NPR's beloved books editor Petra Mayer died a few weeks ago, and so "Books We Love" is named and created "in the spirit of Petra that we don't do best . We do the greatest books for you, whatever you want to read." - NPR
"A land acknowledgment is what you give when you have no intention of giving land. It is like a receipt provided by a highway robber, noting all the jewels and gold coins he has stolen. ... It is difficult to exaggerate the superficiality of these statements." - The Atlantic
It's not over yet, so perhaps not. "In the hospitals, there has been something like a wartime atmosphere of disaster, but for so many of us, lockdown was a period of waiting. The challenge for writers is to create narrative out of people staying at home." - The Guardian (UK)
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles, Josh Groban, members of every Broadway show up right now, and many, many other people gathered "on the red stairs above TKTS in Times Square" to sing the composer's "Sunday." - Variety
They've got a lot in common with Chinese censors, says Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon and Far from the Tree. "I had written my book to help people, and now it was being held up as derelict and unpatriotic." - The New York Times
It's almost like a media long-tail development: "The sudden chill in the regulatory climate may fan the flames of another significant business trend. There’s a growing crowd of investors and private-equity groups ... waiting to pounce on small pieces of old empires." - Variety
And that's because human brains are so energy hungry that they train hard to be energy-efficient. What happens when actual machines can mimic the brain? - Wired
Perhaps the Australian journalist who screwed up his country's only interview with Adele was trying to resist her massive PR team. But the performer (& her team) also convinced Spotify to change its automatic shuffle. In short, power cuts many ways. - The Observer (UK)
The Brit Awards announced they "would do away with gendered awards categories entirely, following in the footsteps of the Grammy Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards and the Juno Awards." A big concern: Women performers may get shut out once again. - CBC
Gaby Hoffman's public life began when she was five, and stepmom Cindy Sherman took photos of her dressed as the Devil. She had her own sitcom at 12. But somehow - by dint of taking years off - she still loves acting. - The Guardian (UK)
At the Washington Ballet, for instance, "Dancers younger than 12 will be wearing custom-designed masks to match their party frocks, clown costumes and mouse fur. These kids will also need a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before any performance." - Washington Post
The author of The Lovely Bones wrote about her rape in her 1999 memoir, Lucky, which was in the process of being made into a movie - but the original producer's own research led to Anthony Broadwater's exoneration. - Los Angeles Times (AP)
Yes, it's corporate, and yes, representation is incredibly important. "I'm creating sacred space," one of the artists said - and, from a business point of view, the inclusivity sends a message to potential consumers who care about that value as well. - CBC
