AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Macklemore Says Nine Arenas Rejected Palestine Benefit Shows
Good Morning,
Macklemore says nine U.S. arenas, including Madison Square Garden, offered dates and then withdrew them once they learned his shows would benefit Palestinian relief (The Wrap). MSG Entertainment says he is “not an arena level act.” The other eight didn’t respond.
Seven legal-pad pages of Martin Luther King’s handwritten draft for the March on Washington turned up in a desk drawer of his aide Edward Clayton, and Christie’s expects more than $10 million at a January 22 sale (The New York Times). The words “I have a dream” aren’t in it; he added them from the podium.
The Times ended its contract with romance columnist Olivia Waite after she reposted a critique of its coverage of rape allegations against Trump. She says the Book Review’s editor cited her Bluesky posts, which she says it admitted monitoring (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books).
Hollywood is having a strong box-office year, yet the share of film budgets spent in the U.S. has fallen from 74% to 42% since 1999, while Disney and Netflix cut staff (El País).
Canada’s budget proposes a tax credit on up to $45,000 of artists’ income, but never defines who counts as an artist; that waits for a 2027 update (CBC).
All of our stories below.
- Google, Meta And TikTok Sue To Block California Law Aimed Against Platform Addiction
The law prohibits social media platforms from offering children things like personalized feeds and autoplay for videos. It also requires the deletion of children’s accounts with those features. – KQED
- Many Of DC’s Memorials Are In Darkness As Park Service Maintenance Lapses
The lapse in upkeep and repairs at some of the most prominent memorials in Washington and at the more than 400 national park properties across the country comes as the Trump administration has reduced the agency’s staff by roughly 25 percent and withheld millions of dollars in funding. – Washington Post
- When AI Transfers Into The Physical World
“With a world model, you give it a visual state of the world, an image, and it will then predict the next visual state of the world.” These 3D generations can be used as digital training grounds. “They’re simulations, but they look and feel real.” – Wired
- Restoration Of London’s Parliament Buildings Could Take 61 Years And Cost £40B
The Commons public accounts committee this week warned it was “crunch time” for the ailing building’s restoration, which could cost up to £40bn and take 61 years. – BBC
ISSUES
- Many Of DC’s Memorials Are In Darkness As Park Service Maintenance Lapses
The lapse in upkeep and repairs at some of the most prominent memorials in Washington and at the more than 400 national park properties across the country comes as the Trump administration has reduced the agency’s staff by roughly 25 percent and withheld millions of dollars in funding. – Washington Post
- Restoration Of London’s Parliament Buildings Could Take 61 Years And Cost £40B
The Commons public accounts committee this week warned it was “crunch time” for the ailing building’s restoration, which could cost up to £40bn and take 61 years. – BBC
- Wait, Why Is A 77-Year-Old Judge In Virginia In Charge Of The Titanic?
Maritime law means Judge Smith oversees “the remains of a ship that was built in Belfast, sailed from England, was heading to New York City and sank off the coast of Canada in international waters more than 1,000 miles from Norfolk.” – The New York Times
- Who Betrayed The Photographer Who Secretly Captured Nazi-Occupied Paris?
“It is a story of betrayal, set against the turmoil of wartime France under German occupation. At the center of the suspicion is a couple.” – Le Monde English
- The Artist Taking Broken Things And Making Them Beautiful
“Toporkoff has found that she prefers working with mouth-blown glass because of its depth of color and texture and natural imperfections like bubbles and ripples. She sources the glass from Saint-Just Glassworks in the Loire region of France.” – The New York Times
MEDIA
- Are U.S. Arenas Refusing To Let Macklemore Play?
