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Hugh Grant, Suing One Of London’s Most Notorious Tabloids, Settles For “An Enormous Sum”

"The actor had accused the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sun of phone hacking, unlawful information-gathering, landline tapping, bugging his phone and burgling his flat and office. His case was due to go to trial at London’s high court in January 2025." - The Guardian

Patti Astor, Arts Doyenne, 74

With her platinum hair, raspy voice and glamorous ’50s-style dresses, Ms. Astor was a formidable presence among the music, film and art makers who gathered at the Mudd Club in TriBeCa. - The New York Times

Salman Rushdie Recalls The Loss Of His Right Eye In The Stabbing Attack

"'It was kind of hanging out of my face, sitting on my cheek, I've said like a soft-boiled egg. And blind.' Sir Salman said losing one eye 'upsets me every day'. ... But he considers himself lucky to have avoided brain damage." - BBC

Remembering Seiji Ozawa

Ozawa refused to live in Boston, raising his family in Tokyo and commuting when required. His English was never more than functional. Most musicians grasped what he wanted; any who protested did not last long. - The Critic

Artist Faith Ringgold, Who Wove Black History Into Quilts And Books, Has Died At 93

“For more than a half-century, Ms. Ringgold explored themes of race, gender, class, family and community through a vast array of media, among them painting, sculpture, mask- and doll-making, textiles and performance art.” - The New York Times

Eleanor Coppola, Who Made The Documentary About Her Husband’s Apocalypse Now, Has Died At 87

Eleanor was "a writer and film director who documented the making of some of her husband Francis Ford Coppola's iconic films, including the infamously tortured production of Apocalypse Now, and who raised a family of filmmakers." - CBC

The Power Players In Arts And Culture In New York City

This inaugural list by Politics NY includes the obvious (directors of prominent institutions like the Morgan Library, Roundabout Theater, BAM, both Mets), the famous (Alan Cumming, Fran Drescher), the officials (government and union types), and the hip. - Politics NY

Dinh Q. Lê, Artist Known For “Photo-Weaving,” Has Died At 56

"Lê’s early work comprised large-scale photomontages that he made by weaving together strips of photographs, deploying the method used by his aunt in creating grass mats. … Among the photographs Lê used were pictures of Vietnamese art and architecture, documentary images from the war, and stills from Hollywood Vietnam War films." - Artforum

Trevor Griffiths, Screenwriter And Playwright Dedicated To Social And Political Change, Is Dead At 88

"(He) was the most politically literate working-class dramatist and screenwriter of our times, a scholar of Marx, Gramsci and Trotsky, who translated his passion into a series of plays and television dramas without equal." - The Guardian

It’s True: Former Director Of Uffizi Galleries Is Running For Mayor Of Florence

Though Eike Schmidt describes himself as "a democrat and antifascist" and "more of an Aristotelian centrist than a representative of the right," he is running with the backing of three right-wing parties. The German-born Schmidt, now an Italian citizen, is widely admired for his management of Florence's flagship museum. - ARTnews

Casey Benjamin, ‘Free-Spirited Saxophonist’ For The Robert Glasper Experiment, Has Died At 45

Benjamin "brought colorfully expansive saxophone flourishes to the Grammy-winning Robert Glasper Experiment and added rich layers of texture to recordings by Solange, A Tribe Called Quest and many others." - The New York Times

Rachel McAdams Is Ready For The Next Step: Broadway

"In Hollywood, taking a step back can mean audience amnesia and producer disinterest — but McAdams braved it before, at the height of her fame in 2005, when she thought things were moving too fast." - The New York Times

Margaret Tynes, Who Soared In Verdi And Strauss, Has Died At 104

Tynes, as a Black woman, found little work in the United States, but "with her incendiary, full-throated voice, in roles like Aida and Salomé, sang at opera houses in Vienna, Prague and Budapest, earning high praise on the continent." - The New York Times

Cole Brings Plenty, Actor In Yellowstone Spinoff 1923, Is Found Dead In Kansas

Days before the actor’s body was found, Lawrence, Kansas, police said they had probable cause to arrest Brings Plenty “in response to allegations of domestic violence." - CNN (MSN)

Gaetano Pesce, Pioneer Of The Radical Design Movement, Has Died At 84

"Moving against the stream of rational, functional modernism in the 1960s and early 70s, Pesce experimented with materials and production methods to create furniture pieces imbued with political or religious meaning for brands from Cassina to B&B Italia. Many would go on to become icons of Italian design." - Dezeen

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