The teens know it. Still, “‘sometimes it’s nice to vent or blow off steam to something that’s kind of human-like,’ agreed Hawk, a 17-year-old Character.AI user from Idaho. 'But not actually a person, if that makes sense.’" - The Verge

“If you want to see the original Star Wars trilogy — as they were shown in theaters, a bit softer and grainier (and with Han Solo definitely shooting the bounty hunter Greedo first, not in self-defense, as he now does) — you’ll have to rely on some rebel fans." - The New York Times

It just takes some thought, and some very good design. “'We are social animals, and play fosters social relationships,’ says landscape architect Meghan Talarowski, executive director of Studio Ludo, who is also a certified playground safety inspector.” - Bloomberg

The challenge universities are confronting is not just the law but also their own rhetoric. Many universities at the center of the ongoing police crackdowns have long sought to portray themselves as bastions of activism and free thought. - The Atlantic

Even if we are fated to anxiety by our very nature, we needn’t be anxious about being anxious. Contra those who would abolish every form of friction or frustration, he insists that anxiety is a way of honoring who and what we are. - Washington Post

For years, we have heard a litany of reasons why our capacity to pay attention is disturbingly on the wane. Technology hounds us. Modern life, forever quicker and more scattered, drives concentration away. For just as long, concerns of this variety could be put aside. - The New Yorker

"Since Mr Modi first came to power in 2014, the Hindi film industry has produced several films referencing government policies. But in the past four years, experts say a lot them have begun to explicitly steer towards propaganda." - BBC

The chaos is "just a symptom of wider uncertainty and a quiet but growing panic in the feature-length documentary world." - CBC

"There’s less support for training, and government-funded apprenticeships are very hard to access in the UK. They’re not set up for our sector – which is ironic, as apprenticeships were developed by craft guilds in medieval times.” - The Observer (UK)

It’s all too “easy to imagine the potential carnage: scammers targeting parents by using their children’s voice to ask for money, a nefarious October surprise from a dirty political trickster.”  - The Atlantic (MSN)

"For decades, beginning with the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, the Olympics included competitions in painting, sculpture, architecture, music and literature — a 'pentathlon of the Muses,' as Pierre de Coubertin, the founder and leader of the modern Olympics, called them." - The New York Times

"Don’t worry, this sudden cardiac arrest is not in vein. The Giant Heart will reopen in November as the centerpiece of a new, permanent exhibit about the human body, … one of six (such) exhibits that are planned to replace 12 existing ones." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

For instance, “construction staff at the venue warned others back in February that works were as much as 35 weeks behind schedule.” Thirty-five. Weeks. - BBC

His Persian style lives “on account of something internal to his virtuosity: a sublime rubato that penetrates beneath the level of surface and releases melodies that cultivate and nourish the soul." - Van Magazine

That answer is something a little different whether you’re talking what you’re listening to - or music copyright law. - The New York Times

"Widely interpreted as Beethoven’s plea for a global ‘brotherhood,' the fourth movement has been incorporated into ceremonial events sponsored by international organizations such as UNESCO, the Olympics, the Council of Europe and the European Union … has also been appropriated for propaganda by supporters of Nazism." - The Conversation

"I had reached a point where I didn't have the physical time to digest everything that was going on in my professional and personal life. I wasn't happy, and I think that was the main reason I made the decision I did." - Le Monde (in English)

Max Brod, the friend who disregarded Kafka's dying request to burn all of his writings, heavily bowdlerized the author's personal journals before he published them. A new, complete edition "reveals Kafka warts and all – as a sexual, troubled, sometimes self-loathing, literary experimenter and a man knowingly compromised." - The Guardian

“'We are undefinable in so many ways, and it makes people think, ‘It’s just entertainment,’’ says Meow Wolf curator Han Santana-Sayles, 31, sitting in her newly rented Pasadena home. 'But I truly believe we are a wild art experiment.’” - Los Angeles Times

"During the Whitney’s 'Free Friday Night' event, which offers pay-what you-wish admission between 7pm and 10pm, around 100 activists distributed custom-printed imitation brochures using the museum’s stylized branding to draw attention to its funders and sponsors and their ties to 'genocide and dispossession.'” - Hyperallergic

“What makes such debates unusually exciting in the case of Poussin is not only the Frenchman’s unrivaled reputation for philosophical richness but also … that the leading Poussin authority in the 20th century was (a) in charge of Queen Elizabeth II’s art collection and (b) a Soviet spy." - Washington Post

That’s right, it’s 200 years old - and its director welcomes the opportunity to reconsider how to present art to a public that, occasionally, greets that art with hammers or paint. - The Art Newspaper

Perhaps unsurprisingly, “the design and necessity of the new stadium have faced objections from the community. It has an estimated to cost over $4.2 billion, with … approximately $1.5 billion, be drawn from state taxpayers." - Dezeen

“'This is a day for Asante. A day for the Black African continent. The spirit we share is back,’ said Asante King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.” Of course, Britain has only “loaned back” the looted items for three years. - BBC

In the spirit of the Joanna Coles profile in New York Magazine, some ideas:“• 7,000 typos that somehow made it into the finished copy of your book • 31 most unlikeable female memoirists.” - LitHub

The collective putting it on could use an equivalent funder, but they don’t trust the Smithsonian after last year’s sudden, unexplained cancellation weeks before the kick-off. - Washington Post (MSN)

This episode of the podcast There's More to That tells the whole story, from how these papyruses buried by the Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE were discovered were rediscovered in the 1700s to how a trio of scientists solved the problem and won a $700,000 prize. (audio plus transcript) - Smithsonian Magazine

