AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- Merry Christmas
Today’s highlights: The traditional art market is facing a reckoning as 2025 comes to a close. There was a flood of gallery closures and downsizings this year, marking a period of “endings more than beginnings” as the industry searches for a more sustainable model (ARTnews ). In the publishing world, the mass-market paperback is–shockingly– about to disappear from the U.S. market following a major distributor’s decision to halt operations (Publishers Weekly ).
Institutional survival remains deeply tied to holiday ritual, particularly in the dance world. Companies are critically dependent on “The Nutcracker” to keep the lights on—with the New York City Ballet alone generating 45% of its annual ticket revenue from the production (NPR). Yet, even these traditions are becoming controversial; in Florida, officials unsuccessfully lobbied to cancel a sold-out “Drag Queen Christmas” tour stop (The Guardian), while in the West Bank, Christmas celebrations have returned to Bethlehem after a two-year hiatus caused by the war (AP).
Tech billionaire Larry Ellison has personally guaranteed $40.4 billion to back Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (AP). Finally, we recognize the passing of Robert Nakamura, the “Godfather” of Asian-American media and founder of Visual Communications, the oldest community-based organization for AAPI filmmakers, who has died at 88 (The New York Times).
All of our stories below.
- “Nothing Is Too Extravagant For Christ” — This May Be America’s Most Over-The-Top Christmas Pageant
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
- Why Did So Many Art Galleries Close This Year?
Overall, when it came to galleries, the dominant vibe was one of endings more than beginnings—and it continued a building drumbeat. Those who closed or significantly downsized in 2025, after all, joined others that have expired in previous years. – ARTnews
- Archaeologist Discovers A Pharaoh’s “Valley Temple”
“Nyuserra’s sun temple, which is located in Abu Ghurab about 10 miles south of Cairo, was composed of two parts: the previously excavated upper temple and the valley temple (alongside the Nile), which Massimiliano Nuzzolo began work on in 2024.” – Artnet
- Are Our Grandparents Being Captured By Their Phones?
“I am constantly begging my mom to put her phone down, every time I see her she is just mindlessly scrolling. I swear her attention span is GONE,” one person wrote. – The Atlantic
ISSUES
- Why Did So Many Art Galleries Close This Year?
Overall, when it came to galleries, the dominant vibe was one of endings more than beginnings—and it continued a building drumbeat. Those who closed or significantly downsized in 2025, after all, joined others that have expired in previous years. – ARTnews
- Archaeologist Discovers A Pharaoh’s “Valley Temple”
“Nyuserra’s sun temple, which is located in Abu Ghurab about 10 miles south of Cairo, was composed of two parts: the previously excavated upper temple and the valley temple (alongside the Nile), which Massimiliano Nuzzolo began work on in 2024.” – Artnet
- Philadelphia Art Museum Doubles Down On Fired Director
“Arbitration clauses are interpreted literally, but not foolishly,” the new filing argues. It asks the court to enter an order compelling Suda to submit to arbitration, and to stay legal proceedings until the matter is resolved in arbitration. – Philadelphia Inquirer
- British Museum’s Longterm Loans Program Doesn’t Remediate Colonial Looting
Long-term loans are not restitution. They do not acknowledge historical wrongdoing, nor do they restore agency to source communities. Instead, they reinforce a museum’s claim of ownership over objects it has no moral (and often legal) right to possess. – Hyperallergic
- A Stolen Art Expert Talks About The Louvre
The main takeaway, for me, is that museums have a vulnerability—a technical, physical vulnerability—that is mirrored by the vulnerability of the public’s reaction, the idea that you can be culturally wounded in a profound collective manner. – The New Yorker
MEDIA
- Florida Officials Tried To Stop “A Drag Queen Christmas” In Pensacola. Didn’t Work.
