Silicon Valley promised 2025 would be the age of tireless AI agents. Instead, they clicked slowly, got lost in drop‑down menus, hallucinated baseball maps, and reminded everyone that the “Year of the Agent” is really the “Decade of Maybe.” - The New Yorker

“People think of AI as something that speeds up tasks or improves efficiency, but our findings suggest something far more interesting. When people were shown AI-generated design suggestions, they spent more time on the task, produced better designs, and felt more involved. It was not just about efficiency. It was about creativity and collaboration.” - SciTech Daily

Experienced musicians tend to possess an advantage in short-term memory for musical patterns and a small advantage for visual information, according to a large-scale international study. - PsyPost

That’s because … drumroll, please, Animal … "Gonzo’s initial work on The Muppet Show was as a highly abstract performance artist who created acts the audience did not understand. Gonzo’s not really an actor in the traditional sense, unlike the rest of his friends.” - Reactor

Spoiler alert: “We are still calling it a love story – a great one! The greatest! It’s being released the day before Valentine’s Day! – when what actually happens is that Cathy rejects Heathcliff because she’s a snob, and he turns into a psychopath.” - The Guardian (UK)

“Something profound is lost when we reject the symbolic, that well-spring of human communication since an Australopithecus some three-million years ago found a pebble on the South African savannah and held onto it because the rock happened to look like a human face.” - LitHub

It is formally named the Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center, but absolutely everyone calls it The Egg. The Albany landmark will soon reopen following a $19.5 million renovation, and executive director Diane Eber wants to make it a forum for immersive works — as she puts it, an “art vortex.” - Gothamist

Extremist messaging is now woven into music and YouTube videos, with one expert saying: ‘You can be radicalised sitting on your couch.’ - The Guardian

"For many advocates, the right to repair is an environmental issue. People are less inclined to throw gear into landfills if they can fix it.” But throwing one thing away means buying a new one, so companies are resistant. - Wired

If you must blame anyone, blame the Boomers, and Gen-X. “One lesson of 2025 may be that only younger people – children in particular – can save cinemas from imminent annihilation.” - Irish Times

More than 150,000 were taken, and never returned, often turned into ammunition or taken to a Glockenfriedhof, or bell cemetery. The sliver of silver lining: “A postwar ‘bell quality race’ ... led to major advances in campanology.” - The New York Times

Under U.S. law, the copyright on thousands of creations from 1930 — including films, books, musical compositions and more — will expire at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2026, meaning they will be free to use, share and adapt after nearly a century. - NPR

Gen Z has decided CDs are cool again, sending sales wobbling upward before promptly wobbling back down. It’s mostly about vibes, nostalgia, and proving to millennials that nothing stays uncool forever. - LiveNow Fox

Esther Hwang alleges that she was assaulted by a senior orchestra member in 2017 — and that, after complaining to management, she was forced to sign an NDA and then edged out of the ensemble. VSO attorneys have threatened to sue her for violating that NDA. - Vancouver Sun

“Jazz supergroup The Cookers, scheduled to perform two concerts at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday as part of ‘A Jazz New Year’s Eve,’ have canceled both shows, the band announced on Monday.” - The Washington Post (MSN)

The limited expectations for 21st-century rock may just have turned out to be freeing. For songwriters, musicians and — with luck — enough fans to support them, rock is far from played out. - The New York Times

“The most remarkable records bear the hallmarks of the prison itself: a Bob Dylan album that was censored to remove the song ‘Desolation Row,’ and a Johnny Cash record that’s been defaced to read ‘I hate it here.’” - The New York Times (Seattle Times)

Benamor, by Pablo Luna, “featured cross-dressing characters and risqué humor that was largely tolerated during the Roaring Twenties in Madrid and premiered just months before a military coup that brought an end to the constitutional monarchy.” - The New York Times

Will the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi finally open its doors after all this time? That remains to be seen, but there’s certainly a chance! Here’s what you can look forward to in the coming months: - The Observer

