AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- How Long, And How, Should Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood Hacienda Be Preserved?
“All sides agree that the circumstances are unusual. Buyers generally know about a house’s historic preservation status in advance, and existing homeowners generally have a functioning house they can sell if they do not want to work with the city to preserve its historic features.” – The Guardian (UK)
- If You, A Writer, Think Most Writers Are Trash, Are You A Literary Jerk?
Uh, yes. “This feels a little bit like a you-problem. And by that, I mean you need to start treating yourself (and your writing) more carefully, and with a great deal more empathy and respect.” – LitHub
- Mexico City’s New Chocolate Museum Rests On A Grisly Souvenir Of The Past
What was the colonial-era building’s foundation resting on? “One of the country’s most important archaeological finds: a section of a tzompantli, or wooden rack displaying more than 650 human skulls belonging to people who were believed to have been sacrificed in the 15th century.” – The New York Times
- An Amazon MGM Exec Solicited Kickbacks For Contracts, Says A Lawsuit
“Salinas would give Eckardt the target budget number for his company’s bid and ‘effectively guarantee that Unbreakable would be awarded the work,’ the lawsuit states.” And when the plaintiff stopped paying, he says, the work dried up. – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Who owns what, anyway?
Good Morning,
Three stories today circle the same question: who has standing to control the use of cultural assets — likenesses, artworks, infrastructure — and what happens when that standing is contested.
Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million, alleging the company used her image to sell TVs without permission (Variety). Several national pavilions at the Venice Biennale closed Friday in protest of Israel’s inclusion (The Guardian). And nearly 9,000 universities had Canvas — the platform that runs their assignments and grades — held hostage by a ransomware crew demanding payment by Tuesday (Wired).
The Musée d’Orsay is trying an experiment — embedding unresolved Nazi-provenance cases physically inside the museum, in public view (Salon). Acknowledgement as a kind of policy.
Elsewhere: Cannes opens this week with the Hollywood studios mostly on the sidelines (Seattle Times), Broadway is positively crawling with celebrities (CBC), and Billie Eilish isn’t sure another Billie Eilish is structurally possible anymore (Wired).
All of our stories below.
ISSUES
- How Long, And How, Should Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood Hacienda Be Preserved?
“All sides agree that the circumstances are unusual. Buyers generally know about a house’s historic preservation status in advance, and existing homeowners generally have a functioning house they can sell if they do not want to work with the city to preserve its historic features.” – The Guardian (UK)
- Mexico City’s New Chocolate Museum Rests On A Grisly Souvenir Of The Past
What was the colonial-era building’s foundation resting on? “One of the country’s most important archaeological finds: a section of a tzompantli, or wooden rack displaying more than 650 human skulls belonging to people who were believed to have been sacrificed in the 15th century.” – The New York Times
- The Art That Nazis Stole, Still Waiting To Go Home, Wherever Home May Be
“What makes the Orsay initiative notable is not simply that it acknowledges this history, but that it embeds it physically inside a major national museum — placing unresolved provenance cases in direct view of the public.” – Salon
- Several Country’s Venice Pavilions Closed On Friday In Protest Of Israel’s Inclusion
“The Belgian, Dutch, Austrian, Japanese, Macedonian and Korean pavilions were closed for the day. The British, Spanish, French, Egyptian, Finnish and Luxembourg entries were either closed and then reopened, or opened and expected to close early.” – The Guardian (UK)
- Why This 80-Year-Old Korean Artist Is Suddenly Everywhere
Park Daesung: “I came from nothing, and I’ve accomplished some fame and a lot of good opportunities, but this feels very overwhelming.” – The New York Times
MEDIA
- Is It OK For Samsung To Use A Musician’s Face To Sell TVs?
