| Posters all over Manhattan gave Ira Glass an ambivalent rush. (Photo: This American Life.) |  |
Thirty thousand turn out for This American Life in theaters
This American Life and its network, PRI, say they’re pleased with the audience of about 30,000 fans for the program’s May 1 live, high-def video broadcast to the National CineMedia satellite network of 330 movie theaters around the country, says program spokesman Seth Lind.
That’s about 90 per theater. While some big theaters sold out, others had a handful of ticket-buyers. Though only six showed up at one Texas theater, the fans reportedly clapped and hooted the whole time, Lind said.
The show was a variation on the road show led on four past tours by host/producer Ira Glass, but with excerpts from the TV version that began its second season on the Showtime cable net May 4, plus one produced TV story by Jonathan Goldstein that didn’t fit in the season, and appearances by regular contributor David Rakoff and a crane-mounted HD camera.
Seventy pubradio stations helped promote the show and received free tickets, said PRI’s Mike Arnold, who pulled together the project.
Before the broadcast, when Faith Salie interviewed Glass on Fair Game, he admitted to mixed feelings about seeing his face on posters all over Manhattan, including the subways.
"Sometimes I am actually on the subway platform .... where there is like eight of the poster of me. I simultaneously want to turn invisible, and also to hand out ... cigars and dollar bills and like, "Hello, America, look at me! I'm on the poster!"
Would 3D broadcasts be next, with glasses on all the fans?
Salie observed: "They would love to have 3D glasses that look just like yours!"
"I actually lke the idea of a barrier between me and the world," Glass replied.
Salie: "Do you know how much you could sell them for on eBay!?"
Expanded from article in print edition.
Web page posted June 3, 2008
Copyright 2008 by Current LLC