“The state attorney general has spent nearly two months lobbying Pensacola officials to cancel the show, to no avail. Instead, the 1,600-capacity tour stop is sold out.” – The Guardian
- After Two Years Shut Down Due To War, Christmas Celebrations In Bethlehem Are Back
The traditional birthplace of Jesus is in the West Bank, and the livelihoods of thousands of people in the Palestinian town depend on visiting tourists and pilgrims. The war in Gaza brought activity in Bethlehem to a halt, and with a ceasefire signed, those pilgrims and tourists are gradually returning. – AP
- Trump’s First-Term NEA Boss Is Back
“The United States Senate voted to confirm Mary Anne Carter as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. It will be Carter’s second time leading the agency, after serving … during President Donald Trump’s first term. Carter succeeds Maria Rosario Jackson, a Biden appointee who resigned from the post on January 20.” – Publishers Weekly
- Kennedy Center Trustee Sues Trump For Renaming Venue
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH), one of the Congressional representatives on the Center’s board, argues in her court filing that Trump and the trustees who voted to add his name to the place are “willfully flouting the law to satisfy defendant Trump’s vanity.” – Bloomberg (MSN)
- Is The Reason Our Culture Seems Stagnant Because… Lack Of Critics?
If someone has spent years of their life on a work, they deserve a serious, sustained response. Critics who write such reviews aren’t just offering something to the maker of a work but to the world. Look here, a critic says. Imagine what culture could be like. – Asterisk
MUSIC
- 2025 Was A Very Tough Year For Libraries. These Are The Top Stories
Federal funding, the freedom to read, perpetual or temporary access to print and digital collections, and AI innovations saw new and unpredictable developments on a weekly basis. – Publishers Weekly
- Authors Sue AI Companies Over Copyright (Again)
The group of authors, which includes two-time Pulitzer Prize winner John Carreyrou, are among those who opted out of the proposed $1.5 billion settlement of the lawsuit against Anthropic, announced in September. – Publishers Weekly
- Mass Market Paperbacks Are About To Disappear From The US Market
“The decision made this winter by ReaderLink to stop distributing mass market paperback books at the end of 2025 was the latest blow to a format that has seen its popularity decline for years.” – Publishers Weekly
- How A Linguist Constructed The Na’vi Language For The “Avatar” Films
Paul Frommer’s initial parameters were that the language had to sound “nice” (director James Cameron’s word), since they are a relatively peaceful race, and that it had to be feasibly easy for actors to learn to pronounce. Beyond those, almost everything — phonetics, grammar, vocabulary — was up to Frommer. – Deutsche Welle
- How Audiobooks Infiltrated My Reading Habits
Like many audiobook devotees, I’m sheepish about my conversion, which seems blasphemous for a writer at the Book Review. I wonder whether listening “counts” as reading. – The New York Times
PEOPLE
- Merry Christmas
Today’s highlights: The traditional art market is facing a reckoning as 2025 comes to a close. There was a flood of gallery closures and downsizings this year, marking a period of “endings more than beginnings” as the industry searches for a more sustainable model (ARTnews ). In the publishing world, the mass-market paperback is–shockingly– about to disappear from the U.S. market following a major distributor’s decision to halt operations (Publishers Weekly ).
Institutional survival remains deeply tied to holiday ritual, particularly in the dance world. Companies are critically dependent on “The Nutcracker” to keep the lights on—with the New York City Ballet alone generating 45% of its annual ticket revenue from the production (NPR). Yet, even these traditions are becoming controversial; in Florida, officials unsuccessfully lobbied to cancel a sold-out “Drag Queen Christmas” tour stop (The Guardian), while in the West Bank, Christmas celebrations have returned to Bethlehem after a two-year hiatus caused by the war (AP).
Tech billionaire Larry Ellison has personally guaranteed $40.4 billion to back Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (AP). Finally, we recognize the passing of Robert Nakamura, the “Godfather” of Asian-American media and founder of Visual Communications, the oldest community-based organization for AAPI filmmakers, who has died at 88 (The New York Times).
All of our stories below.
- “Nothing Is Too Extravagant For Christ” — This May Be America’s Most Over-The-Top Christmas Pageant
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
- Why Did So Many Art Galleries Close This Year?
