs dealing with the inner workings of a late night sketch comedy show, we're always up for a good Hollywood trend. While Entertainment Weekly has already gone ahead and proclaimed mall cops as the trend of 2009, we've actually found Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/o2/we-i-love-i-hollywoods-latest-new-trend Facebook’s New Terms: We’re Gonna Use Your Content However We Want to and Keep it Forever [UPDATED] If you aren't already, you might want to be extra careful about what you post on Facebook. The site recently revised some critical words in their terms of service agreement which some claim allows them to use your pictures, videos, updates, or whatever else you post on the social network however they want Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/media/facebooks-new-terms-were-gonna-use-your-content-however-we-want-and-keep-it-forever The Week in DVR: Redford, Newman, Harold and Kumar Make it Movie Week!…Plus, Conan’s Last Late Nights Monday: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid As part of their "31 Days of Oscar," Turner Classic Movies is pulling out all of your dusty old favorites this month. So here's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, one of those movies where everything clicks into place like a tumbler in a lock. William Goldman's Oscar-winning Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/style/week-dvr-redford-newman-harold-and-kumar-make-it-movie-weekplus-conans-last-late-nights Long Out-of-Print Cheever Story Will Be Serialized Next Week on FiveChapters.com A long out-of-print short story by John Cheever that was first published in the 1943 collection The Way Some People Live will appear in serialized form next week at the Web site FiveChapters.com.

The story, which is included in a forthcoming Library of America collection, is called "Of Love: A Testimony." It Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/media/long-out-print-cheever-story-will-be-serialized-next-week-fivechapterscom Jonah Hill Gets Seven-Figure Deal, Enters Wilderness Apparently when Jonah Hill goes to sell a screenplay, he comes prepared with a full complement of talent. Universal Studios has reportedly paid the Superbad star seven figures for The Adventurer's Handbook, a script he co-wrote with his friends Matt Spicer and Max Winkler, and the plan is for the film to co-star Mr. Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/o2/jonah-hill-and-kingdom-crystal-skull Opening this Valentine’s Day Weekend: Camp Crystal Lake is for Lovers! Plus, Clive Owen Fights a Bank As the Hollywood box office machine chugs along (in case you were wondering, Paul Blart will hit $100 million dollars this weekend; expect the rain of frogs to follow shortly thereafter), we've found ourselves concentrating on larger issues besides film revenue. Like: Is anyone actually buying this Joaquin Phoenix thing? His whole "I'm-retiring-from-acting-to-become-a-rap-star-and-Casey-Affleck-is-going-to-film-it" shtick has Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/style/opening-valentines-day-weekend-camp-crystal-lake-lovers-plus-clive-owen-fights-bank Get Ready to Rock With Sonic Youth Happy Thursday! Pitchfork has breaking details about Sonic Youth's highly anticipated 16th studio album and followup to 2006's Rather Ripped: June 9 release date; title is The Eternal (as in, Sonic Youth has been around for an eternity and they are eternally cool!).

The Eternal will be the first album by the band, Read More

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