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Study Says Economic Impact of Arts on North Texas Exceeded $1 Billion in 2009

With a tightening economy and a city hall threatening to drastically slash spending on arts – as well as virtually every city service, the Business Council for the Arts has good news for those looking to jusitify increased funding of local arts organizations. This morning, the non-profit organization of arts-supporting businesses and the accounting firm Deloitte released their 2010 Economic Impact Study of Arts and Cultural Organizations in North Texas, which estimated a total economic impact of over $1 billion in 2009, the first time the impact has reached the billion dollar mark since the survey began in 1990. The survey gathers financial and attendance data from arts and cultural organizations throughout the North Texas region in order to determine the dollar impact of direct and indirect spending on cultural activities. This is achieved by looking at both audience spending as well as estimating the impact of money spent on staff and related activities, such as food and parking, breaking the results into three main spending components: audience, operating, and construction. One caveat, however, is while the study did show positive growth in 2009, the increase is entirely related to the construction of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Both audience and operating impact in 2009 trailed the two previous years, reflecting the impact of the nationwide economic slowdown.
By Peter Simek
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Dinner For Schmucks Is Funny For All the Wrong Reasons

The film on which Jay Roach’s Dinner for Schmucks is based, The Dinner Game, ends on a much harsher note than the remake, partly because it’s French, and partly because it manages to make its central idiot, played by Jacques Villeret, a real person. In the American version we get comic superstar du jour Steve Carell. Although Steve Carell is hilarious in this film and occasionally endearing, the role seems like an amalgamation of his previous roles. He’s not unique. He’s almost a robot.
By Will Arbery
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