Overall, when it came to galleries, the dominant vibe was one of endings more than beginnings—and it continued a building drumbeat. Those who closed or significantly downsized in 2025, after all, joined others that have expired in previous years. – ARTnews
- Archaeologist Discovers A Pharaoh’s “Valley Temple”
“Nyuserra’s sun temple, which is located in Abu Ghurab about 10 miles south of Cairo, was composed of two parts: the previously excavated upper temple and the valley temple (alongside the Nile), which Massimiliano Nuzzolo began work on in 2024.” – Artnet
- Are Our Grandparents Being Captured By Their Phones?
“I am constantly begging my mom to put her phone down, every time I see her she is just mindlessly scrolling. I swear her attention span is GONE,” one person wrote. – The Atlantic
PEOPLE
- Merry Christmas
Today’s highlights: The traditional art market is facing a reckoning as 2025 comes to a close. There was a flood of gallery closures and downsizings this year, marking a period of “endings more than beginnings” as the industry searches for a more sustainable model (ARTnews ). In the publishing world, the mass-market paperback is–shockingly– about to disappear from the U.S. market following a major distributor’s decision to halt operations (Publishers Weekly ).
Institutional survival remains deeply tied to holiday ritual, particularly in the dance world. Companies are critically dependent on “The Nutcracker” to keep the lights on—with the New York City Ballet alone generating 45% of its annual ticket revenue from the production (NPR). Yet, even these traditions are becoming controversial; in Florida, officials unsuccessfully lobbied to cancel a sold-out “Drag Queen Christmas” tour stop (The Guardian), while in the West Bank, Christmas celebrations have returned to Bethlehem after a two-year hiatus caused by the war (AP).
Tech billionaire Larry Ellison has personally guaranteed $40.4 billion to back Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (AP). Finally, we recognize the passing of Robert Nakamura, the “Godfather” of Asian-American media and founder of Visual Communications, the oldest community-based organization for AAPI filmmakers, who has died at 88 (The New York Times).
All of our stories below.
- “Nothing Is Too Extravagant For Christ” — This May Be America’s Most Over-The-Top Christmas Pageant
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
- Why Did So Many Art Galleries Close This Year?
Overall, when it came to galleries, the dominant vibe was one of endings more than beginnings—and it continued a building drumbeat. Those who closed or significantly downsized in 2025, after all, joined others that have expired in previous years. – ARTnews
- Archaeologist Discovers A Pharaoh’s “Valley Temple”
“Nyuserra’s sun temple, which is located in Abu Ghurab about 10 miles south of Cairo, was composed of two parts: the previously excavated upper temple and the valley temple (alongside the Nile), which Massimiliano Nuzzolo began work on in 2024.” – Artnet
- Are Our Grandparents Being Captured By Their Phones?
“I am constantly begging my mom to put her phone down, every time I see her she is just mindlessly scrolling. I swear her attention span is GONE,” one person wrote. – The Atlantic
THEATRE
VISUAL
- Are Our Grandparents Being Captured By Their Phones?
“I am constantly begging my mom to put her phone down, every time I see her she is just mindlessly scrolling. I swear her attention span is GONE,” one person wrote. – The Atlantic
- AI Voice Clones Are Amazing. But Also Troublesome In Defining Identity
Technology may blur boundaries, but it also reveals who holds the power. When male creators use AI to simulate female voices and personas, are they expanding artistic possibilities or perpetuating a new form of gender appropriation, ventriloquism and misogyny? – The Conversation
- We Know So Little About How Our Senses Interact. Why Does Music Make Food Taste Different?
When we sit down for a meal, all of our senses come to the table, and some of them have unexpected effects. Heavier cutlery, for example, makes a meal more pleasurable, he has found, and flavors in space are often duller. Foods that sound better taste better, too. – Nautilus
- Our Collapsing Attention And The Difficulty Of Story-Telling
When all time is flattened into the present, narrative form begins to erode. Instant communication collapses tenses into an interminable “now,” and live streams keep us there. Finally, storytelling demands leisure, or at least a relaxed mind, since immersion requires the mental margin to forget ourselves and linger in the unfolding. – LA Review of Books
- The Psychology Of Fashion
Much of the sculptural, breathtaking artistry of haute couture finds a way to dramatize the friction between the composed selves we offer the world and the fragmented, chaotic sensation of being alive. We only look coherent; inside, it’s chaos. – The New Yorker
