People

“Critics sometimes reproached Mr. Zeffirelli’s opera stagings for a flamboyant glamour more typical of Hollywood’s golden era, while Hollywood sometimes disparaged his films as too highbrow. But his success with audiences was undeniable.” – The New York Times

He’s known to the wider world primarily as the writer of the TV series Lonesome Dove and the films Raggedy Man and The Perfect Storm, and he was a book author and photographer himself, but in his home state he’s revered for the artistic ecosystem he made possible for writers, photographers, and filmmakers. – Austin American-Statesman

“Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas hasn’t visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, but he cited one of its exhibits last week to explain how Washington’s rumor mill works.” But, rather than explaining it, Thomas exemplified it. Peggy McGlone reports. – The Washington Post

“The National Sound Library of Mexico … [has] unearthed what they believe could be the first known voice recording of Kahlo, taken from a pilot episode of 1955 radio show El Bachiller, which aired after her death in 1954.” (includes audio) – The Guardian

“[She] earned two Academy Award nominations (for Midnight Cowboy and Farewell, My Lovely) and decades of glowing reviews for her acting before drawing equal attention for her midlife transition to constant partygoer and garishly flamboyant dresser.” – The New York Times

“This is an unusual boy, one who had, as he puts it, an ‘overwhelming sense of Truth and Beauty’ when at the age of ten he saw a periodic table in the Science Museum and became convinced that ‘these were indeed the elemental building blocks of the universe, that the whole universe was here, in microcosm, in South Kensington.’ … And it becomes increasingly clear that Sacks was that boy to the very end of his days.” – The New York Review of Books

“The death of [Mary] Max, 52, in the home she shared with Mr. Max, 81, comes in the midst of continued infighting in recent years regarding her husband’s legacy. In May, The New York Times wrote about how business associates and his son, Adam, had taken control of Mr. Max’s studio, with the intention of increasing production using assistant artists even though Mr. Max himself had not painted seriously in four years.” – The New York Times

Social media amplifies and speeds up interactions between audiences, media and stars, but YouTube and Twitter did not invent modern celebrity culture. That happened more than 150 years ago, thanks to the popular press, commercial photography, railways and steamships, and national postal systems. – Aeon

“Emotions are more complex and socially determined than the simple positive-negative, strong-weak arousal model suggests. Even distinguishing fear, anxiety and disgust on physiological grounds turns out to be extremely problematic.” – The Daily Beast

Heir to a tobacco fortune who made another fortune as an investment banker, Cullman gave away hundreds of millions to, among many other organizations, the New York Public Library, the Museum of Modern Art, public television station WNET, and the American Museum of Natural History. And he publicly encouraged his fellow moguls to give away as much as he did. The New York Times

“On College Bowl, two teams of four college students answered questions on science, history, philosophy, music, literature and other subjects. It combined elements of a team sport, high-speed oral examination and a football game. … Mr. Earle took over the show in 1962, when the original host, Allen Ludden, left to launch a new game show, Password, … and was the show’s host from 1962 until it left the air in 1970.” – The Washington Post

Re the return of Tales of the City for a Netflix generation, she says, “I hope that it does what the arts do, which is it makes you feel less alone.” And re the show Ozarks, which films in Georgia: “I don’t want to ever stop working in Georgia. But if this law goes forward … I think we’ll have to leave. Because if you don’t stand up for this, then what do you stand up for? What does it take?” – The New York Times

Phil Kennicott: “The best thing about Ron Howard’s polished new documentary, “Pavarotti,” is its compassion for the man, who emerges frail but not hollow, merely human and not the pathetic clown he so often seemed in his last decade.” – Washington Post

A self-taught cook who was discovered by Craig Claiborne when he ate at her husband’s Miami Beach restaurant in the 1970s, she wrote or co-wrote more than 20 cookbooks, the most recent of which was published in April, and won three James Beard Awards. – The Washington Post

“[Malcolm John] Rebennack, in his younger years, was gangsta to a degree that would likely shock Lil Wayne. But over the course of a remarkable life and career, he evolved. From addiction to three decades of sobriety. From sordid escapades as a dealer and pimp to Disney soundtracks and the model for sleepy-eyed, jive-talking Muppet musician Dr. Teeth. From hometown outcast to one of its most outspoken advocates and beloved characters.” – The New Orleans Advocate

