On Demand
The Next Big Thing
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Other Worldly
This week: Voices from other dimensions. We’ve got blood-curdling screams from the folks who brought us “The Toxic Avenger.” Digital voices gearing up to replace actors. The voice of a modern-day oracle, speaking by way of an electronic billboard on Flatbush Avenue in Brookyn. And the surprisingly passionate voices of men and women shouting on the floor of the Stock Exchange. Also this week, a new round of “What’s Your Word.”
When Worlds Collide
A romantic comedy about ex-lovers who haven’t seen each other for trillions of years. Written and performed by Mark O’Donnell with Mary Purdy. Produced by Curtis Fox.
Build an Oracle and They Will Come
Not too long ago, these words began scrolling across a big electronic billboard above Pintchik’s hardware store in Brooklyn: “PINTCHIK ORACLE… Come with questions… Leave with answers.” Then one afternoon, the Oracle began making prophesies for passersby on the bustling street – aided by Dean Olsher and Pintchik proprietor Matthew Pintchik. And boy, does that oracle have attitude. Produced by Julie Subrin.
The Pintchik Oracle will be back Friday, October 31, at 3 p.m. on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Bergen Street. Just look up. You can’t miss it.
What’s in a Voice
The summer before last an actor sold her voice to Rhetorical, a Scottish company that specializes in computer-generated synthetic speech. The Next Big Thing’s Curtis Fox puts that digitized voice to the test.
Open Outcry
Every business day, the men and women of the New York Mercantile Exchange stand around in huge circles, shouting at each other, setting the price of the world's commodities. Sound artist Ben Rubin created a layered soundscape of this unusual ritual, known as "open outcry" trading. This piece was part of a work commissioned by Creative Time, a public arts organization, to commemorate the reopening of the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center. “Open Outcry” received an honorable mention at last week’s Third Coast International Audio Festival in Chicago.
Heard in a Church
Young singers from the St. Bartholomew’s Boy and Girl Choristers, performing at St. Bartholomew’s in midtown Manhattan. Produced by Amanda Aronczyk.
What’s Your Word
Erin McKean, editor of the New Oxford American Dictionary and of Verbatim magazine, fields calls from ambitious listeners who want to get a new word into circulation. Produced by Jill Krauss.
Troma-tized
The people that brought you “The Toxic Avenger” are putting the finishing touches on their newest gross-out film, the politically-pointed (but also politically incorrect) “Tales from the Crapper.” The Next Big Thing’s Amanda Aronczyk goes behind the scenes with Troma Entertainment founder Lloyd Kaufman. Produced with Daniel McDermon.
“Frankenstein Monster Song”
A song by the group “One Ring Zero,” with lyrics by Margaret Atwood. It’s part of the band’s literary musical project, which involved collaboration with writers-made-lyricists Jonathan Lethem, Rick Moody, A.M. Homes and others. An album and book of the songs, titled “As Smart as We Are,” will be released next spring.
