Friday, February 17, 2006
Conventional Wisdom
Posted by Bruce Barry on Fri, Feb 17, 2006 at 11:02 AM
A lot will be said and written about convention centers in coming weeks following the release today of the report proposing a big shiny new $455 millilon one for Nashville. In his piece in the Scene on the subject this week, John Spragens mentions a "devastating" Brookings Institution study last year on the convention center business nationwide. For those looking to understand the economics of convention centers, the Brookings study (executive summary here; full report in pdf format here) is an excellent starting point.
Although the Tennessean's package of stories paints a mixed picture of other cities' experiences with the arms race of convention center expansion, the Brookings analysis reaches a more pessimistic conclusion:
The Tennessean holds up Indianapolis as an example where convention center expansion worked, describing it in a sidebar piece today has having "carved out a thriving convention industry out of essentially nothing in about six years." But see page 13 of the Brookings report for a different view: convention and tradeshow business in Indianapolis plummeted by 33% from 1999 to 2003.
My point is not to reject the convention center proposal out of hand with a few dueling statistics. Maybe this thing would be good for Nashville's tourism-driven economy. But let's make sure we're looking at this with a critical, detached eye, and let's keep in mind that many who will publicly push this won't be.
Although the Tennessean's package of stories paints a mixed picture of other cities' experiences with the arms race of convention center expansion, the Brookings analysis reaches a more pessimistic conclusion:
Even those cities that have invested in major center expansions have seen flat business, despite earlier market and feasibility studies that predicted more space would bring substantial increases in events and attendance.
The Tennessean holds up Indianapolis as an example where convention center expansion worked, describing it in a sidebar piece today has having "carved out a thriving convention industry out of essentially nothing in about six years." But see page 13 of the Brookings report for a different view: convention and tradeshow business in Indianapolis plummeted by 33% from 1999 to 2003.
My point is not to reject the convention center proposal out of hand with a few dueling statistics. Maybe this thing would be good for Nashville's tourism-driven economy. But let's make sure we're looking at this with a critical, detached eye, and let's keep in mind that many who will publicly push this won't be.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
City Paper Editor Resigns
Posted by Liz Garrigan on Wed, Feb 15, 2006 at 3:25 PM
This just in:
From: Catherine Mayhew [mailto: catherinemayhew @comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 10:52 AM
Subject: On to the next chapter
Sorry for an e-mail rather than a phone call but sometimes it's the most
efficient way to communicate.
I have resigned my position at The City Paper. The Board of Directors
chose a different direction for the newspaper and I felt I was not the
person who should lead this new initiative. I wish the paper nothing but
the best as it continues forward.
So I am now going to take a little time off to stop and smell the roses,
but I will be interested in pursuing the next chapter in my professional
life. One of the most invigorating aspects of being the editor at The
City Paper was the civic-minded, public-spirited aspect of the
newspaper. I was able to, I hope, help move the debate forward over many
public policy issues and I enjoyed that immensely. My desire is that my
next move will involve something along those lines, perhaps outside of
daily journalism.
So keep your ears open for me and I'll keep in touch.
Catherine
Finland Finland Finland
Posted by Claire Suddath on Wed, Feb 15, 2006 at 1:31 PM
In case you didn't know, Conan O'Brien endorsed Finnish President Tarja Halonen during her recent reelection campaign (which she won) simply because she looked like him. He created mock campaign ads and showed them frequently on his show.
Well, yesterday, it finally happened. O'Brien and Halonen met for the first time.
And, as far as we know, neither of them were shot in the face.
Well, yesterday, it finally happened. O'Brien and Halonen met for the first time.
And, as far as we know, neither of them were shot in the face.
password: swordfish
Posted by Jim Ridley on Wed, Feb 15, 2006 at 12:54 PM
What were you doing Sunday night? Composing a Valentine poem or baking heart-shaped cookies? Trimming your toenails? Or writing a prismatic deconstruction of Michael Haneke's 2000 film Code Unknown for Monday's synchronized Blog-A-Thon?
I confess I was probably checking out the late-night Andy Sidaris features on Spike. But the Blog-A-Thon is the kind of grass-roots effort that gives me hope for movies and the culture that surrounds them. At a time when buzz is used to set the agenda for film coverage all across the media—buzz usually meaning "advertising buys"—what are the implications when the switchboard lights up across the country for a five-year-old French-German-Romanian art film shot in seven different languages?
The funniest and most original post I've run across is Eric Henderson's, which is hilarious if you've seen the movie and utterly incomprehensible if you haven't. And if you look at it and scratch your head, even that somewhat suits the movie. As some idiot wrote about it four years ago:
"Haneke follows each participant and the people whose lives they touch—but he presents the scenes as incomplete fragments that end jarringly, with a sharp cut to black. Often, they stop dead in mid-sentence or after an unanswered question, leaving us to wonder at their ultimate meaning. The technique sounds irritating; instead, it's stimulating and suspenseful. Patterns emerge in the fragments, among them the search for patterns. The title refers to the PIN number that unlocks an apartment door, but the characters, separated by ethnicities and languages, seek some unknown something—the right thing to do or say—that would permit them to live amongst each other in some kind of order."
Find more about Monday's Haneke-palooza on GreenCine (of course). And speaking of the power of a cross-country online network, remember: it's only 217 days until Talk Like a Pirate Day.