A book’s demand, condition, publishing history, whether it is signed or inscribed, and even the timing of when a book enters the market are all factors that affect its value. - The Atlantic

"Since 2022, more than 170 books valued at more than $2.6 million ... have vanished from (national and university libraries across Europe). The books are worth tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars each. In most cases, the originals were replaced with high-quality copies that mimicked even their foxing." - The New York Times

"According to the report (commissioned by HarperCollins), 74% of YA readers were adults, and 28% were over the age of 28. The research suggests this is due to behavioural changes described as 'emerging adulthood': young people growing up more slowly and delaying 'adult' life." - The Guardian

How else could the union hold the producers to account? The streamers, but … er … “The Nielsen deal suggests that the union wants to be sure there is another party involved for ‘forecasting and enforcement.’” - The Hollywood Reporter

Schoenbrun, who directed I Saw the TV Glow, says, "I worked really hard to make this film weird, like a provocation. … I’m structuring my life in a way where I can keep my values and my gaze outside of a system.” - Variety

The thing is, "Since reports surfaced in January that Ellison’s Skydance was exploring an all-cash deal to acquire National Amusements Inc. — the company that holds 77% of Paramount Global’s voting stock — things have gotten messy." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Syrian director Soudade Kaadan: "I wanted to show a film where you can see our tragedy with dignity, when you can sympathise with us and not see us only as victims. I opted for dark humour because I believe we laugh with people who we feel equal with.” - The Guardian (UK)

“Our editorial model is to publish not nearly as many stories as many of our peers but to every now and then, as best as we can, publish stories that lots and lots of people talk about." - Press-Gazette

Last year WNYC cancelled the popular podcast and laid off its staff, which actually planned out a sort of funeral. But Slate picked up Death, Sex & Money and relaunched it last month. In a Q&A, host Anna Sale talks about the move and what she's been learning from it. - Columbia Journalism Review

Choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa: “He seemed caged because of the fame he encountered at a very young age. … I decided to make a mosaic portrait of his persona, music, inspirations, beliefs and struggles. Ultimately, fame alienated him from reality and destroyed him.” - Bay City News

There aren't many open calls anymore; the first audition today is usually a self-shot video. Otherwise? "Please, God, I need this job" is as true-to-life as it was 50 years ago. The difference nowadays, says one former dancer, is that "we’re trying to make the industry a better place." - The Guardian

"Reasons for the closure (of the Cowles Center) … include the lingering financial effects of the pandemic shutdown, lower ticket sales since 2020, and changes­ in funding priorities from both individual philanthropy and the education world. But the biggest factor? The owner of the building." - Dance Magazine

The technique uses a wave-like visualization of model dancers, enabling learners to anticipate and execute dance moves without prior rehearsal. - Neuroscience News

"That commingling has Atlanta’s stalwart skaters concerned about keeping their distinctly energetic and percussive style alive. They say Atlanta’s newer skaters, who have wide access to regional variants, increasingly practice a hybridized type of skating that’s not rooted in any one tradition." - The New York Times

"Briony’s idea of being able to rewrite someone’s life for the better is, for any sensible brain, a ridiculous notion. Yet there's scientific evidence that we feel our experiences differently according to the stories we tell about them. … Whether we change the truth through stories we tell is a very relevant topic." -...

Welcome to the theatre awards for things like “The I’ve Seen Fire and I’ve Seen Rain.” - Vulture

Snehal Desai: "It’s not that CTG doesn’t have folks coming; we have tens of thousands of folks, it’s just that we’re not necessarily getting folks to move within our venues.” - American Theatre

Redmayne, just nominated for a Tony, explains, “We’ve had sort of moments where the audience interaction can get a bit too vocal ... and we’ll have to sort of clamber through and improvise around the situation but that, again, keeps us on our toes.” - The Hollywood Reporter

"The hope must be that the more traditional audiences will move with the times, and come around to new visions. You can’t please all of the people all of the time — but you can do your best to take them with you." - The New York Times

Playwright Eleanor Burgess's "Galilee, 34" at SoCal's South Coast Rep depicts Jesus's family and followers months after the Crucifixion as they try to figure out — sometimes arguing and frequently cussing — what to do next and whether to continue the preaching that got Jesus executed. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)

Throughout his time in Seattle, John Langs has become known as a champion of new work, an advocate for local artists, and a director who values long, collaborative working relationships.  - Seattle Times

"Budding filmmakers like Charles Burnett, Julie Dash and Haile Gerima eschewed polished scripts and linear narratives in search of an authentic Black cinematic language. They relied on actors like Mrs. Jones, drawn from far outside the mainstream, to bring their work to life." - The New York Times

"Bethesda Fountain was one of the first major commissioned works by a female artist . And it was built to commemorate fresh water that was brought into the city for the first time. It always takes my breath away." - The New York Times

"He died just days before the May 1 streaming debut of the series Shardlake, on Disney+, an adaptation of his novels starring Arthur Hughes in the title role and Sean Bean as Cromwell.” - The New York Times

"Stella was a dominant figure in postwar American art, a restless, relentless innovator whose explorations of color and form made him an outsize presence, endlessly discussed and constantly on exhibit." - The New York Times

"What I didn’t do was lose consciousness. People who were there have said that I was ... screaming with pain. Inside my head, I was not aware of the pain, ... so there was a strange disconnect between my inside feeling and my outside behaviour." - The New Statesman (UK)

“I arrived in New York at a time when the most beautiful paintings being shown in the city were on wheels,” Haring wrote. This was 1978. His infatuation with the graffiti enveloping the city’s trains and buildings was hardly anomalous. - BookForum