“Auction houses are popular stops for aficionados, since they do all the quality control on their behalf – Christie’s averages two movie poster auctions a year in London. Its most recent was in March, where a poster for the 1954 Humphrey Bogart/Audrey Hepburn film Sabrina netted $15,480 (U.S.). Experts had expected it to go for between $4,000 and $7,000.” The Globe & Mail (Canada) 07/30/09

The Australian “government has refused to lock down a position on the contentious debate about lifting the ban on the importation of cheap overseas-produced books, but has said the priority is the viability of the Australian publishing industry.” The Australian 07/31/09

“Before Merce, American modern dance was dominated by the intense and inward creativity of Martha Graham. Her dances were morally serious and psychologically powerful; she was interested in narrative and mythology, and in unearthing the inner depths of human consciousness in movement. His dances were cerebral and abstract, rigorously formal designs with no story and no ‘meaning’ other than the dance itself. The movement was never confessional or impassioned but appeared instead organic and detached, an act of nature.” The New Republic 07/31/09

“Actors are now taking a more active role in bringing to life their characters in video game spin-offs. This growing trend is a sign that the world of video gaming is starting to enter the mainstream.” BBC 07/31/09

Every day young people from all over America stream into New York hoping to make it big. But “is New York still worth the trip? Recessions tend to be hard on youthful dreams, but this downturn has proved especially dispiriting.” And then there’s the internet, which gives access to the bigger world in ways New York always has… The New York Times 07/29/09