Antitrust hell or high water

See the article in its original context from January 31, 1999 Section Page Buy Reprints View on timesmachine TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. WHATEVER happened to Lizzie Borden? Claudia Weill? Joyce Chopra? Donna Deitch? Whatever happened to Julie Dash, Tamra Davis, Stacy Cochran, Leslie Harris, Kelly Reichardt? What all these women share is that each directed at least one -- and, in some cases, two or more -- provocative, critically acclaimed independent films, only to essentially disappear from the scene. With the exception of Ms. Davis, who went from the sexy neo-noir ''Guncrazy'' in 1992 to directing slobbering studio comedies like ''Billy Madison,'' most of these women have spent most of the last decade relegated to near obscurity, cable television or developmental limbo. Not one of these women has the sort of sustained filmmaking career enjoyed by their male counterparts, independent directors such as John … [Read more...] about FILM; Even in Independent Film, A Suit Is a Suit Is a Suit

San Francisco is the type of city that captures you. For many, it’s love at first sight. How could you not fall for the fog-draped skyline, the stately Victorians or the many parks scattered throughout the city? Others might not warm up until the second or third date, the deal sealed by a life-affirming burrito or yet another impossible Steph Curry 3-pointer. Or maybe you need to stumble upon a punk concert on a BART train to be convinced that the city still has a renegade streak underneath its techie exterior. Yet San Francisco is far from a perfect partner. Issues of inequality, gentrification and high costs are just a few of the reasons many have lost faith, exacerbated by a pandemic exodus that we’re still recovering from. Despite the many reasons to leave SF, there are so many things to love. To celebrate San Francisco, 20 members of SFGATE’s staff contributed reasons we’ve resisted the temptation to leave for less-foggy pastures. Here’s why we’re staying in our beautifully … [Read more...] about 40 reasons not to leave San Francisco

A bipartisan group of Senators pressed Ticketmaster about its issues selling Taylor Swift concert tickets and its alleged monopoly power. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Tuesday about competition and consumer protection in live entertainment. It came after Ticketmaster’s difficulties with selling Taylor Swift concert tickets and accusations of monopoly power. Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010 to form Live Nation Entertainment, which controls over 70% of the primary ticketing and live venues event market, according to Bloomberg . “This is all the definition of monopoly because LiveNation is so powerful that it doesn’t even need to exert pressure, it doesn’t need to threaten, because people just fall in line,” Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in her introductory remarks. “Restoring competition to our markets is about making sure that fans get fair prices and better service,” Klobuchar continued. She noted that fans of Taylor Swift, Bruce … [Read more...] about Senators Torch Ticketmaster For Taylor Swift Debacle

NEW THIS AM: GDP UP, BUT ECONOMY LIMPING… US GDP Ticks Up, But Recession Fears Remain The U.S. economy grew modestly in the fourth quarter of 2022, despite signs of weak domestic demand, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Thursday. In the fourth quarter, inflation-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) grew by roughly 2.9%, down slightly from 3.2% in the third quarter, the BEA reported. Recession concerns among economists linger, however, amid fears that the Federal Reserve’s campaign of interest rate hikes — intended to reduce economic demand to slow inflation — will lead to reduced spending and layoffs, The Wall Street Journal reported. “After a recession in the first half of the year, the modest GDP growth in the fourth quarter will do little to alleviate the growing recession fears among small businesses across America,” Alfredo Ortiz, president of the Job Creators Network, said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “President Biden will use … [Read more...] about Editor Daily Rundown: Americans Poorer … Real Disposable Income Fell Over $1 Trillion In 2022

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal lawsuit in Nevada is seeking class-action damages for countless hotel patrons who booked rooms in Las Vegas since 2019, alleging that most hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip have used a third-party vendor to illegally fix prices. The complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas alleges that casino giants MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, along with Treasure Island and Wynn Resorts, share information with a company that used pricing algorithms to “maximize market-wide prices.” It accuses the resorts and Rainmaker Group Unlimited, a revenue management company owned by Cendyn Group, of “algorithmic-driven price-fixing … at the expense of consumers and in violation of antitrust laws.” The Associated Press sent an email to Rainmaker seeking comment. Michael Bennett, a representative of Boca Raton, Florida-based Cendyn, declined to comment. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of plaintiffs Richard Gibson and Heriberto … [Read more...] about Lawsuit: Vegas Strip resorts used vendor to fix hotel rates

Earlier this month, the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston opened the year with its Winter Exhibition, highlighting three different artists, each offering a window into their personal worldviews. Two of the exhibits will be on view to the public from now until mid-March. One of them, "The Secrecy of Water" by Leslie Martinez , is a collection of abstract paintings highlighted by colorful ridges of texture. According to Martinez, the work is their attempt to capture the ecological makeup of the southern Texas border. Current-day social justice issues like climate change, extreme drought, and the ecological landscape of Martinez's hometown of McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley provide a peek into their past. "The crunchy fabric, the embeddedness is a lot of what you see coming out of the ground, sort of like clothing or rejected constructed materials or anything sort of submerged with dirt over it and dirts under it," Martinez says. "It's mysterious and strange. … [Read more...] about Ridges, ropes and robots ring in the new year at Houston’s Blaffer Museum