AJ Four Ways:
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- Writing The Most Realistic, And Most Optimistic, Heterosexual Marriage On TV
First, Tina Fey wrote Liz Lemon, whose character was “heteropessimistic.” But in Four Seasons, she writes (and plays) a member of “an emotionally grounded romance that captures both the rewards of a successful, decades-long marriage and the challenges of maintaining one.” – The New Yorker
- What Should Music Festivals Do To Make The Experience Better For Neurodivergent Fans?
In the UK, “The Culture, Media and Sport Committee released guidelines earlier this year setting out ways for disabled people to feel more included at live music events.” – BBC
- Some People Hate Horror Movies While The Rest Of Us Can’t Get Enough
“A horror film builds a safe enclosure where we can rehearse terror, chaos and helplessness with no adverse consequences. … But the body can’t always tell the rehearsal from the real thing.” – The Guardian (UK)
- A Montreal Chemical Lab Is Planning To Close, Leaving Analog Film In Limbo
The MELS post-production studio “is closing a Quebec facility that houses one of North America’s only laboratories capable of developing film for professional productions.” – CBC
- We’re Almost Halfway Through 2026, And Here Are The Five Top Onscreen Moments So Far
To be fair, a lot of good movies and shows come out in the latter, awards-chasing half of the year, but still, here are “subtle, surreal moments that highlight a character’s fears and insecurities.” – The New York Times
- How Domestic Novels Became So Epic
“What can a novel about contemporary domestic life possibly add to our knowledge? If familiarity breeds contempt, what could be more familiar than the home, with its sisyphean routines and demands?” Just ask Ducks, Newburyport. – The Guardian (UK)
- Jerry Moriarty, Painter Of Comics, Has Died At 88
“‘It’s as if Edward Hopper had taken up songwriting,’ the comic artist Chris Ware wrote in The Believer magazine in 2009. ‘For lack of a better word, it’s poetry.’” – The New York Times
- Turning Hugh Jackman Into Grizzled Old Robin Hood Required A Coat That Weighed 200 Pounds
“Because the cape and costumes were so rough, and the weather, the hair would start to get tangled a lot. … I was in every single take behind Hugh, brushing [the hair] out, re-braiding to hold it in place to keep some of the texture – Variety
- Trading Manhattan Art Meet-Ups For A Farm, And A Huge Studio As Well
Uman: “I love working on the floor. I start with a mood, a color, and I determine the size of the canvas or linen. … I always wanted the color to go straight onto the canvas, and that will probably be a problem for restorers in the future.” – The New York Times
- Ad-Free Streaming Has Become A Luxury Good
Remember the halcyon days of watching shows without ads? How great that streaming moment was? Well … it’s over. Mostly over. Apple is one holdout … for now. – The Verge
- One Hundred Reasons To Love Mel Brooks On His 100th Birthday
“At 9 he saw his first Broadway show, Anything Goes, with the Broadway belter Ethel Merman, which explains everything.” – The New York Times
- The new Commons
Good Morning,
The most radical institution in America right now may be the public library. Branches are lending power tools, musical instruments, even prom dresses alongside the books (The New York Times) — running on the premise that you should be able to borrow what you can’t afford to own. Essentially the new Commons.
Universal has started skipping the influencer screenings and is taking The Odyssey straight to the few remaining professional film critics (Wired), a bet that expertise still sells tickets. Meanwhile, the limited series, prestige TV’s darling, is collapsing under its own weight (Vulture), and Quibi turns out to have been right about microdrama, just half a decade early (The Seattle Times).
Two novelists made the same argument from opposite temperaments. Dave Eggers warns that once a machine writes for you, “you’re cooked as a species” (The Guardian); Margaret Atwood, more wryly, says the real AI problem is a very old one (Deadline).
And if you’re a George Washington reenactor, the semiquincentennial has made this your year (NPR).
All of our stories below.
