AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Disney Prepares Another Round Of Thousands Of Layoffs
Good Morning,
Disney is preparing layoffs that will reach thousands of employees across its TV networks and film studio; some managers have been told to find 20% in annual savings (Deadline). They follow 1,000 cuts in April and several hundred in July. So what’s ailing the Mouse?
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to raise California’s film and TV tax credit from $750 million to at least $1 billion a year, with new credits for actors’ pay that Georgia and New York already offer (Los Angeles Times). Los Angeles shoot days still fell nearly 5% from July to September.
This fall’s biggest new musicals are opening Off-Broadway because Broadway costs too much. Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, a manga adaptation with the late Duncan Sheik’s last score, was capitalized at $5 million; its producer says the same show on 45th Street would need $18 to $22 million (NPR).
Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s last major independent newspaper, will close its office on Nov. 9 after authorities blocked its websites, seized its printing house and shut its reader-donation system (Euronews).
Art Basel Paris closed two days early on Oct. 23, citing possible demonstrations, and the galleries say nobody asked them. A group representing more than a quarter of the fair’s exhibitors is demanding compensation and accusing organizers of “disrespect, even contempt” (Hyperallergic).
All of our stories below.
- The Latest Social Media Dance Craze Is Doing Traditional Ethnic Dance To A Hip-Hop Hit
Videographer James Fenwick runs the Born from Culture series, posting videos focusing on the world’s folk-dance traditions. In June, he released a video of Georgian dancers with music from the other Georgia, the Atlanta trap number “Mask Off.” When that went viral, traditional dance groups all over the world started following suit. – Dazed
- We Need To Reconsider The Notion Of Self
The empty-self metaphor has inspired a large following. These followers embrace an optimistic view in which human foibles can be readily vanquished through systematic manipulation of social environment. However alluring it may be, we suggest it is time to replace this Panglossian view with one that acknowledges the importance of enduring psychological structures. – Psyche
- Austin May Be Able To Boost Arts Funding, Thanks To Its New “Airbnb Tax”
“With the Austin Convention Center closed for reconstruction until 2029, the city faces years of diminished convention business and the hotel tax revenue it generates, portions of which fund programs supporting the arts. … But a surge in hotel taxes collected from short-term rentals is providing a financial cushion.” – KUT (Austin)
- AI Translations Have Gotten Very Good. But…
While AI translations are very fluent, fluency doesn’t equal accuracy. Even proficient bilinguals can overlook errors hidden under the surface. – The Conversation
ISSUES
- French Galleries Accuse Art Basel Of Disrespect
In the letter addressed to the new director of Art Basel Paris, Karim Crippa, the association demanded “concrete proposals for compensating exhibitors,” stated that the galleries were never consulted about the event’s early closure, and accused organizers of “disrespect, even contempt,” according to Monopol. – Hyperallergic
- The Enduring Appeal Of Glass Art — New Again
The history, combined with the opportunity for hands-on experience, is fueling new exhibitions at museums across the United States that are exploring today’s complex scientific and social issues through the artistry’s lens. – The New York Times
- Can Australia’s Biggest, Most Expensive Cultural Project In Decades Live Up To Expectations (And Its Price Tag)?