In addition to a five-decade career an an actor, director, producer, and teacher (among her students at Circle in the Square were Kevin Bacon, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Lady Gaga), she created The Players’ Guide: A Pictorial Directory for the Legitimate Theater, the first-ever organized and bound listing for casting directors of Equity actors, complete with photos and résumés. – The New York Times

Contentious or not, Wilson’s books have mostly addressed one theme: that we must know natural history and evolutionary theory to fully understand humanity’s future on the planet. In his 1986 manifesto Biophilia, for example, he suggested that humans have an innate biological need to be in nature and to “affiliate with other forms of life.” – Wired

Forbes says the husband of singer Beyonce has succeeded because he built brands rather than just endorsed them. In its rankings, Forbes rejected claims that rapper and producer Dr Dre had reached billionaire status. – BBC

“Along with other postmodern architects of international repute, among them the late Philip Johnson and Michael Graves, Tigerman in the 1970s and 1980s broke the mold of modernist, steel-and-glass abstraction, enlivening architecture with whimsy, irony, symbolism and overt references to a building’s physical context or purpose.” – Chicago Tribune

“Paris prosecutors … said Tuesday that there was not evidence to back up the allegations made by a young actress who accused Depardieu of assaulting her last August.” – Variety

The 74-year-old conductor, who withdrew from one weekend of concerts last month due to illness, said in a statement, “‘On the advice of my doctors, I need to undergo this procedure at this time in continuation of treatment for a heart condition I have managed for many years.” – San Francisco Classical Voice

“Billops is best known for documentary works like Finding Christa (1991), a 55-minute film that recounts why she gave up her four-year-old daughter and how they reconnected more than two decades later.” – ARTnews

“Leathers is best known to the global jazz audience for his affiliations with pianist Aaron Diehl and singer Cécile McLorin Salvant. He won two Grammy awards backing Salvant, as a member of the Aaron Diehl Trio; the most recent was in 2017 for Dreams and Daggers.” – WBGO (Newark, NJ)

She’s in Booksmart as a mean but sexy love interest, and now she’s got top billing with Octavia Spencer in a new horror movie. That’s a lot in a short time for an actor who has had three movie roles – and she’s refreshingly excited that Taylor Swift told her fans to see Booksmart. “I can’t even. She means more to me than she will probably ever know. Taylor Swift has seen my face. Cool! Sick!” – The New York Times

DeLap, whose finely finished pieces sit at the intersection of sculpture and painting, minimalism and abstract expressionism, was the first art professor hired at UC Irvine and influenced many, many artists, including Bruce Nauman and James Turrell. (Then there was his obsession with magic and illusions, including in his artwork.) – Los Angeles Times

Chase wasn’t just a chef, thought “she would argue that there is no greater calling than feeding people. She spread her message through cookbooks, countless media interviews and television shows. Princess Tiana, the waitress who wanted to own a restaurant in the animated Disney feature The Princess and the Frog, was based on Mrs. Chase. [Tiana] was the first African-American princess in a Disney movie.” – The New York Times

Kaling was initially embarrassed about that when she was on The Office, but she’s over it. And now, as a 39-year-old movie writer, she says, “It does feel amazing to have done this, but I’ve worked so hard to get here, so it’s not a big surprise. A journalist asked me if I have impostor syndrome and I said: ‘I actually don’t, because I’ve really put in the time.’ And I could tell he thought I was kind of cocky.” – The Guardian (UK)

Zabriskie’s New York gallery started in 1954 and closed in 2010; her Paris gallery was so beloved that when she closed it after a 21-year run in 1998, the city awarded her a Medal of Honor. – The New York Times

No, a $44 million settlement is not going to satisfy everyone – or, more likely, anyone at all. “Attorneys for two of the alleged victims rejected the proposal outright; while another questioned whether this was an attempt to derail the deal and maximize their clients’ position and grab the lion’s share of compensation. Victims expressed disgust at the entire process; one called it ‘absolutely re-traumatizing.'” – Los Angeles Times