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Cursive Is A Foreign Language To Gen Z

How will future historians read primary sources if they don't even know what the sources say? - The Atlantic

MoMA’s Photo Curator Returns To France

Clément Chéroux arrived just two years ago, and during his time MoMA "was closed for the coronavirus pandemic and its programming was disrupted." He's leaving to direct the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation in Paris. - The New York Times

Why Cameron Mackintosh Is Willing To Let ‘Phantom’ Go, At Very Long Last

"As a veteran of long-running shows, I’ve found there comes a point with the greatest show where the only thing you can do is to tell people it isn’t going to be there indefinitely." - The New York Times

The Grit Under The Glamour At Hollywood’s St. Francis Hotel

In 1975, Penny Wolin took photos of everything at the St. Francis residential hotel, "from an American man in his 70s and his new French-born girlfriend, to the empty room that had belonged to a stuntman until he died the night before Wolin was due to photograph him." - NPR

This Postal Clerk By Day Was A Masterful Music Producer At Night

Richie Weeks - aka the Love Magician - lived his working life sorting the mail, but his other working life producing and creating music all night. But "I could not give up my pension," he said, "because I thought the music thing might be frivolous." - The New York Times

Another Judge Refuses To Let ‘Rust’ Script Supervisor Lawsuit Continue

The judge "decided two of three claims that Mitchell filed against the producers — assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress — could not proceed." - Los Angeles Times

Azerbaijan Has Destroyed A Massive Percentage Of Cultural Armenian Heritage Sites

"The new report by the Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW) identified 108 medieval and early modern Armenian monasteries, churches, and cemeteries in Nakhichevan that were completely destroyed between 1997 and 2011 — an eradication." - Hyperallergic

Russia’s Self-Mythologizing About Leningrad Leaves Out A Few Inconvenient Truths

So does every other country's belief in its war history, of course. "Versions told by autocrats and family men trample diary entries and letters. Stories, or rather silences, around the Siege have haunted Leningrad-native Barskova her entire life." - LitHub

The Woman King, A War Movie Starring Viola Davis, Surprises Analysts With Its Success

Apparently, some people can't predict when a Black woman-led (and directed) action film might truly perform at the theatre. But "The Woman King received rapturous reviews. More important, ticket buyers gave the PG-13 movie an A-plus grade in CinemaScore exit polls." - The New York Times

How ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Got A Life

As the musical closes, the production team says they're proud of the work that the musical has done to bring teen mental health forward in pop culture. And they give tribute to the twin sisters who saw the show, everywhere, hundreds of times. - American Theatre

Sacheen Littlefeather Gets An Apology From The Academy

"The Native American activist, who endured decades of harassment after declining Marlon Brando's best actor prize at the 1973 Oscars ceremony, received a formal apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." - CBC

The Motion Picture Academy Thinks New Producers Can Solve The Oscars Viewership Issues

"The academy is looking for more experienced TV veterans to steer the Oscars, which has been dogged by declining ratings for years, and hopes to establish an ongoing relationship with producers over multiple years." Then there was the Slap. - Los Angeles Times

Palm Trees Ignite At The Hollywood Bowl After A Sound Of Music Sing-Along

The fire "was first reported shortly after 11 p.m. involving 10 trees at the location of Highland Avenue and the Hollywood Freeway, near the storied outdoor concert venue." No injuries were reported, and the fire was quickly extinguished. - The Hollywood Reporter

Emojis Make Communication Easier And Faster, Survey Says

Shocker: Ninety-one percent of emoji users "like to employ them to 'lighten the mood of a conversation.' ... The presence of a little smiley face helps soften our tenth request that someone take out the trash that’s been sitting by the front door for two days 😉."  - Hyperallergic

What ‘Atlanta’ Gave To The Cultural Landscape

"Agile in its strangeness from the beginning, Atlanta never lacked for awe. It reveled in it. What gave the series its juice was its willingness to experiment while staying true to the intonations of Black storytelling." - Wired

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