Over time, this popularity has become both a blessing and a terrible burden, and daring jewel heists are only the most eye-catching of the museum’s problems: it is bursting at the seams, at times literally. - The Guardian

While it’s easy to see buildings and public spaces as somewhat neutral or superficial, it’s not. Like the frame of a painting, it frames the spaces in which politics takes place, both literally and symbolically. - The Conversation

“They used . . . as though his work aligned with their values, i.e., promoting this segregationist vision of America. And so of course we were upset by this, because Norman Rockwell was really very clearly anti-segregationist.” - The Bulwark

The UK Treasury is guaranteeing around £800 million to insure the 230-foot-long tapestry against damage or loss during its journey to and from its home museum in France to the UK. No money will be paid in advance, however; the £800 million comes into play only if something goes wrong. - ARTnews

There are more than 1,200 works by 125 artists and collectives in the exhibit, titled “Not All Travelers Walk Roads,” with many of them proposing ways of creating new, kinder, more just forms of existence. - The New York Times

“Among the books being driven into the woods by pitchfork-wielding villagers this year: Louis C.K.’s masturbatory debut novel, Olivia Nuzzi’s delusional fortune cookie, Woody Allen’s autofictional kvetch-fest, and Kamala Harris’s 304-page excuse for ineptitude.” - Literary Hub

A reclusive Georgia beekeeper accidentally writes a blockbuster: a gentle, allegorical novel that spreads through book clubs, Facebook aunties, and sheer goodwill, turning its humble author into a literary phenomenon he never planned to become. - Washington Post

Public libraries are struggling to get new books after major distributor Baker & Taylor abruptly shut down. Many now rely on Ingram, but scaling is slow, leaving patrons facing delays and limited access to new releases. - NPR

At the very top of the list is James by Percival Everett, the Pulitzer Prize–winning retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim’s perspective. Close behind is Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods, a moody literary thriller that also landed on NYPL’s Best Books list last year. - Time Out New York

The Women was among the most checked-out books in U.S. public libraries this year, making top 10 lists in library systems as far-flung as those in Clawson, Mich., Lawrence, Kan., Flathead County, Mont., and the entire state public library system of Hawaii. It was also the year's most-borrowed ebook on the public library app, Libby. - NPR

“You could be anybody of any kind of background. And for basically the equivalent of a dollar or two, you could be educated. You didn't have to be in a structure. You didn't have to be an elitist.” And now? That era is over. - NPR

The number of UK streaming subscribers on packages that include commercials has overtaken those on higher-priced ad-free plans for the first time, in a milestone for British television. - The Guardian

In 2025, slop is everywhere. Low-effort, low-quality, AI-generated nonsense is polluting our social media feeds, search engine results, scientific journals, music streaming services, eBook marketplaces, universities, legal filings, and more. - Mother Jones

“The industry is investing heavily in the future of series like it: low-budget, mobile-only ‘microdramas’ with episodes between 60 and 90 seconds. These shows, also known as ‘verticals’ for their phone orientation, have already become widely popular in China.” - The Guardian

“Verticals as the next big thing for Vancouver creatives and crews follows a major consumer shift in the entertainment ecosystem where made-in-China microdramas that combine the immediacy of social media with the soapy emotions of TV dramas have started to captivate U.S. audiences.” - The Hollywood Reporter

Together, these AI slop channels have amassed more than 63bn views and 221 million subscribers, generating about $117m (£90m) in revenue each year, according to estimates. - The Guardian

“We are rolling out 200 of our Ultra Lux seats, which have a built-in champagne or wine cooler, each day across Europe,” says Tim Richards, chief executive and founder of the Vue cinema chain. - The Guardian

“Medhi Walerski will leave his role as of June 30, 2027, following the company’s big 40th-anniversary season. Walerski has led the company since July 2020 after the departure of Emily Molnar to Nederlands Dans Theater, guiding it past pandemic shutdowns into an era of extensive international touring and energized packed houses.” - Stir (Vancouver)

Gia Kourlas: “They have regressed to being a legacy brand — good for merchandise but sad for the art of precision dance. … True as (their) sisterhood may be, it’s not what the Rockettes should be most admired for. That should be dancing.” - The New York Times

It’s been a commonplace for decades that troupes depend on the income from Nutcracker ticket sales to support the rest of their seasons. For just one prominent example, New York City Ballet’s roughly 50 performances of Balanchine’s classic version of the work bring in 45% of the company’s ticket revenue for the year. -...

