Netflix drops out of the competition to buy Warner, saying Paramount’s offer was too rich (NYT). Hard to be happy for either of these bidders as the sale will further concentrate ownership of the media landscape.
BBC Radio 3 has dropped Norman Lebrecht after pianist Yuja Wang made public a message from him she described as misogynistic bullying (The Guardian). Lebrecht — widely read and perpetually controversial — has hosted interview programs on the network for years. The Guardian has the note — you be the judge.
In Los Angeles, allegations have surfaced that muralist Judy Baca personally profited from a $5 million Mellon Foundation grant intended to expand “The Great Wall,” blurring the line between her nonprofit and for-profit endeavors (Los Angeles Times).
Nova Scotia announced what the arts sector there is calling unprecedented budget cuts — closing nearly half of all provincial museum sites and eliminating funding that put artists in schools (Halifax Examiner).
Ann Godoff, who founded Penguin Press and built one of the most formidable author lists in publishing, has died at 76. When she was fired from Random House in a corporate restructuring, more than two dozen writers followed her out the door eight days later (The New York Times). And a Dutch woman who finally got around to opening a family safe during COVID lockdowns found 35 authenticated Rembrandt etchings inside (ARTnews). Lockdown productivity we can all admire.
All of our stories below.