I confess I was probably checking out the late-night Andy Sidaris features on Spike. But the Blog-A-Thon is the kind of grass-roots effort that gives me hope for movies and the culture that surrounds them. At a time when buzz is used to set the agenda for film coverage all across the media—buzz usually meaning "advertising buys"—what are the implications when the switchboard lights up across the country for a five-year-old French-German-Romanian art film shot in seven different languages?
The funniest and most original post I've run across is Eric Henderson's, which is hilarious if you've seen the movie and utterly incomprehensible if you haven't. And if you look at it and scratch your head, even that somewhat suits the movie. As some idiot wrote about it four years ago:
"Haneke follows each participant and the people whose lives they touch—but he presents the scenes as incomplete fragments that end jarringly, with a sharp cut to black. Often, they stop dead in mid-sentence or after an unanswered question, leaving us to wonder at their ultimate meaning. The technique sounds irritating; instead, it's stimulating and suspenseful. Patterns emerge in the fragments, among them the search for patterns. The title refers to the PIN number that unlocks an apartment door, but the characters, separated by ethnicities and languages, seek some unknown something—the right thing to do or say—that would permit them to live amongst each other in some kind of order."
Find more about Monday's Haneke-palooza on GreenCine (of course). And speaking of the power of a cross-country online network, remember: it's only 217 days until Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Are you a pampered Southern Belle? -- $20,000
Posted by John Spragens on Wed, Feb 15, 2006 at 11:44 AM
Lest there be any confusion about how "real" reality shows like ABC's "Wife Swap" are, check out this stereotype-seeking ad on craigslist.
UPDATE (3:29 p.m.): Now I know why no one commented on my incredibly insightful post. I misspelled "there." (That's why journalists are such crappy bloggers -- we need editors.) Consider it fixed.
UPDATE (3:29 p.m.): Now I know why no one commented on my incredibly insightful post. I misspelled "there." (That's why journalists are such crappy bloggers -- we need editors.) Consider it fixed.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Good Bill, Bad Bill
Posted by Mark Mays on Tue, Feb 14, 2006 at 6:06 PM
What do Representative Rob Briley (D) TN-52 and Senator John McCain (R) AZ have in common? No, Briley's never faced down VC soldiers. No, wait, never mind. What they have in common is they're both involved in some legislation that could affect our beloved entertainment industry.
I love you as much as this pre-printed greeting card message indicates
Posted by Claire Suddath on Tue, Feb 14, 2006 at 4:35 PM
Today is the day when you feel loved, unloved, adequately loved, surprised by a stalker, or disappointed that your stalkee found your voodoo doll made out of human hair a little creepy. In honor of Saint Valentine's Day, let's take a look at some of the best love stories of all time.
Metro Council member Tommy Bradley to Step Down
Posted by Liz Garrigan on Tue, Feb 14, 2006 at 1:10 PM
The number of good guys in the Metro Council is about to shrink...again. Not too many months after Chris Whitson stepped down for professional reasons, Metro Council member Tommy Bradley is leaving too, in his case to take the No. 2 position at Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk David Torrence's office following the death of a beloved staffer there. Vice Mayor Howard Gentry is expected to ask at-large member David Briley to look after Bradley's district until an election to fill that other vacancies can be held this summer.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Shhh! A birthday surprise for Bill Frist from wife Karyn
Posted by John Spragens on Mon, Feb 13, 2006 at 7:21 PM
what's up? docs
Posted by Jim Ridley on Mon, Feb 13, 2006 at 3:55 PM
One more reason to investigate the dish over cable: The Documentary Channel (or as it's informally known, DOC) is now up and running at Ch. 197 on EchoStar's Dish Network satellite TV service. That makes the Nashville-based unit, founded by Oscar-nominated local filmmaker Tom Neff, the first and only channel to show nothing but independent nonfiction programming 24 hours a day without commercial interruption.
Recent offerings included the controversial Waco: The Rules of Engagement, a career overview of director Sam Peckinpah, and profiles of Ray Davies, glam band T. Rex and techno pioneer Bruce Haack, which gives some indication of the channel's breadth. The schedule posted at the site is still sketchy, but in an interview last fall staffers said that the channel had 250 hours of content available, from archival classics to recent docs scarcely seen by the public.
Why is this a big deal? A major hub for documentary cinema is now headquartered in Nashville—a place where local filmmakers can submit their work, while it brings national attention to the city. Dish has a subscriber base of 12 million viewers: if even a fraction of those tune into the new channel, it'll give a major boost to documentary filmmakers, who aren't exactly making movies to get rich. Considering that recent documentaries have all but surpassed fiction features in dramatic interest, there should be numerous reasons to tune in.
Recent offerings included the controversial Waco: The Rules of Engagement, a career overview of director Sam Peckinpah, and profiles of Ray Davies, glam band T. Rex and techno pioneer Bruce Haack, which gives some indication of the channel's breadth. The schedule posted at the site is still sketchy, but in an interview last fall staffers said that the channel had 250 hours of content available, from archival classics to recent docs scarcely seen by the public.
Why is this a big deal? A major hub for documentary cinema is now headquartered in Nashville—a place where local filmmakers can submit their work, while it brings national attention to the city. Dish has a subscriber base of 12 million viewers: if even a fraction of those tune into the new channel, it'll give a major boost to documentary filmmakers, who aren't exactly making movies to get rich. Considering that recent documentaries have all but surpassed fiction features in dramatic interest, there should be numerous reasons to tune in.
