For those who believe that Ikea’s planned redesign of its beloved BILLY shelves to hold things other than books signals the final wheezing gasps of print, here’s some news that could really put the nail in the coffin: The Wall Street Journalsays that Amazon is planning to launch a service that would offer customers access to a select library of content (primarily older works) for a monthly subscription fee. While that seems to be about all anyone knows about the rumored project at the moment, certain publishers are reportedly unhappy with the general idea — which could ultimately roadblock the entire scheme (see: the Kindle lending program). We’re curious: What do you think of the concept? [via Mashable]
1. The Smoking Gun has unearthed Katy Perry’s 45-page concert rider, which in general is kind of boring (hates carnations, likes egg chairs), but also includes this misspelled gem for any of her drivers: “DO NOT STAIR AT THE BACKSEAT THRU THE REARVIEUW MIRROW.”
2. In case you missed last night’s Colbert Report, watch John Lithgow gives a dramatic reading of a ridiculous press release from the Newt Gingrich campaign here.
3. Amid all of his current personal drama, Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that he’s putting his acting career on hold, which means we’re all going to have to wait that much longer to see Cry Macho. [via ArtsBeat]
4. Google has decided to ditch a project to scan newspapers for publication online because it would have been too expensive, and will instead focus on Google One Pass, “a platform that enables publishers to sell content and subscriptions directly from their own sites.” [via CNET]
5. Amazon is now selling more Kindle books than physical books, at a ratio of about 105 to 100. Says Jeff Bezos: “We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly. We’ve been selling print books for 15 years and Kindle books for less than four years.” [via TDW Geeks]
1. Did The Situation go around his Jersey Shore castmates and strike a secret season three salary deal with MTV last night? Yes, he did. [via TMZ]
2. The xx and Dizzee Rascal are among the 12 acts shortlisted for this year’s Mercury Prize. [via Spinner]
3. The American Customer Satisfaction Index has found that users rank Facebook right alongside the IRS tax e-filing system, airlines, and cable companies. [via WSJ]
4. Thanks to a drastic price cut for the Kindle, Amazon says it’s selling 80% more downloaded books than hardcovers. [via LAT]
5. So, thanks to a new heart pump, Dick Cheney is kind of a vampire. [via NYT]
Now that we’ve left the hall of mirrors that was the Apple-tablet rumor mill, we can finally take a deep breath and ask: What’s up with the iPad? (Seriously, we’re really all gonna call it that?) Seeing as we’re avid readers, let’s shake our magic eight ball and ask what it might mean for e-books. Our take after the jump.
An iPhone on steroids may be a dream come true or your worst nightmare. Either way, the highly anticipated Apple Tablet (which, if rumors hold true, will resemble an 11-inch iPhone) will probably be making its debut at an exclusive Apple event in San Francisco next week. A cryptic Evite was sent out to members of the media with nothing more than “come see our latest creation” memo to get the fire started.
1. Moby, Animal Collective, and The Roots have all scored films premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. [via TwentyFourBit]
2. Wowza: After only three months The Jay Leno Show has had enough product mentions to top Nielsen’s list for “product placement activity” in 2009. [via Vulture]
3. In related news, Fox says Glenn Beck is not a “paid spokesman” for gold-coin seller Goldline International. They just advertise on his programs. If you have no idea what we’re talking about, watch this Daily Show clip. [via The Daily Beast]
4. Here are the promo photos for the final season of Lost. [via Pop Candy]
5. Attention holiday shoppers: The reviews for the Nook, Barnes and Noble’s Kindle killer, have been rather mixed. [via eWeek]
1. The same Japanese company that turned Twilight into a graphic novel is giving Gossip Girl the comic book treatment. [via MTV]
2. The Flaming Lips are selling a Christmas ornament. The Silver Trembling Fetus “is rumored to give off vibrations that help all humans progress toward an intelligence explosion.” [via Pitchfork]
3. Garey Busey is going to be a dad again at 66. [via People]
4. A real Kindle killer?: Several large publishers are drastically delaying the release of e-book versions of new works in order to protect hardcover sales. [NYT]
5. Following in the footsteps of Broadway darlings Kristin Chenoweth and Jonathan Groff, Tony winner Idina Menzel is in talks to join the cast of Glee; she’d play the choir director for New Directions’ rivals, Vocal Adrenaline. [via Ausiello Files]
1. Tom Cruise’s Cocktail is being adapted as a Broadway musical by legendary producer Marty Richards — and could feature Katie Holmes. [via NYP]
2. Morrissey will resume his tour in London after an onstage collapse/overnight hospital stay. [via NME]
3. 61-year-old composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but expects to be back at work by the year’s end. [via THR]
4. After announcing that Amazon is releasing a Kindle reader for Windows, the company has said that they’re also working on an app for Macs. [via Fast Company]
5. Andy Warhol’s Michael Jackson portrait will go up for auction at Christie’s on November 10th. [via USA Today]
1. Don’t believe the trending Twitter topic: Kanye West is not dead. [via NME]
2. Yesterday Barnes & Noble launched an unfortunately-named but rather cool e-reader set to rival the Kindle: the Nook. [via LAT]
3. Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig, Jude Law, and James Gandolfini are largely responsible for one of the strongest fall seasons for Broadway ticket sales in recent years. [via NYT]
4. Tom Cruise’s publicist has responded to Cousin Balki’s accusations of the star’s homophobia on the set of Risky Business. [via TV Guide]
5. A bathroom run disqualified Dave Chappelle from topping Dane Cook’s record for longest set at the Laugh Factory — seven hours, 34 minutes remains the number to beat. [via AP]
Nicholson Baker’s tenth novel, The Anthologist, finds the acclaimed experimental novelist offering a pared-down love letter to poetry itself.
Never one for straightforward narrative, Baker revels in his protagonist’s meandering alienation following the loss of his girlfriend. As the poet struggles to write the introduction to an anthology, the story touches on themes of literary craft and compulsion, as well as offering an overview of poetry heavyweights — but skirts insidery navel-gazing by anchoring itself in the narrator’s own battle with banality. Read More »