- Despite Challenges And Bans, It’s A Golden Age For Queer Literature
A bookstore owner writes, “Queer literature has become one of the growth engines of the publishing industry. L.G.B.T.Q. fiction has never been more visible, more varied or better promoted.” Happy Pride! – The New York Times
- The Artists Who Painted Early Hollywood Into Existence
“‘In general, at the studios, they systematized the production design, so that it was fast,’ Kanjo said, describing the rigid process as militaristic. ‘Five artists at a time work day after day to get these things done.’” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Dave Eggers Says If We Use AI The Wrong Way Humanity Is Cooked
“You’re one of one. … You’re unprecedented in the entire line of human history. Only you have your brain. Only you can think of what you can think of. Only you can tell a story in a particular way. Why would you cede that to a machine?” – The Guardian (UK)
- The Collapse Of The Limited Series
“Why do these shows feel so minor this year? Are we in a limited-series slump, or are viewers looking for a different storytelling vehicle in 2026?” – Vulture
- Universal Decides Skip The Influencers And Take The Odyssey Directly To Remaining Professional Movie Critics
“While it should be noted that any number of TikTok and YouTube content creators will still get to see the film ahead of its release along with the press, the decision to not directly court their buzz has proved widely popular—not least with the film critics themselves.” – Wired
- If You’re A George Washington Reenactor, This Is A Very Busy Year
One man “retired a year ago from his ‘regular job’ at an alternative energy company and is reenacting full time these days, while the heightened interest lasts. He and his horse recently set a personal best with three separate events in one weekend.” – NPR
- Ann Blyth, Oscar-Nominated For Her Role In Mildred Pierce, Has Died At 98
“Blyth was just 17 when she made Mildred Pierce, based on James M. Cain’s hard-boiled 1941 novel. She had begun her movie career in innocent-teen roles, and played sharply against type as the coddled, conceited Veda Pierce.” – The New York Times
- After Five Seasons, ‘The Bear’ Faces Closing Time
“So much of our show is shot so quickly, but then we really get to slow down with these choreographed pieces of kitchen ballet, and that’s also when we feel really strong as a group of performers, where we’re incredibly reliant on one another.” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Some Libraries Are Lending Power Tools, Musical Instruments, And Even Prom Dresses Alongside Books
After all, “Library of Things” doesn’t mean only tech things. – The New York Times
- Margaret Atwood Says The Problem With AI Is A Classic One
“The thing about AI is that it’s garbage in, garbage out,” she said at a book festival. – Deadline
- Tony Brown, Whose Advocacy And TV Show Changed The Face Of Public Television, Has Died At 93
“An intense and impeccably dressed former social worker with hardscrabble West Virginia roots who was blessed with a silken baritone, Mr. Brown acknowledged that he made programming decisions ‘on the basis of one thing — will it help Black people?’” – The New York Times
- Country Music Is Taking Over Music Stages
You’ve heard this one before, right? But: Country music is taking over … in the UK. Excuse us? – The Guardian (UK)
- The Real Story Of What Happened At Pace Gallery
Said one hastily removed artist, “They assured me many times — as recently as two days before the article in the New York Times came out — that there would be no public announcement. … It’s a callous breach of trust.” – Hyperallergic
- Arena Stage Boots Its Black, Woman Artistic Director On The Night One Of Her Championed New Musicals Opens
OK, Hana Sharif resigned under great pressure. She wrote: “The board and I arrived at a crossroads — one defined not by a lack of shared love for this institution, but by differing visions for how Arena Stage should meet the future.” – The New York Times
- Quibi Was Maybe Just A Few Years Before Its Microdrama Time
“With vertically shot episodes often running one to three minutes, microdramas have emerged as one of entertainment’s fastest-growing formats. That’s drawing interest from celebrities, creators and major media companies looking for new ways to reach audiences.” – Seattle Times (AP)
- If Reading Books Feels Hard Right Now, It Might Be Time To ‘Rewild’ Your Brain
“Reading a good book, I feel like a really hysterical chihuahua barking and trembling, and then someone picks me up, and then I just go limp. You know? Like I’m just calm. … And when I’m there, and when I can actually feel stillness.” – The Atlantic
- When The Curator Retires From A Weird But Cool, Isolated But Well-Trafficked, Museum Along The Columbia River
The Maryhill Museum of Art, on the Washington State side of the Columbia River Gorge, is 150 miles upriver from Portland. Its permanent collection is eclectic, to put it mildly. So how does it get exhibitions, or even help revitalize its own collection? – Oregon ArtsWatch
- Brent Ott talks about developing exhibits and programming to celebrate America 250
Brent Ott, Chief Operating Officer of The Henry Ford, talks about their historic exhibits and programming celebrating America 250.
- Why Ballet Is A Natural Subject For Horror Movies
“Anyone who spends even a day with a professional dancer or a ballet troupe could likely come away and already have the core of a body horror flick ready just from seeing all the injuries strapped up and ignored, or hearing the stories of cut-throat auditions.” – Far Out
- A New Print-On-Demand Books Program For Libraries
Ingram Library Services and Penguin Random House have announced a print-on-demand program designed to supply libraries with popular backlist titles. – Publishers Weekly
- How A24 Blew Its Cool Factor With One Corporate Announcement
The indie movie studio was, for a sizable set of Americans under 40 or so, about as cool as a studio could get. (You never saw anyone wearing a Focus Features hoodie, right?) Then A24 announced a $75 million deal with Google’s AI venture, DeepMind. The fan base is furious. – The Hollywood Reporter
- Crystal Bridges Gets a New Chief Curator
Courtenay Finn is currently chief curator and director of programs at the Orange County Museum of Art, which merged with the University of California, Irvine last year. She has previously served as the chief curator at moCa Cleveland in Ohio, senior curator at the Aspen Art Museum in Colorado, and curator at Art in General in New York.
- Mel Brooks At 100
“I wanted to keep the party going. I wanted to keep the happiness and joy and explosions of laughter going into a dour part of our lives, not our childhood anymore,” Brooks recalled. “ – AP News
