Good Morning,
Yo-Yo Ma is among the musicians turning the Los Angeles River — neglected, trashed, half-restored — into an impromptu concert stage (Los Angeles Times). And in Oakland, a nonreligious choir is packing a church with people who just want to sing together (San Francisco Chronicle).
The ownership end of culture had a busier day. Twelve states sued to block Paramount’s $111 billion purchase of Warner Bros. (The New York Times), while Netflix — struggling to keep viewers hooked — is in talks to buy Letterboxd, a community movie lovers built for themselves (The Guardian). Ask Goodreads how that goes.
And the recording industry proposed voluntary labels distinguishing “AI-generated” from “AI-assisted” tracks (Deadline). Attribution is the right instinct.
Sam Neill, who spent five decades making decency magnetic on screen, died at 78 (The New York Times).
All of our stories below.