Today’s AJ highlights: The Kennedy Center is dissected in a report calling its atmosphere under the new administration “emptier, showier, and way more political,” detailing an aesthetic and strategic “Trumpian revamp” (Washington Post (MSN)). The financial instability of public media is also in the spotlight, with major concern over the defunding threats facing PBS Kids as streaming “slop” fills the void (Boston Globe). And the high-stakes merger drama continues, with a commentator issuing a heartfelt plea to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos to “not screw up” the creative integrity of HBO and Warner Bros. (Los Angeles Times (MSN)).
La Scala’s grand opening featuring a Russian opera was met with a flash mob of Ukrainian flag-wavers protesting the staging of Russian culture amidst the ongoing conflict (Seattle Times (AP)).
We also pause to appreciate two giants who shaped their fields: the late architect Frank Gehry is celebrated for being the rare visionary whose designs profoundly changed the experience of music (Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)), and Guy Cogeval, the art historian and curator who turned the Musée d’Orsay into a global “Blockbuster Site,” has died at 70 (The New York Times).
Finally, distractions: science confirms that some holiday music—like Ariana Grande and Andy Williams—can tank your work productivity, but Brenda Lee is safe (Fast Company).
All of our stories below.
