Two stray items from this week's entertainment news:
1. Despite the sinking economy and pop culture's general blind-eye to all things theatrical, Broadway theaters sold $943 million worth of tickets this season, setting a new record. Granted, some of the rise in revenue is due to a rise in ticket prices—actual attendance this past season was roughly equal to the season before—but it's significant that people were willing to pony up the extra dough for shows like Billy Elliot, Rock Of Ages, and the revivals of Hair and West Side Story. Is the musical coming back into favor? (We'll test that theory on June 7th when we see how many people comment on our coverage of The Tonys.)
2. While those who cover TV were writing about So You Think You Can Dance and clucking their tongues over the return of Wipeout, both those shows were beaten in the ratings Wednesday night by one of the most-watched programs of the week: a two-hour George Strait concert special on CBS. No disrespect intended to the talented Mr. Strait, but how did people even know this was on? We weren't aware of its existence until we saw the overnights. (Not watching enough CBS, I guess.) After high-profile flops with music specials over the past couple of years, does the success of this George Strait show mean that the networks are about to get back in the music business? Or perhaps a George Strait variety show? (We'd totally watch a George Strait variety show.)