Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
When The Oakland A’s Danced “Nutcracker”
The most charming and enduring tradition was the collaboration between the Oakland A’s and Oakland Ballet, which from the mid-1980s through the 1990s paired...
This Year’s Golden Globe Nominees
This year, any discussion of Golden Globe snubs and surprises ought to start with the show itself, since this once-snubbed awards ceremony has engineered...
Michael Brodeur’s Best Classical Music List Of 2023
"Although orchestras and opera companies are still struggling to regain and retain their pre-pandemic audiences, 2023 was a year with so much to hear...
3,700 Versions Of “Silent Night”
George Plasketes, a professor of media studies and popular culture at Auburn University, called the song “almost like comfort food.” Much like “Amazing Grace,”...
Free Speech And The Complicated American University
The real problem was that none of these university leaders made a clear, coherent case for their institutions’ values. So when they did invoke...
Do Kids Even Know How To Use A Dictionary In The Age Of Siri?
A terrifying thought occurred to me. “Do you even know how to use a dictionary?” This was my second son, and it turned out...
Google’s Most-Searched Celebrity Of 2023 (It Isn’t Taylor)
The person who prompted the most trending queries – i.e., had the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2023 as compared...
Date Announced For Reopening Of Notre Dame
The date was confirmed by the French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to the site on 8 December, according to the French newspaper Le...
How To Think About Our Marriage With Technology
At its simplest, technology can be understood as a tool which enables us to reach a particular end; a chimp using a stick to...
The Macroculture Is Dead. Long Live Microculture!
"The most curious part of this is how people working inside the macroculture are the only folks who don’t understand what’s going on." -...
Fran Drescher Talks About What The Actors Won In Their Strike
"We went from not having any protections — they would be pulling our members off to go get scanned and think that was OK...
How Culture Got Captured By Big Tech
There is an expression often used to capture the power of the press: never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the...
A Critic, His Experiences, His Aesthetic
The question of the relation between one’s life and one’s taste has become a fraught one, and is still more troubled when the taste...
Nobel Lit Prize Winner Jon Fosse On What He Has To Say To The...
“I often say that there are two languages: The words that I wrote, the words you can understand, and behind that, there’s a silent...
“Prestige TV” Is Booming In Asia
Streaming giants in the region are increasingly placing their series bets on creators armed with a glittering list of prizes from the international festival circuit, and...
Study: 17 Percent Of Entertainment Workers Lost Jobs During The Writers/Actors Strikes
According to the Otis College of Art and Design’s study, the first released under the college’s ongoing Otis College Report on the Creative Economy,...
Nintendo Cancels Its Annual Tokyo Gaming Showcase Over Safety Threats
Nintendo canceled its upcoming video game showcase and postponed several other events because of persistent threats to the company, its workers and players. -...
Decoding Noam Chomsky
From the start of his academic career, no part of his scientific work would show up in his political activism, while no trace of...
How Portland Lost Its Creative Vibe
There are still plenty of creative people in Portland, of course, but many left during the pandemic, and no doubt many potential newcomers have...
Seattle’s Iconic Hugo House In Danger Of Closing
What happens next with Hugo House won’t just impact Seattle’s literary ecosystem but could be a blueprint, or cautionary tale, for the scores of...
James Gaffigan On The Need For A Different Programming Philosophy For Orchestras
I think the future is versatility—a mixtape. I really believe that if a piece is put next to the right piece, even if it’s Schubert and...
The Top 25 Most-Viewed Wikipedia Articles of 2023
Celebrity deaths were top of mind, as they are most years on Wikipedia. The list of notable deaths was the second most viewed page....
Why Community Is More Important Than Ever
Being alone is bad for you—and it’s not all about close family and friends. “Talking to strangers,” says Robert Waldinger, who leads the longest-running...
Worry That Funding For The BBC Threatens Political Independence
There is concern that the settlement announced by culture secretary Frazer kicks the door open to annual funding deals, potentially leaving the BBC more...
How Drag Queens Are Fighting Performance Bans In Texas
Earlier this year, Brigitte Bandit became one of five plaintiffs in a lawsuit that challenged Texas Senate Bill 12, which criminalized some drag performances...