The key is hiring — in particular, hiring dancers proficient in both classical and contemporary techniques, since Nedvigin wants to present top-tier renditions of both classical and new repertoire with a relatively small roster of performers. - ArtsATL

In 2023, when he was ballet director at Germany's Hannover State Opera, Marco Goecke did this and was promptly fired. Now he’s been given another chance: he’s artistic director of Ballet Basel in Switzerland. Critics have set aside any grievances, but Goecke’s big mouth has nevertheless gotten him into trouble. - The New York...

Ballet West in Salt Lake City reported Monday a “dramatic spike” in people “arriving at performances with fake or invalid tickets purchased from third-party sellers.” - The Salt Lake Tribune

“Some Bay Area artists have found a way to ply their trades inside AI companies, to both parties' benefit. The catch: the techies have to take the artists' skills seriously, and the artists have to define their moral boundaries within a much-maligned, constantly evolving industry.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Nataki Garrett Myers, former artistic director of Oregon Shakes: “Neutrality is an illusion. What the article actually offers is a case study in how comfort becomes policy — aesthetic, institutional, and ideological. That comfort has a look. It has a voice. And it has a conspicuous absence.” - Be A Ladder Leader

It’s called the two-block rule, as in, if you need to trash the show, wait until you’re two blocks away. “You wouldn’t go to someone’s house and trash their cooking, so why would you do that in a theatre?” - Washington Post (MSN)

The last hurrah of these bygone performers was the Broadway season of 1957–58, arguably the greatest season on Broadway of the last 75 years. It was the last time that all of the “hall of famers” of yore (save John Gielgud) appeared “on the boards” in the same New York theater season. - The American...

Young’uns under 40 may not realize just how sleazy the heart of Broadway’s entertainment district had become by the 1980s. Now it has The Lion King, Harry Potter, office towers, and a former porn cinema remade into a flagship for children’s theater. We can thank an organization called New 42. - The New York...

The 17,000 costume pieces are the least extravagant feature of The Gift of Christmas, the annual spectacular presented by Prestonwood Baptist Church near Dallas. On the 300-foot stage are LED screens, lasers, fireworks, trapezing elves, flying angels, and 21 animals. (And yes, shepherds, three kings, and the Holy Family. And Santa.) - Texas Monthly

In 2012, as an octogenarian artist with failing eyesight, she achieved worldwide (what’s the euphemism we want here?) recognition when her attempt to restore a painting of Christ on a church wall in Spain went awry and then went viral. - Euronews

The pop singer joins her husband, Jay-Z, along with Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and Rihanna, in the billionaire club. - Variety

“Combining keen curiosity, dogged investigative skills and a gift for storytelling, he covered Hollywood, … presidential politics (capturing Richard M. Nixon’s first, albeit brief, public remarks after resigning as president) and contentious subjects like the Church of Scientology.” - The New York Times

“In 1964 Mr. Graffman canceled a booking in Jackson, Miss., after learning that the house would be segregated, leading other prominent classical artists to publicly announce that they would no longer perform in segregated halls.” - The New York Times

Bardot “shot to international fame in 1956 with And God Created Woman” and stayed famous as a “sex kitten” for two decades. Then she retired and became a far-right activist in France, her statements resulting “in a string of convictions for inciting racial hatred.” - The Guardian (UK)

“A Palestinian director and actor who sought to share the complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of works in both Arabic and Hebrew, … Bakri was best known for Jenin, Jenin, a 2003 documentary about an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank city the previous year.” - AP