The idea that American history is polyphonic and unflinching, a warts-and-all story relevant to all Americans, is so deeply embedded in the Smithsonian that it is hard to imagine how it could comply with Trump’s demands. - Washington Post
"You use a pay phone in a different way than you use a cellphone. It's not in your pocket. You go and do this goodbye in a place that's different from where you do most of your business. You hear a dial tone. That's the sound of waiting." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
These changing patterns show that one’s relationship with effort isn’t simple. For many people, there’s a sweet spot – a little effort might make something more valuable, but push too far and the value drops. - The Conversation
And yest he’s currently rehearsing the title role at the RSC. “There are certain plays in the canon that teeter on the edge of acceptability. Titus is one of those for me. I don’t understand the violence. I don’t understand why as an audience we feel excited, stimulated, challenged by it.” - The Guardian
In place of pain, we have ennui, the quintessential modern condition. It follows directly from overabundance: an endless stream of video “content” or chocolate cake or edibles or any other indulgence cannot deliver lasting satisfaction. Everything gets old eventually, leaving one to grope around for the next fix. - New Statesman
Shadow Ticket, due out in October, will be the American novelist’s 10th book. Like his previous two, Inherent Vice (2009) and Bleeding Edge (2013), this new work is a noir novel about a private eye. - The Guardian
"Sexual jealousy is an emotion that was once thought to be so universal, such a commonplace experience of a person in love, that no one would think it needed explaining." But we "did not anticipate a world in which jealousy within a relationship would evolve into something that could be analogized to consumer rivalry." - Hedgehog Review
“(His) sly chronicles of cultural excess, celebrity and author profiles, personal essays and investigative work enlivened the pages of a newsstand’s worth of magazines during the medium’s last golden age.” Tina Brown declared, “Jesse was the expert on everything.” - The New York Times
Today the wealth gap is just as significant as it was in Gatsby’s time, but now everyone has a phone. No matter our background, we can observe decadent lifestyles via celebrities and influencers. Social media allows us all to understand Gatsby’s very particular form of envy and social climbing. - The Guardian
It’s never been easy or cheap for global acts to tour here, but visa fees are up and wait times have risen substantially over the last year. Under the new Trump administration, anecdotal stories of foreign tourists, scientists and activists being denied entry or taken into federal custody have rattled outspoken acts. - Los Angeles Times
Global sales of art and antiques have fallen for a second consecutive year, declining by 12% in 2024 to an estimated $57.5 billion, according to the latest annual Art Market Report by Art Basel and UBS. - CNN
Bryan Burroughs: “For sheer cushiness, there’s a case to be made that there has never been a more palatial home for writers than Vanity Fair during Graydon Carter’s twenty-five-year run as editor. … If I share my part of its story accurately, you will probably hate me.” - The Yale Review
“The U.K. version, produced with Sky Studios, will have a British cast of comedians — to be announced later — and follow the same format with famous guest hosts and star musical acts. SNL creator Lorne Michaels will be the executive producer.” - AP
“At first, these outlets seemed good for dance. … They could expose dance to larger mainstream audiences. They could help democratize an industry infamous for subjectivity and selectivity. … (Yet these benefits) became less potent over time. ... And social media’s negative effects can hit dancers with particular force.” - The New York Times
Philip Kennicott on the administration’s attitude toward the Smithsonian's African-American and Indian Museums: “Simply put, Trump would like the actual practice of history — a complex process of research, interpretation and ongoing revision — to resemble the more limited, and often distorted, sense of history offered by statues, monuments and memorials.” - The Washington Post (Yahoo!)