Paramatta Powerhouse, a new art and science museum in Sydney’s booming western suburbs, has cost roughly AU$915 million (US$639 million) and has been touted as western Sydney’s equivalent of the Opera House. Is that too much to expect, especially after the bumpy road to the museum’s completion? – The Guardian
- US Embassy Warns Of Planned Terrorist Attack At Moscow Museum; Teenaged Suspect Arrested
On Saturday the US embassy in Moscow issued a security alert about a “credible threat of a mass casualty event” at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve, a popular palace and park complex. Russia’s FSB has arrested one suspect, a teenager who is a Russian citizen. – Al Jazeera
- Italian Police Locate $200M Of Stolen Art Using AI
The Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Italy’s art crime squad, has been using an AI algorithm to identify stolen artworks and artifacts since 2023. The platform they use is called SWOADS—or Stolen Works of Art Detection System—and was developed by Salvatore Rapicavoli, an IT engineer who joined the art crime team in 2023. – ARTnews
MEDIA
- Austin May Be Able To Boost Arts Funding, Thanks To Its New “Airbnb Tax”
“With the Austin Convention Center closed for reconstruction until 2029, the city faces years of diminished convention business and the hotel tax revenue it generates, portions of which fund programs supporting the arts. … But a surge in hotel taxes collected from short-term rentals is providing a financial cushion.” – KUT (Austin)
- Kennedy Center Leaders Threatened Payroll Over Trump Naming, Lawmaker Alleges
Kennedy Center leaders jeopardized the institution’s operations by tying millions of dollarsin funding to keeping President Donald Trump’s name on its building, a Democratic congresswoman who serves on its board alleges in a court brief filed Friday. – Washington Post
- Anti-Trans Political Rhetoric Is Harming Nonbinary And Trans Actors Too
Even actors like Elliot Page and Asia Kate Dillon have said it’s harder to find work in a world where roles for them are, according to them, vanishing. – CBC
- AI Isn’t Just Cooking Our Water Supply And Our Writing, But Also Our Food
“Most of those bowls and sandwiches available in the lunchtime hours are sold by fast-casual chains, the kind of establishments that give private equity investors wet dreams thanks to their sky-high margins, low labor costs, and simplistic, trend-driven menus.” – Ravenous
- Solidarity Mural In Iowa, Covered By Blue Tarp In Advance Of Trump Visit, Ordered By The City To Be Uncovered
A spokesperson from the building’s management company: “The goal of the White House in covering the mural was to provide exterior branding and put up a U.S. flag.” But the city had not authorized any exterior modifications. – Des Moines Register (MSN)
MUSIC
- AI Translations Have Gotten Very Good. But…
While AI translations are very fluent, fluency doesn’t equal accuracy. Even proficient bilinguals can overlook errors hidden under the surface. – The Conversation
- Russia’s Last Major Independent Newspaper Shuts Down
“’We have been killed,’ reads a statement from the editorial team behind the Russian independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta, as it announced on Friday that it would be ceasing operations. … ‘The newspaper no longer exists. The Russian authorities and the Russian security services have forced our editorial team to cease its operations.’” – Euronews
- UK’s Collins Dictionary Chooses “Mogging” As Word Of The Year (What’s Mogging?)
“The copywriter Rachel Quin said the term describes making someone or something look inferior in terms of appearance, confidence or status. Believed to originate as a shortening of ‘AMOG’ (alpha male of the group), the word had first appeared in bodybuilding culture around 2016 before spreading through online communities.” – The Guardian
- The Enduring Appeal Of Literary Locations
Hotels are particularly adaptable settings for fiction. They bring strangers together in temporary communities, creating opportunities for encounters, misunderstandings and suspicion. In detective fiction, they can also provide a ready-made sense of enclosure: a place where characters are brought together and escape becomes difficult. – The Conversation
- Oldest Recording Of Someone Speaking Creole Was Discovered
“The moment I heard these recordings, I knew that they would drastically change our understanding of this language,” Dr. Mayeux said. His research findings were published in the journal “Language Documentation and Description.” – The New York Times
PEOPLE
- Disney Prepares Another Round Of Thousands Of Layoffs
Good Morning,
Disney is preparing layoffs that will reach thousands of employees across its TV networks and film studio; some managers have been told to find 20% in annual savings (Deadline). They follow 1,000 cuts in April and several hundred in July. So what’s ailing the Mouse?
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to raise California’s film and TV tax credit from $750 million to at least $1 billion a year, with new credits for actors’ pay that Georgia and New York already offer (Los Angeles Times). Los Angeles shoot days still fell nearly 5% from July to September.
This fall’s biggest new musicals are opening Off-Broadway because Broadway costs too much. Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, a manga adaptation with the late Duncan Sheik’s last score, was capitalized at $5 million; its producer says the same show on 45th Street would need $18 to $22 million (NPR).
Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s last major independent newspaper, will close its office on Nov. 9 after authorities blocked its websites, seized its printing house and shut its reader-donation system (Euronews).
Art Basel Paris closed two days early on Oct. 23, citing possible demonstrations, and the galleries say nobody asked them. A group representing more than a quarter of the fair’s exhibitors is demanding compensation and accusing organizers of “disrespect, even contempt” (Hyperallergic).
All of our stories below.