She says no: “Dua Lipa has filed a $15 million lawsuit against Samsung, alleging that the electronics manufacturer used her likeness to sell TVs without paying her and without permission.” – Variety
- Nearly Nine Thousand Institutions Of Higher Learning Had Their Grades And Assignments Held Hostage For A Ransom
This seems fine: “The message from attackers ‘urged schools included on the affected list to consult with a cyber advisory firm and contact the group privately to negotiate a settlement before the end of the day on May 12.’” – Wired
- Some Folks Really Could Not Deal With Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Show
And their reactions (or some astroturfing, perhaps) had them calling the FCC to complain. – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- The All-Seeing Eyes In Our Pockets
“Mixed in the flour that bakes digital technology sit two original sins pervading most gadgets, apps and platforms alike: surveillance and prediction; more specifically, surveillance at the service of prediction. Both lead to social control.” – Aeon
- Portland, OR Has An Arts Tax. Now It’s Time To Reform It
“Without this much needed arts tax reform, including indexing it to inflation, we risk losing the very institutions that make Portland vibrant, and we also risk losing the next generation of arts lovers by failing to sustain arts education in our schools.” – KATU
MUSIC
- If You, A Writer, Think Most Writers Are Trash, Are You A Literary Jerk?
Uh, yes. “This feels a little bit like a you-problem. And by that, I mean you need to start treating yourself (and your writing) more carefully, and with a great deal more empathy and respect.” – LitHub
- Best First Sentence In Literature?
Well, best opening, anyway. Maybe Lauren Groff? – The Atlantic
- Now Writers Who Are Children Of Other Writers Are Being Called ‘Nepo Babies,’ And That Seems Iffy
“Does having a novelist for a parent make it likely that a child will be inspired to follow? Or is it easier for children of writers to get published? I spoke to some novelists who have kept it in the family to find out.” – The Guardian (UK)
- This Bookstore Has Wheels, And More Than One Hundred Thousand Miles
“While there are library bookmobiles and other bookstores housed in trucks, … Collins believes hers is the rare traveling bookstore. She wishes there were more, pointing out that there is little overhead and a lot of freedom to open and close at will.” – The New York Times
- Is Substack The New Book Tour?
Some experts say Substack’s rise fits into a longer arc in publishing, one shaped by the early wave of self-publishing tools like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords in the late aughts. Those platforms opened the door for self-published authors, but didn’t solve the marketing problem. – Fast Company
PEOPLE
- How Long, And How, Should Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood Hacienda Be Preserved?
“All sides agree that the circumstances are unusual. Buyers generally know about a house’s historic preservation status in advance, and existing homeowners generally have a functioning house they can sell if they do not want to work with the city to preserve its historic features.” – The Guardian (UK)
- If You, A Writer, Think Most Writers Are Trash, Are You A Literary Jerk?
Uh, yes. “This feels a little bit like a you-problem. And by that, I mean you need to start treating yourself (and your writing) more carefully, and with a great deal more empathy and respect.” – LitHub
- Mexico City’s New Chocolate Museum Rests On A Grisly Souvenir Of The Past
What was the colonial-era building’s foundation resting on? “One of the country’s most important archaeological finds: a section of a tzompantli, or wooden rack displaying more than 650 human skulls belonging to people who were believed to have been sacrificed in the 15th century.” – The New York Times
- An Amazon MGM Exec Solicited Kickbacks For Contracts, Says A Lawsuit
“Salinas would give Eckardt the target budget number for his company’s bid and ‘effectively guarantee that Unbreakable would be awarded the work,’ the lawsuit states.” And when the plaintiff stopped paying, he says, the work dried up. – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Who owns what, anyway?
Good Morning,
Three stories today circle the same question: who has standing to control the use of cultural assets — likenesses, artworks, infrastructure — and what happens when that standing is contested.
Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million, alleging the company used her image to sell TVs without permission (Variety). Several national pavilions at the Venice Biennale closed Friday in protest of Israel’s inclusion (The Guardian). And nearly 9,000 universities had Canvas — the platform that runs their assignments and grades — held hostage by a ransomware crew demanding payment by Tuesday (Wired).
