AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Paramount-Warner Merger Puts Skydance Swimming in Debt
This Week’s Highlights:
Skydance closed its Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger owing nearly $80 billion; Fitch puts its debt at 7.8 times earnings, against the 2 to 3 usual for media companies (TheWrap). Disney is preparing layoffs of thousands more, with some managers asked for annual savings of up to 20 percent (Deadline).
The New York Times is negotiating to buy Letterboxd, the film-lovers’ social network, for $330 million, over 20 times its projected earnings (IndieWire).
A federal judge froze construction of Trump’s 250-foot arch for 14 days, less than two hours after a planning commission approved it 8–4 (NPR). In Bogotá, a judge gave the government 48 hours to restore 63 objects it had pulled from the Museo Nacional for “political indoctrination,” and the ministry complied (The Art Newspaper).
The Phoenix Symphony laid off all 66 musicians two weeks ago; now musicians, board and staff say playing could resume this month, though a $6.5 million donation is on hold (KJZZ). The Boston Symphony premiered a score by Tod Machover, the MIT Media Lab composer, in which an AI, run by an operator embedded in the orchestra, answers the players (Los Angeles Times).
All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.
- Michael Mittelstaedt shares a groundbreaking documentary on regenerative farming
Michael Mittelstaedt, Division Director of Film and New Media at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, shares their groundbreaking documentary about regenerative farming.
- Judge Halts Trump’s 250-Foot Arch Hours After Approval
Good Morning,
A federal judge barred construction of the 250-foot arch President Trump wants at Memorial Circle, by Arlington National Cemetery, less than two hours after a planning commission approved it 8–4 (NPR). Work is on hold for 14 days; the government had planned to start digging at once.
The New York Times is negotiating to buy Letterboxd, the film-lovers’ social network, for $330 million, more than 20 times its projected earnings (IndieWire). Its owner bought a majority stake in 2023 at a $50 million valuation.
Philippe Jaenada won France’s Prix Goncourt on Tuesday and told radio he used ChatGPT three times in the novel, including one sentence he revealed only to the jurors (The Guardian). In September the prize dropped another author’s debut over suspected AI use.
The Boston Symphony premiered “already and not yet,” a score by Tod Machover, the MIT Media Lab composer, in which AI answers the players (Los Angeles Times). Critic Mark Swed says it works because it treats the AI as stupid and the musicians as creative.
A Georgia O’Keeffe painting known only from a 1931 photograph turned up behind fur coats in a late aunt’s closet (Artnet). Bought for $3,800 in 1963, it is estimated at $3 million at Christie’s on November 17.
All of our stories below.
- How Did Bob Newhart Go From Failed Chicago Accountant To One Of America’s Best-Loved Comedians?
In the days when most leading comics were firing off one-liners like Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield, Newhart was one of the first solo performers to do anecdotes and sketches of people’s interactions. And he got plenty of material from his days as an accountant and at the Illinois State Compensation Board. – WBEZ (Chicago)
- AI May Be Changing The Ways People Think
Some psychiatrists and philosophers interested in AI-human relationships suspect that AI psychosis may just be the most visible example of a much broader phenomenon: the subtle reshaping of ordinary human belief by conversational AI. – Big Think
ISSUES
- National Capital Planning Commission Approves Construction Of Trump Arch
The motion to approve the project passed by an 8-4 vote after listening to over 100 public remarks largely against the project after a nearly 9-hour meeting. – The Hill
- Livestream Of Trump Arch Public Testimony Meeting Crashed
The livestream went down during public testimony largely against the project and after a tense exchange with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). NCPC tech experts were looking into the issue, Reuters reported. – The Hill
- Federal Judge Blocks Construction Of Trump Arch In Late Night Ruling
Just before midnight Friday, District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order — finalized and made public minutes later – barring the government from any construction work for 14 days, granting a request filed days earlier by the governments of D.C. and Virginia. – NPR
- Long-Unseen Georgia O’Keeffe Painting Turns Up Behind Fur Coats In Someone’s Aunt’s Closet
“(The painting) Near Abiquiu was previously only known from a 1931 photograph. It laid hidden under a row of fur coats for nearly 40 years, until a woman known only by her middle name, Betsy, was helping her now-deceased aunt, an accomplished former Foreign Service worker, prepare for hospice.” – Artnet
- Stolen Picasso Found Under Pile Of Clothes And Toolboxes
“Six Picasso prints stolen from a restaurant near Cannes have been recovered after a month-long police investigation. The works were stolen from L’Amandier in Mougins in the early hours of 1 October, when two masked men allegedly broke in through a French door.” – Riviera Radio
MEDIA
- 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
- Other U.S. Cities Are Boosting Arts Funding, But Chicago’s Will Remain Flat
“The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is set to receive about $62.5 million next year in the proposed budget. That’s up less than 1% from the arts budget that passed City Council last year.” – WBEZ (Chicago)
- Arts Education Incubator “The Crucible” Shuts Down In Oakland
The layoffs deepen the uncertainty surrounding the 27-year-old nonprofit, which closed its 56,000-square-foot West Oakland facility Oct. 25 and canceled classes and events. The board has said it cannot yet say when, or whether, the organization will reopen. – San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
- How Canada Is Benefitting From Trump’s American Brain Drain
For Canada, Trump’s war on facts presents a window of opportunity. “As other countries constrain academic freedoms and undermine cutting-edge research, Canada is investing in—and doubling down on—science,” Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said when announcing the initiative in December 2025. – The Walrus
- New NEA Data On Americans’ Arts Participation
The dataset now spans 2003–2025 and includes newly added data from 2024 and 2025. It is available through the NADAC website for free download and online analysis. – NEA
MUSIC
- Strand Bookstore To Repay $1.5M COVID Relief Funds
The century-old Strand Bookstore has agreed to pay the federal government nearly $1.5 million to resolve a claim that it was not eligible for a pandemic-relief loan it obtained because the store’s owner is married to a member of Congress. – The New York Times
- Library Use Going Up As Economy Stresses
It is something of a truism in the library world that, when economic conditions worsen, people use libraries more. Patrons and librarians across the U.S. tell NPR they’re seeing that pan out now. – NPR
- A Contender For The Prix Goncourt Was Disqualified For Using AI. Now The Winner Says He Used It, Too.
