Opera News Stops Met Opera Reviews, Then Recants – Opera News, the leading printed classical music magazine in the U.S., said earlier this week that it will stop reviewing any productions of the Metropolitan Opera, due to the dissatisfaction of the Met—especially of its General Manager Peter Gelb—over previous negative critiques. The scathing review of the Met’s new production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle let to a firestorm, as well as criticism of the Met’s general direction. The magazine is published by a Met fund-raising affiliate—the Metropolitan Opera Guild.
Then later the same day the Met put out a press release saying they had changed their decision due to a passionate response from fans. To quote: “it is abundantly clear that opera fans would miss reading reviews about the Met in Opera News…While the Met believed it did not make sense for a house organ published by the Guild and financed by the Met to continue to review Met productions, it has become clear that the reviews generate tremendous excitement and interest and will continue to have a place in Opera News.” (“People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise”…Somerset Maugham)
Inventor of TV Remote Control Dies at 96 – Eugene Polley passed away Sunday according to Zenith Electronics. His 1955 invention, which he called Flash-Matic, pointed a light beam at photo cells mounted on each corner of a TV, turning it off and on and changing channels. This was a luxury add-on in the early days of TV. Because it used light to operate the TV, other lights could interfere with its operation. It was followed by sonic-controlled remotes, then infrared, and now radio frequency models. In 1977 he received an Emmy for his work. (Speaking of inventors, May 23 would have been Robert Moog’s 78th birthday.)
TiVo Expands Their Set-Top Box – The leader in advanced TV services for consumers, including DVRs, TiVo Inc., has announced major enhancements to its whole-home video viewing solution. Its low-cost IP set-top box extends the TiVo experience to additional screens in the home, including tablets and smart phones. TiVo Stream, a transcoding accessory, enables operators to provide the streaming of linear content to such mobile devices. The IP set-top box works with TiVo Premiere Q, a home’s primary gateway device, giving consumers access to live and recorded TV, operator VOD, and broadband-delivered video content to every screen in the house. Both products will be available in the coming months thru retail and select cable operators.
Wayne Shorter – In Memoriam
Rememberance of the artist