The Musée d’Orsay is trying an experiment — embedding unresolved Nazi-provenance cases physically inside the museum, in public view (Salon). Acknowledgement as a kind of policy.
Elsewhere: Cannes opens this week with the Hollywood studios mostly on the sidelines (Seattle Times), Broadway is positively crawling with celebrities (CBC), and Billie Eilish isn’t sure another Billie Eilish is structurally possible anymore (Wired).
All of our stories below.
PEOPLE
- How Long, And How, Should Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood Hacienda Be Preserved?
“All sides agree that the circumstances are unusual. Buyers generally know about a house’s historic preservation status in advance, and existing homeowners generally have a functioning house they can sell if they do not want to work with the city to preserve its historic features.” – The Guardian (UK)
- If You, A Writer, Think Most Writers Are Trash, Are You A Literary Jerk?
Uh, yes. “This feels a little bit like a you-problem. And by that, I mean you need to start treating yourself (and your writing) more carefully, and with a great deal more empathy and respect.” – LitHub
- Mexico City’s New Chocolate Museum Rests On A Grisly Souvenir Of The Past
What was the colonial-era building’s foundation resting on? “One of the country’s most important archaeological finds: a section of a tzompantli, or wooden rack displaying more than 650 human skulls belonging to people who were believed to have been sacrificed in the 15th century.” – The New York Times
- An Amazon MGM Exec Solicited Kickbacks For Contracts, Says A Lawsuit
“Salinas would give Eckardt the target budget number for his company’s bid and ‘effectively guarantee that Unbreakable would be awarded the work,’ the lawsuit states.” And when the plaintiff stopped paying, he says, the work dried up. – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Who owns what, anyway?
Good Morning,
Three stories today circle the same question: who has standing to control the use of cultural assets — likenesses, artworks, infrastructure — and what happens when that standing is contested.
Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million, alleging the company used her image to sell TVs without permission (Variety). Several national pavilions at the Venice Biennale closed Friday in protest of Israel’s inclusion (The Guardian). And nearly 9,000 universities had Canvas — the platform that runs their assignments and grades — held hostage by a ransomware crew demanding payment by Tuesday (Wired).
The Musée d’Orsay is trying an experiment — embedding unresolved Nazi-provenance cases physically inside the museum, in public view (Salon). Acknowledgement as a kind of policy.
Elsewhere: Cannes opens this week with the Hollywood studios mostly on the sidelines (Seattle Times), Broadway is positively crawling with celebrities (CBC), and Billie Eilish isn’t sure another Billie Eilish is structurally possible anymore (Wired).
All of our stories below.
THEATRE
VISUAL
- We Can Look For Ourselves In Fiction, Sure, But We Have To Look Beyond As Well
“I keep having conversations with grown, discerning adults whose chief metric for their enjoyment of a book, show or movie is how relevant it is, how directly it speaks, to the granular particulars of their lived experience.” – NPR
- Why The Lost Boys Epitomize The 1980s So Alarmingly Well
And maybe, just maybe, why the movie is back as a Broadway show now. – The New York Times
- Claim: Figuring Out Consciousness Isn’t Difficult
Amid the current cultural backlash against progressive ideas, today’s debate on consciousness reflects our human fears of belonging to the same family as inanimate matter and losing our dear, transcendent souls. – Noema
- How Our Machines Are Getting In The Way Of Art
From the original, nineteenth-century form popularized by Balzac, Zola, and Stendhal to the “lyrical” variant of today, the verisimilitude that realism pursues—not just lifelikeness, but worldlikeness—is meant to convince us the novel is, for want of a better term, natural. – Boston Review
- Study: Using AI Could Make You Lazy And Dumber
Some participants were given access to an AI assistant capable of solving the problem autonomously. When the AI helper was suddenly taken away, these people were significantly more likely to give up on the problem or flub their answers. – Wired
