Increasingly, editing means going to lunch. It means editing with a credit card, not with a pencil. Robert Gottlieb More Quotes by Robert Gottlieb More Quotes From Robert Gottlieb Melissa Barak, an ex-City Ballet dancer and sometime choreographer, has put together an unspeakably dopey and incompetent mess called 'Call Me Ben,' combining ultra-generic dance, terrible dialogue and disastrous storytelling, about the founding of Las Vegas by the gangster Bugsy Siegel, who insists, violently, on being addressed as 'Ben.' Robert Gottlieb gangster me dance together Editing is simply the application of the common sense of any good reader. That's why, to be an editor, you have to be a reader. It's the number one qualification. Robert Gottlieb good you common-sense editing If Tom Clancy didn't write any Op-Centers, he would be $60 million less rich. Robert Gottlieb less write he rich Charles Dickens left us fifteen novels, and in an ideal world, everyone would read all of them. Robert Gottlieb us everyone left world At a certain point, you have to face the fact that you've turned into an old fart. Robert Gottlieb old face you fart I hated Matthew Bourne's 'Swan Lake' when it first turned up, and then when it was televised, and then when it returned. Robert Gottlieb swan lake first up 'Eclipse' is a concept piece, and its concept centers on 36 large light bulbs strung from above in a geometrical pattern and at different heights, some of them at times down below the dancers' chest level. Robert Gottlieb heights down different light As ye sow, so shall ye reap. When a ballet company spends a lot of money on gimmicky pieces, it's stuck with them for a while - they have to earn their keep. Robert Gottlieb earn reap company money There's no point pretending that all of Martha Graham's pieces are equally strong. Robert Gottlieb point pretending no-point strong Writing happened to me. I didn't decide to start writing or to be a writer. I never wanted to be a writer. Robert Gottlieb never start me writing I don't like writing - it's so difficult to say what you mean. It's much easier to edit other people's writing and help them say what they mean. Robert Gottlieb you difficult writing people In 1998, Vanity Fair asked me to write a big piece for them on the 50th anniversary of the New York City Ballet. My life, to a great extent, had been spent at and with the New York City Ballet, and I decided to try it. It was very scary, writing about something I loved so much and had such strong opinions about. Robert Gottlieb my-life me anniversary life Like all editors, I assume, I'm a reactor. Robert Gottlieb assume like editors Dance stories, unlike those in opera, are usually simple. Robert Gottlieb those opera dance simple Controversy sells books. Robert Gottlieb books controversy sells Remember: TV is a format, film is a format, and books are a format. Robert Gottlieb books tv film remember With literary fiction, generally a film maker falls in love with a book. In commercial fiction, it's a producer or studio falling in love with a book they can make into a movie with worldwide appeal. Robert Gottlieb falling falling-in-love love book
