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Aline Kominsky-Crumb, ‘Ranuchy’ And Feminist Underground Comics Artist, Has Died At 74

Kominsky-Crumb "was known for work that was not only autobiographical but often bracingly sexual — focusing on her insecurities — and explicit." - Los Angeles Times

Can The Academy Forgive Will Smith, At Least As An Actor?

Doesn't seem super likely. But: "If there’s a Best Actor race worth trying to sneak into, it’s this one, and Smith has been careful to cut a penitent figure on the campaign trail." - Vulture

What It’s Like To Play Princess Di And Then Come Out As Nonbinary

Emma Corrin: "It’s hard to be discovering something in yourself at the same time you’re navigating an industry that demands a lot of you." - The New York Times

Found: A Recording Of 18-Year-Old Stephen Sondheim’s College Musical

It's called Phinney's Rainbow, and Sondheim was a sophomore in college when he wrote and mounted it in 1948. "It's the stuff of legend in theater circles because nobody's heard much of it." - NPR

Playwright Lynn Nottage Has Been Running A Theatrical Marathon All Year

The writer of Sweat and the most-produced play of this year, Clyde's, had three productions in New York this year. She says, "The mindfulness and yoga that I practiced during the pandemic really prepared me to deal with juggling three big shows without feeling overwhelmed." - Los Angeles Times

How Two Norwegian Students Accidentally Created TikTok’s Favorite Sounds

Twenty years ago, high school students Thomas S. Nilsen and Steffen Ojala Soderholm created "nightcore." But it didn't take off until TikTok kicked into high gear. - The New York Times

New Theory: Children Made Stone-Age Owl-Like Carvings

"Archaeologists have previously suggested that they were symbols of goddesses that were placed on deceased people as a burial offering. It is debated whether the engravings are of owls, people or other figures." - New Scientist

The True Cost Of A Twitter Implosion

"There are whole nations whose political discourse occurs mainly on Twitter. The amount of reputational and social wealth that stands to be lost if Twitter collapses is astounding. Twitter currently functions as perhaps the world's biggest status bank." - Wired

Ukraine Detains Eight People Over Banksy Theft

According to Kyiv's governor, "'The image is in good condition and in the hands of the authorities.' Other works in the area thought also to be the work of Banksy are under police protection, he said." - The Guardian (UK)

How A Sync Made A 1985 Song A Hit In 2022

Instead, it took a lot of planning and some carefully waged campaigns. "While syncs have previously boosted older singles, they’ve never generated this level of resurgence for a 37-year-old song." You can thank Sony's VP of creative, Amy Coles. -Variety

On Writing Memoir-ish Fiction And Reader Complaints About Not Enough Sex

Elif Batuman "expects from any book, her own included, nothing less than a real-time experiment in how we should think and live." - Paris Review

Why Isn’t Season 5 Of ‘The Crown’ Damaging Charles?

Well, let's be honest: He just (finally) became king. Britain is not having the popular series' narrative anymore. (Also ... he's played by Dominic West.) - The New York Times

Mourning Los Espookys

Maybe HBO wasn't quite ready for a show that is creators couldn't even describe. "Imagine 'Scooby-Doo' as written by Jorge Luis Borges and directed by Pedro Almodóvar and you can begin to approximate the vibe." - Los Angeles Times

The Rise Of Celebrity Broadway Producers

The presence of famous folks in the credits for Broadway productions isn’t exactly new, but it does seem to be proliferating. - The Stage

How Cover Songs Work On The Brain

The cover plays an important role in our contemporary understanding of music, so it is worth thinking about what exactly a cover is. - Psyche

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