The South African government objected to the sale, which was scheduled to take place later this month, arguing that several items on the block, including the key to Mandela’s prison cell, had been illegally exported from the country. - Artnet
What was satire then is ideology today: Cynicism—the belief that people are generally morally bankrupt and behave treacherously in order to maximize self-interest—dominates American culture. - The Atlantic
Morgan’s leadership — which was characterized by people who knew and worked with him as values-based, community-oriented, and energetic — left no doubt among those at the Oakland Symphony about what the identity of the organization moving forward would be. - San Francisco Classical Voice
The Standard-Bearer (1636) is being purchased from the Rothschild family via a trust in the Cook Islands which is owned by a holding company in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — this while the government's official policy is (supposed to be) to crack down on tax avoidance. - The Guardian
It's no secret that Hollywood has faced accusations of ageism, seeking younger audiences at the expense of older players both in front of and behind the camera. Yet the priorities and business model of streaming, and the abundance of content that it has created, appears to be tinkering with that math. - CNN
The series, titled The Real Dirty Dancing and debuting on Fox on February 1, will feature eight celebrities learning routines from the film at the lodge where the original was shot. - Deadline
According to MRC Data, old songs now represent 70% of the US music market. Those who make a living from new music—especially that endangered species known as the working musician—have to look on these figures with fear and trembling. - Ted Gioia
Following a full lockdown over Christmas, salons, gyms, and brothels were allowed to reopen this week while arts venues had to remain shuttered. So the Van Gogh Museum offered manicures, the Mauritshuis held fitness classes, and the Concertgebouw gave haircuts as Susanna Mälkki conducted Ives's Second Symphony. - France 24
We had to learn to insert ourselves into social media conversations, and that will continue to be a series of moving goalposts. Facebook, for instance, was still free when we started, but they now actively shut down any attempts to spread word if you aren’t paying for it. - LitHub
COVID passes will no longer be required to attend performances, and while many venues will continue to ask patrons to remain masked, that will no longer be mandated by the government. - Yahoo! (Press Association UK)
"Ads that ran for 30 seconds outperformed others on most key performance indicators such as engagement, brand effect, and recall, and were also heard as more trustworthy, likable and relevant," said Audacy's chief research officer about the study. - Inside Radio
He'll receive the honor (the first since COVID arrived) at the traditional Kennedy Center tribute, this year on April 24 — joining a comic pantheon that includes Richard Pryor, Jonathan Winters, Whoopi Goldberg, Lily Tomlin, Lorne Michaels, Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, Carol Burnett, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. - MSN (The Washington Post)
She painted the mural For The Women's House at the women's wing of the New York City prison complex back in 1971. She visited Riker's in 2019 and found the mural was in a spot where few people could see it, so she requested the transfer. - The New York Times
