ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

Why Was “Batgirl” Canceled? For a Tax Writedown, Say Sources

"Batgirl was a casualty of new corporate strategy from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who opted to shelve the project in order to take a tax write-down on the $90 million film," which would recoup more money than releasing the film would. - The Hollywood Reporter

Here Are Ten More Movies Hollywood Completed And Then Shelved

In honor of Batgirl, Ernie Smith remembers a group of other films — seven of which are from since the turn of the millennium, and most of which featured some major talent — that were canned rather than released, sometimes for surprising reasons. - Tedium

Met Museum Makes Max Hollein CEO As Well As Director

"The move returns the museum to its single chief management structure. ... The Met's current two-pronged leadership structure, which is unusual for art museums, was put in place in 2017, after Thomas P. Campbell resigned under pressure as director and chief executive." - The New York Times

Only Months Before Release, Studio Scraps Batgirl Movie After Spending $90 Million

Following reports that the Burbank studio giant will no longer offer the movie on its streaming platform or in theaters, filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah issued a joint statement Wednesday expressing their disappointment. - Los Angeles Times

One Of Every Five Nightclubs In London Has Gone Out Of Business

The NTIA recorded the lowest number of nightclubs on record - 1,130 - in its latest set of data, based on the situation in England, Wales and Scotland. In March 2020, when the figures were last published, the number was 1,418. - BBC

Canadians Excel At American Reality TV. Why?

Canadians performing well against Americans isn’t a new concept in sports, but the recent onscreen successes raise the obvious question: Are Canadians just better at reality TV? - Toronto Star

What’s Wrong With American Cheerfulness

At its worst, cheer can be breezily dishonest, an on-demand feeling that we can project to get what we want. It can also be a burden, especially for women and people of color, many of whom feel pressure to be constantly upbeat. - The Atlantic

Stephen King Testifies In Mega-Book-Publisher Merger Trial. Here’s What He Said

During 45 minutes of testimony, King laid out the changes he’s witnessed over a half-century career in collaboration with a number of different publishers. He described independent publishers becoming increasingly “squeezed” by conglomerates. - Los Angeles Times

Academy Of Motion Pictures Elects A New President

Producer Janet Yang brings a deep well of experience within the film industry and in the academy itself. Her producing credits include “The Joy Luck Club,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt” and the Oscar-nominated 2020 animated feature “Over the Moon.” - Los Angeles Times

Professional Theater Has Been Endangering Its Actors, Literally, For Generations. Now Actors Are Finally Pushing For Safety.

"In return for the privilege of scraping by in a field they love, they are commonly expected to endanger themselves physically and emotionally." Long hours, exhaustion, even severe injury.  Post-pandemic, some are insisting that it doesn't have to be this way.  (Others insist it does.) - The New York Times

When Buckminster Fuller Met Steve Jobs

Fuller had devoted his career to predicting the impact of technology, but he saw nothing special in Apple: “I remember him saying that he thought the computer was a toy.” - Fast Company

Trying To Figure Out The Sexual-Abuse Scandal At Boston Ballet (Which Doesn’t Involve The Company At All)

The accusations are by ex-students of former principal ballerina Dusty Buttons and, especially, her husband. Gretchen Voss spent months investigating the case: "I made breakthroughs with my reporting that I didn't fully expect, with consequences I didn't expect, either. The more I learned, the more elusive the truth became." - Boston Magazine

Dana Gioia: Poetry Is Essential To Religion

At the risk of offending most believers, it is necessary to state a simple but ­unacknowledged truth: It is impossible to understand the full glory of Christianity without understanding its poetry. - First Things

Europe’s Radio Orchestras Mustn’t Be Allowed To Disappear

"Public service radio orchestras have been one of the great civilising forces of the last century. That may be an unsexy proposition but ... it is one that is important not just for Europe's past, but its future too."  - The New European

Are Our Emotions Shaped By The Words We Use?

Instead of seeing emotions as bequeathed by biology, we might see them as learned: “instilled in us by our parents and other cultural agents,” or “conditioned by recurrent experiences within our cultures.”  - The New Yorker

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');