The rap artist wrote that after Ed Sheeran removed him from the Sheeran tour, his team reached out to arenas with available dates. “But once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine, … those dates were suddenly off the table.” – The New York Times
- The ‘Blue Wave’ On Tuesday Swept A Fair Number Of Artists To Power
“Next year’s massive reconfiguration of power … brings with it a number of elected officials with creative backgrounds, some of whom even incorporated music, dance and art into their campaigns and promises to constituents.” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Now That Russell Brand Has (Finally) Been Convicted Of Rape And Assault, Some Publishers Are Pulling His Books
However: “Tony Lyons, the publisher at Skyhorse, which published Brand’s How to Become a Christian in 7 Days under its new Tucker Carlson Books imprint this year, said in an email that the company ‘had no plans to withdraw Russell Brand’s books.’” – The New York Times
- Why Are Parts Of The Christian Internet So Fussed Over Gerwig’s New Narnia Movie?
Sexism, basically. Yet: “Critics of Gerwig’s casting of Streep forget that many of us heard tales of Narnia first in our mother’s voice. … This powerful, unknowable god first spoke to us in a loving voice which guided and comforted us, even when we might be afraid.” – Reactor
- Art Is Good For Your Health? Can’t We Do Better?
In other words, the key sell for engaging with art in this case is that there is science – a real expertise! – backing it up, to reassure those on the fence that it’s not all a clanging, nebulous waste of time. – The Guardian
MUSIC
- Can Authors Ever Use Enough Tools To ‘Prove’ They Didn’t Use AI?
Especially since a lot of LLMs are trained on those authors’ words already? Well, that’s the hope – that’s there’s a way to prove a negative. – Wired
- What’s Up With Your Ethics, New York Times?
In short: “The New York Times has terminated their contract with author Olivia Waite, their romance columnist, after she reposted Mark Jacob’s repost of Marisa Kabas’ criticism of the Times’ coverage of new rape allegations about Trump.” – Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
- A Ransomware Attack Takes Down The Queens Public Library
“Unfortunately, it’s part of the world that we live in right now. So the Queens Public Library is a victim of the type of world that we’re living in, where people are launching cyber attacks against various types of entities, large corporations, and now Queens Public Library.” – LitHub
- Do Booker-Nominated Authors Know How To Write A Booker-Nominated Novel?
The Guardian asks them, with some decent results. “Iris Murdoch once said, ‘One should sit quietly and let the thing invent itself,’ and I took that as a mantra, letting the book emerge. It turns out that can be quite messy.” – The Guardian (UK)
- The Romantasy Diaper Controversy
You know what often comes after years of (hot) sex, at least for some couples? That’s right: Babies. But do they, and their needs, belong in the hottest book series on the market? – Slate
PEOPLE
- Macklemore Says Nine Arenas Rejected Palestine Benefit Shows
Good Morning,
Macklemore says nine U.S. arenas, including Madison Square Garden, offered dates and then withdrew them once they learned his shows would benefit Palestinian relief (The Wrap). MSG Entertainment says he is “not an arena level act.” The other eight didn’t respond.
Seven legal-pad pages of Martin Luther King’s handwritten draft for the March on Washington turned up in a desk drawer of his aide Edward Clayton, and Christie’s expects more than $10 million at a January 22 sale (The New York Times). The words “I have a dream” aren’t in it; he added them from the podium.
The Times ended its contract with romance columnist Olivia Waite after she reposted a critique of its coverage of rape allegations against Trump. She says the Book Review’s editor cited her Bluesky posts, which she says it admitted monitoring (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books).
Hollywood is having a strong box-office year, yet the share of film budgets spent in the U.S. has fallen from 74% to 42% since 1999, while Disney and Netflix cut staff (El País).
Canada’s budget proposes a tax credit on up to $45,000 of artists’ income, but never defines who counts as an artist; that waits for a 2027 update (CBC).
All of our stories below.
