The Webby Awards were held online this time, a far cry from the lavish Academy Award-like parties they used to have during the dot-com boom. The best humor site: Get Your War On, the best comic strip you could ever make with office clipart. The best political site: MoveOn.org, proof that the Internet can be used as a powerful social movement tool, like the efforts of the IMC.
My friend Clara and I saw Sex After Death at Consolidated Works. All of the theatre patrons stepped inside what looked like a cross-section of a hotaired balloon — large vinyl panels from floor to ceiling that formed a circle around us — with pillows on the floor. The actors performed behind the panels in silhouette, in addition to puppets and transparencies with illustrations to tell a story about a wet nurse and a little girl who descend into Hell to find a little boy and a dog, and the beings they encounter along the way. While slow in stretches, it had some genuinely funny moments and the originality of the presentation made it worthwhile.
Dr Samuel Waskal, founder of ImClone, was sentenced to prison today. Martha Stewart pleaded not guilty. While several other companies and individuals have been brought up on charges, none have been sentenced. Waskal is the first person to go to prison based on the almost-two-year-old wave of accounting scandals.