“Philippe Jaenada, who won the Prix Goncourt on Tuesday for L’Inconnue du quai de Javel (The Unknown Woman of the Quai de Javel), told France Inter radio on Wednesday that he had turned to AI ‘three times’ while writing it.” – The Guardian
- Baillie Gifford Prize For Nonfiction Goes To Edmund Richardson’s “Alexander: God, King, Man”
The “immersive” biography of Alexander the Great, which includes Richardson’s translations of source material from 12 different languages, is the first work about ancient history to win the £50,000 ($67,000) award. – AP
- China Miéville’s “The Rouse” Wins UK’s Goldsmiths Prize For Innovative Fiction
The win of the £10,000 award makes The Rouse the longest novel to take the prize since it was launched in 2013 for fiction that “breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form.” – The Guardian
PEOPLE
- Paramount-Warner Merger Puts Skydance Swimming in Debt
This Week’s Highlights:
Skydance closed its Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger owing nearly $80 billion; Fitch puts its debt at 7.8 times earnings, against the 2 to 3 usual for media companies (TheWrap). Disney is preparing layoffs of thousands more, with some managers asked for annual savings of up to 20 percent (Deadline).
The New York Times is negotiating to buy Letterboxd, the film-lovers’ social network, for $330 million, over 20 times its projected earnings (IndieWire).
A federal judge froze construction of Trump’s 250-foot arch for 14 days, less than two hours after a planning commission approved it 8–4 (NPR). In Bogotá, a judge gave the government 48 hours to restore 63 objects it had pulled from the Museo Nacional for “political indoctrination,” and the ministry complied (The Art Newspaper).
The Phoenix Symphony laid off all 66 musicians two weeks ago; now musicians, board and staff say playing could resume this month, though a $6.5 million donation is on hold (KJZZ). The Boston Symphony premiered a score by Tod Machover, the MIT Media Lab composer, in which an AI, run by an operator embedded in the orchestra, answers the players (Los Angeles Times).
All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.
- Michael Mittelstaedt shares a groundbreaking documentary on regenerative farming
Michael Mittelstaedt, Division Director of Film and New Media at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, shares their groundbreaking documentary about regenerative farming.
- Judge Halts Trump’s 250-Foot Arch Hours After Approval
Good Morning,
A federal judge barred construction of the 250-foot arch President Trump wants at Memorial Circle, by Arlington National Cemetery, less than two hours after a planning commission approved it 8–4 (NPR). Work is on hold for 14 days; the government had planned to start digging at once.
The New York Times is negotiating to buy Letterboxd, the film-lovers’ social network, for $330 million, more than 20 times its projected earnings (IndieWire). Its owner bought a majority stake in 2023 at a $50 million valuation.
Philippe Jaenada won France’s Prix Goncourt on Tuesday and told radio he used ChatGPT three times in the novel, including one sentence he revealed only to the jurors (The Guardian). In September the prize dropped another author’s debut over suspected AI use.
The Boston Symphony premiered “already and not yet,” a score by Tod Machover, the MIT Media Lab composer, in which AI answers the players (Los Angeles Times). Critic Mark Swed says it works because it treats the AI as stupid and the musicians as creative.
A Georgia O’Keeffe painting known only from a 1931 photograph turned up behind fur coats in a late aunt’s closet (Artnet). Bought for $3,800 in 1963, it is estimated at $3 million at Christie’s on November 17.
All of our stories below.
- How Did Bob Newhart Go From Failed Chicago Accountant To One Of America’s Best-Loved Comedians?
