However much they may doodle in the margins, they stick to tried-and-tested principles: sparkling suburban kitchens; slow-motion ice-and-soda splashes; pleasant, wordless canoe trips that indicate relief from irritable bowel syndrome or moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. - The New York Times
"After decades of cultural dominance by left-leaning late night, … (Greg) Gutfeld's striking inversion is a hard-won victory for the right. Like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at its Bush-era peak, Mr. Gutfeld has created a waggish refuge for viewers aghast at the country's political direction." - The New York Times
A majority of the staff of 18 was told they’d be laid off Tuesday; six people will stay on for three to six more months to wrap up operations. Also affected are the roughly 300 people who work on Book-It’s productions throughout a given year. - Seattle Times
V&A director Tristram Hunt: "This is a real problem, and there's a social inequity here because the private sector is not closing its theatres and art studios. ... So we're seeing a horrible disparity emerging between the state and the private sector in terms of provision for cultural education." - The Guardian
"Borges's wife, Maria Kodama, had devoted much of her life to fiercely protecting his legacy and it surprised many in Argentina's literary circles that she did not leave a will. … A court in Buenos Aires ruled that (her) five nephews would receive the rights 'in their capacity as universal heirs.'" - AP
"The science behind the phenomenon is still poorly understood, but it is such a noticeable and common occurrence that it has become something of a truism in opera: After childbirth, the voice seems enriched with warmth, creaminess and depth of color." If only that were all … - The New York Times
"The new study used 24 subjects who were advanced piano and vocal students (in) Vienna. The researchers specifically wanted to look at how musicians' head movements related to the phrasing of the piece, and how those movements related to the musician's empathy profile." - Ludwig Van
He piled all $2 billion worth of artifacts he amassed over eight years into that same attic in his mother Mireille Stengel’s “nondescript” stucco house. - The New York Times
Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) — said to have still been on the easel when Klimt died — was sold at Sotheby's in London for £85.3 million ($108 million). The previous European record, $104.3 million, was set by Alberto Giacometti's sculpture Walking Man I in 2010. - Artnet
Best known for roles in The Killing Fields, A Room with a View and Leaving Las Vegas, he worked steadily in films and television for four decades. His remains were found in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles, where he disappeared while hiking in January. - MSN (The Washington Post)
Being able to control how long programmes are available to stream appears to give video-on-demand platforms significant power over what audiences watch. The longer fruit is dangled in front of a viewer, the likelier they are to grab it. - The Conversation
Despite a vast effort, researchers still don’t understand how our brains produce it, however. “It started off as a very big philosophical mystery. But over the years, it’s gradually been transmuting into, if not a ‘scientific’ mystery, at least one that we can get a partial grip on scientifically.” - Nature
This improbable trajectory — writer toils for decades in obscurity before finding international renown — is the stuff of legend. But it did not occur by accident or happenstance. Mr. McCarthy’s career was made possible by a tectonic shift that was happening in the publishing industry. - The New York Times
In the wake of the recent resignation of Alicia Dubois, the chief executive of the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) in Victoria, British Columbia, 16 months after she was hired, concerns remain about the future of the beloved but troubled institution. - The Art Newspaper
Diva status depended, back then as now, on being the author of your own career – creatively and financially – and driving it forward. If this meant being labelled as difficult, it was the price performers needed to pay. - BBC