- Google, Meta And TikTok Sue To Block California Law Aimed Against Platform Addiction
The law prohibits social media platforms from offering children things like personalized feeds and autoplay for videos. It also requires the deletion of children’s accounts with those features. – KQED
- Many Of DC’s Memorials Are In Darkness As Park Service Maintenance Lapses
The lapse in upkeep and repairs at some of the most prominent memorials in Washington and at the more than 400 national park properties across the country comes as the Trump administration has reduced the agency’s staff by roughly 25 percent and withheld millions of dollars in funding. – Washington Post
- When AI Transfers Into The Physical World
“With a world model, you give it a visual state of the world, an image, and it will then predict the next visual state of the world.” These 3D generations can be used as digital training grounds. “They’re simulations, but they look and feel real.” – Wired
- Restoration Of London’s Parliament Buildings Could Take 61 Years And Cost £40B
The Commons public accounts committee this week warned it was “crunch time” for the ailing building’s restoration, which could cost up to £40bn and take 61 years. – BBC
PEOPLE
- Macklemore Says Nine Arenas Rejected Palestine Benefit Shows
Good Morning,
Macklemore says nine U.S. arenas, including Madison Square Garden, offered dates and then withdrew them once they learned his shows would benefit Palestinian relief (The Wrap). MSG Entertainment says he is “not an arena level act.” The other eight didn’t respond.
Seven legal-pad pages of Martin Luther King’s handwritten draft for the March on Washington turned up in a desk drawer of his aide Edward Clayton, and Christie’s expects more than $10 million at a January 22 sale (The New York Times). The words “I have a dream” aren’t in it; he added them from the podium.
The Times ended its contract with romance columnist Olivia Waite after she reposted a critique of its coverage of rape allegations against Trump. She says the Book Review’s editor cited her Bluesky posts, which she says it admitted monitoring (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books).
Hollywood is having a strong box-office year, yet the share of film budgets spent in the U.S. has fallen from 74% to 42% since 1999, while Disney and Netflix cut staff (El País).
Canada’s budget proposes a tax credit on up to $45,000 of artists’ income, but never defines who counts as an artist; that waits for a 2027 update (CBC).
All of our stories below.
- Google, Meta And TikTok Sue To Block California Law Aimed Against Platform Addiction
The law prohibits social media platforms from offering children things like personalized feeds and autoplay for videos. It also requires the deletion of children’s accounts with those features. – KQED
- Many Of DC’s Memorials Are In Darkness As Park Service Maintenance Lapses
The lapse in upkeep and repairs at some of the most prominent memorials in Washington and at the more than 400 national park properties across the country comes as the Trump administration has reduced the agency’s staff by roughly 25 percent and withheld millions of dollars in funding. – Washington Post
- When AI Transfers Into The Physical World
“With a world model, you give it a visual state of the world, an image, and it will then predict the next visual state of the world.” These 3D generations can be used as digital training grounds. “They’re simulations, but they look and feel real.” – Wired
- Restoration Of London’s Parliament Buildings Could Take 61 Years And Cost £40B
The Commons public accounts committee this week warned it was “crunch time” for the ailing building’s restoration, which could cost up to £40bn and take 61 years. – BBC
THEATRE
VISUAL
- When AI Transfers Into The Physical World
“With a world model, you give it a visual state of the world, an image, and it will then predict the next visual state of the world.” These 3D generations can be used as digital training grounds. “They’re simulations, but they look and feel real.” – Wired
- When Writers Lose Confidence In Free Speech
If democracy is the political system that allows the fullest human flourishing, the novel is the literary form that most fully cultivates our understanding of human possibility and tragedy and endurance. – The Atlantic
- A Long-Lost, Supposed Destroyed, Handwritten Draft Of MLK’s ‘I Have A Dream’ Speech Has Emerged
“Like the typed version, it does not include the words ‘I have a dream,’ part of the ringing second half of the speech that King famously improvised.” – The New York Times
- Canada Has New Tax Relief For The Arts And Artists
It’s not 100 percent clear who, exactly, will benefit. “There’s little to no way to know whether, for example, a violin teacher or a filmmaker is more likely to be approved.” – CBC
- True Crime Podcasts Are Known For Exploiting Victims. Can A Famous Survivor Host Make A Difference?
Elizabeth Smart: “I want this to be an empowering experience for them. I want them to feel pride in sharing their story.” – Slate