In the days when most leading comics were firing off one-liners like Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield, Newhart was one of the first solo performers to do anecdotes and sketches of people’s interactions. And he got plenty of material from his days as an accountant and at the Illinois State Compensation Board. – WBEZ (Chicago)
- AI May Be Changing The Ways People Think
Some psychiatrists and philosophers interested in AI-human relationships suspect that AI psychosis may just be the most visible example of a much broader phenomenon: the subtle reshaping of ordinary human belief by conversational AI. – Big Think
PEOPLE
- Paramount-Warner Merger Puts Skydance Swimming in Debt
This Week’s Highlights:
Skydance closed its Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger owing nearly $80 billion; Fitch puts its debt at 7.8 times earnings, against the 2 to 3 usual for media companies (TheWrap). Disney is preparing layoffs of thousands more, with some managers asked for annual savings of up to 20 percent (Deadline).
The New York Times is negotiating to buy Letterboxd, the film-lovers’ social network, for $330 million, over 20 times its projected earnings (IndieWire).
A federal judge froze construction of Trump’s 250-foot arch for 14 days, less than two hours after a planning commission approved it 8–4 (NPR). In Bogotá, a judge gave the government 48 hours to restore 63 objects it had pulled from the Museo Nacional for “political indoctrination,” and the ministry complied (The Art Newspaper).
The Phoenix Symphony laid off all 66 musicians two weeks ago; now musicians, board and staff say playing could resume this month, though a $6.5 million donation is on hold (KJZZ). The Boston Symphony premiered a score by Tod Machover, the MIT Media Lab composer, in which an AI, run by an operator embedded in the orchestra, answers the players (Los Angeles Times).
All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.
- Michael Mittelstaedt shares a groundbreaking documentary on regenerative farming
Michael Mittelstaedt, Division Director of Film and New Media at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, shares their groundbreaking documentary about regenerative farming.
- Judge Halts Trump’s 250-Foot Arch Hours After Approval
Good Morning,
A federal judge barred construction of the 250-foot arch President Trump wants at Memorial Circle, by Arlington National Cemetery, less than two hours after a planning commission approved it 8–4 (NPR). Work is on hold for 14 days; the government had planned to start digging at once.
The New York Times is negotiating to buy Letterboxd, the film-lovers’ social network, for $330 million, more than 20 times its projected earnings (IndieWire). Its owner bought a majority stake in 2023 at a $50 million valuation.
Philippe Jaenada won France’s Prix Goncourt on Tuesday and told radio he used ChatGPT three times in the novel, including one sentence he revealed only to the jurors (The Guardian). In September the prize dropped another author’s debut over suspected AI use.
The Boston Symphony premiered “already and not yet,” a score by Tod Machover, the MIT Media Lab composer, in which AI answers the players (Los Angeles Times). Critic Mark Swed says it works because it treats the AI as stupid and the musicians as creative.
A Georgia O’Keeffe painting known only from a 1931 photograph turned up behind fur coats in a late aunt’s closet (Artnet). Bought for $3,800 in 1963, it is estimated at $3 million at Christie’s on November 17.
All of our stories below.
- How Did Bob Newhart Go From Failed Chicago Accountant To One Of America’s Best-Loved Comedians?
In the days when most leading comics were firing off one-liners like Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield, Newhart was one of the first solo performers to do anecdotes and sketches of people’s interactions. And he got plenty of material from his days as an accountant and at the Illinois State Compensation Board. – WBEZ (Chicago)
- AI May Be Changing The Ways People Think
Some psychiatrists and philosophers interested in AI-human relationships suspect that AI psychosis may just be the most visible example of a much broader phenomenon: the subtle reshaping of ordinary human belief by conversational AI. – Big Think
THEATRE
VISUAL
- AI May Be Changing The Ways People Think
Some psychiatrists and philosophers interested in AI-human relationships suspect that AI psychosis may just be the most visible example of a much broader phenomenon: the subtle reshaping of ordinary human belief by conversational AI. – Big Think
- Our Primal Need To Be Needed
We have a real need to be needed. And yet many forces—thinking machines, aging, economic and social dislocation—appear to be making us feel redundant. Are we building a world in which no one is particularly necessary? Do we already live in such a world? – The New Yorker
- Defining The Artificial State
We have not a single piece of meaningful legislation in the United States Congress about artificial intelligence. We have essentially nothing about social media. This is something that we’re now battling out in the courts. – The Walrus
- The Telephone’s Role In Changing Intimacy
This may strike you as a little paranoid. The rise of the telephone, in the past century and a half—from the rotary diallers at home and the boxes in the street to the smartphones in every pocket—is associated with a change that, broadly speaking, we consider positive. – The New Yorker
- Physical Witness Becomes More Important In The Age Of AI
For a time, the photograph or moving image acquired its own evidential authority: seeing something recorded was, with reasonable caveats, grounds for accepting that an event had occurred. – The Conversation