- The Latest Social Media Dance Craze Is Doing Traditional Ethnic Dance To A Hip-Hop Hit
Videographer James Fenwick runs the Born from Culture series, posting videos focusing on the world’s folk-dance traditions. In June, he released a video of Georgian dancers with music from the other Georgia, the Atlanta trap number “Mask Off.” When that went viral, traditional dance groups all over the world started following suit. – Dazed
- We Need To Reconsider The Notion Of Self
The empty-self metaphor has inspired a large following. These followers embrace an optimistic view in which human foibles can be readily vanquished through systematic manipulation of social environment. However alluring it may be, we suggest it is time to replace this Panglossian view with one that acknowledges the importance of enduring psychological structures. – Psyche
- Austin May Be Able To Boost Arts Funding, Thanks To Its New “Airbnb Tax”
“With the Austin Convention Center closed for reconstruction until 2029, the city faces years of diminished convention business and the hotel tax revenue it generates, portions of which fund programs supporting the arts. … But a surge in hotel taxes collected from short-term rentals is providing a financial cushion.” – KUT (Austin)
- AI Translations Have Gotten Very Good. But…
While AI translations are very fluent, fluency doesn’t equal accuracy. Even proficient bilinguals can overlook errors hidden under the surface. – The Conversation
PEOPLE
- Disney Prepares Another Round Of Thousands Of Layoffs
Good Morning,
Disney is preparing layoffs that will reach thousands of employees across its TV networks and film studio; some managers have been told to find 20% in annual savings (Deadline). They follow 1,000 cuts in April and several hundred in July. So what’s ailing the Mouse?
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to raise California’s film and TV tax credit from $750 million to at least $1 billion a year, with new credits for actors’ pay that Georgia and New York already offer (Los Angeles Times). Los Angeles shoot days still fell nearly 5% from July to September.
This fall’s biggest new musicals are opening Off-Broadway because Broadway costs too much. Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, a manga adaptation with the late Duncan Sheik’s last score, was capitalized at $5 million; its producer says the same show on 45th Street would need $18 to $22 million (NPR).
Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s last major independent newspaper, will close its office on Nov. 9 after authorities blocked its websites, seized its printing house and shut its reader-donation system (Euronews).
Art Basel Paris closed two days early on Oct. 23, citing possible demonstrations, and the galleries say nobody asked them. A group representing more than a quarter of the fair’s exhibitors is demanding compensation and accusing organizers of “disrespect, even contempt” (Hyperallergic).
All of our stories below.
- The Latest Social Media Dance Craze Is Doing Traditional Ethnic Dance To A Hip-Hop Hit
Videographer James Fenwick runs the Born from Culture series, posting videos focusing on the world’s folk-dance traditions. In June, he released a video of Georgian dancers with music from the other Georgia, the Atlanta trap number “Mask Off.” When that went viral, traditional dance groups all over the world started following suit. – Dazed
- We Need To Reconsider The Notion Of Self
The empty-self metaphor has inspired a large following. These followers embrace an optimistic view in which human foibles can be readily vanquished through systematic manipulation of social environment. However alluring it may be, we suggest it is time to replace this Panglossian view with one that acknowledges the importance of enduring psychological structures. – Psyche
- Austin May Be Able To Boost Arts Funding, Thanks To Its New “Airbnb Tax”
“With the Austin Convention Center closed for reconstruction until 2029, the city faces years of diminished convention business and the hotel tax revenue it generates, portions of which fund programs supporting the arts. … But a surge in hotel taxes collected from short-term rentals is providing a financial cushion.” – KUT (Austin)
- AI Translations Have Gotten Very Good. But…
While AI translations are very fluent, fluency doesn’t equal accuracy. Even proficient bilinguals can overlook errors hidden under the surface. – The Conversation
THEATRE
VISUAL
- We Need To Reconsider The Notion Of Self
The empty-self metaphor has inspired a large following. These followers embrace an optimistic view in which human foibles can be readily vanquished through systematic manipulation of social environment. However alluring it may be, we suggest it is time to replace this Panglossian view with one that acknowledges the importance of enduring psychological structures. – Psyche
- Is It Time For A “Great Books” Revival?
What we are trying to do is not just help ground students—the large majority of them scientists and engineers in training—in a humanistic research program, but to identify irreplaceable ideas during a time of accelerated change. – The Atlantic
- Why Culture Seems So Generic Now
“What we see in front of us used to be culturally diverse. Now it is culturally generic. Most of what we see is the big chains we see everywhere,” she said. “It creates a sense of placelessness. We could be anywhere.” – The New York Times
- Is Curiosity A Good Idea?
Our curiosity may be or could be one of the best things about us (though when we describe someone as a curious person we can sometimes mean that they are a bit odd, as though we admire curiosity but it makes us uneasy). – London Review of Books
- Predictive Algorithms Are Flattening Culture Everywhere In The World
“At ‘temperature zero,’ the [large language] model always chooses the most likely next token and gives the same answer every time” – down to the music and menus in every restaurant or pub. – The New York Times