Maybe the reason is that blockbusters churned out in the U.S. have been hit with a similarity stick, or with a cynicism audiences can sense - so "a film that's as sincere and well-crafted as RRR was bound to break in eventually." - BBC
Almost every show, even ones that closed relatively quickly, created a cast album. And "some improve on the shows they preserve merely by jettisoning most or mercifully all of the book. In other cases, you can actually hear what the authors had in mind." - The New York Times
Why would Whiteread say that? Well, the Trafalgar Square program has led to a lot of large-scale sculptures with no place to go. "Three-quarters of the former fourth plinth commissions are currently in storage, and only one is on display in the UK." - The Guardian (UK)
That's one writer's resolution, anyway: "After a lifetime of climbing, I’m happy to stop and just enjoy the view. For so long, I, like others, have measured myself against what I had yet to achieve. It was a game no one could win." - The New York Times
The Wordle knockoff - though perhaps harder, since it has four five-letter words to guess at once, with only nine guesses - "now redirects to its own space on the Merriam-Webster website." - TechCrunch
The problem illustrated a much larger issue: "According to multiple sources, the jury has repeatedly expressed concerns to both Sundance and filmmakers that movies playing at this year’s festival should come with open captions" - but many do not. - Variety
Before Charles Byrne "died by the time he "died at in 1783, at the age of 22, he had told his friends to bury him at sea to prevent surgeons or anatomists from obtaining his body." That's not what happened to the 7'7" Irishman. - The New York Times
For instance: "It is not often that a movie featuring alternate universes, kung fu and a Chinese-American owned laundromat is in the running for best picture, best actress (Michelle Yeoh), best supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan) and best director." - The Guardian (UK)
That is to say, some libraries are still doing their darnedest to serve their communities - including creating a library on wheels, with mobile hot spots to serve the most rural residents. - NPR
"We are not tied together by a single religion, race, or ethnicity. Instead, America is organized around a set of ideas that needs to be articulated again and again to survive." And that's not happening, not at all. - The Atlantic
Performers have to meet all kinds of requirements for visas, ranging from the precise addresses where they're staying to financial statements to tickets home - on the same airline. Even then, they're regularly denied access to European venues and tours. - The Observer (UK)
The scholar, teacher, and language lover died at 98. She wrote scripts for the Voice of America, founded the first Asian Studies program in the U.S. in 1970 at City College of New York, and published nine books. - The New York Times
The plan is to reject the nearly 40 theatres' leases after a bankruptcy filing. "The Chapter 11 process makes it easier for companies to walk away from leases without incurring major penalties and to press landlords for better terms." - Insider
"You might be desperate to find a grant ... to allow you to write for two weeks. Or you might have all the money in the world, but other hindrances to you getting to the page. How do we overcome that and live a life that’s dedicated to art?" - Slate
The arts presenter removed the Philly Pops as a resident company, "shutting the group out of Verizon Hall and removing customers’ ability to buy Pops tickets from its website." - Philadelphia Inquirer
