Stories

Just this year, authorities have gone after social media, high-profile actors, highbrow artists, reality TV, K-pop fans, feature films, video games, and "sissyness". Intelligentsia both within and beyond China, worried about a return to Mao-era totalitarian control, are calling this "the great leap backward." - The Guardian

In a dizzying four-decade career she won nine Tony Awards and gave New York audiences more than 60 Broadway productions, including such hits as “Equus,” “Amadeus” and “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.” - The New York Times

The CBS newsmagazine 48 Hours does a 42-minute report on founders John and Ashley Benefield, the idealistic dance company that collapsed just as it was beginning operations, and the conflicts that led to one of the couple shooting the other. - CBS News

Envisioned as a 21st-century online successor to the United States' first anti-slavery newspaper, The Emancipator will operate as a not-for-profit and will focus initially on commentary, with plans to add audio-video, longform nonfiction, data visualization, and history annotation. - Nieman Lab

As the head of the makeup and wig department puts it, "I would love about six months. We have six weeks." - The New York Times

The Royal Shakespeare Company's artistic director is taking indefinite compassionate leave (the UK equivalent of family/medical leave) to care for his husband, actor Antony Sher, as he faces a terminal illness. - The Guardian

After working as an international correspondent starting in 2004, she became host of the Sunday morning flagship in 2017. She made the announcement on Twitter, saying, "Like much of the US, I need a break!" - Current

It's been 18 years since the project was first proposed, and there have been messy conflicts over costs and content (notably over the inclusion of dissident artist Ai Weiwei), but the official opening date is set: November 12. - South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)

A student of William Pleeth and Mstislav Rostropovich, he made his solo debut at 18 with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic and developed an extensive international career and a wide-ranging discography. - The Strad

Given the revolutionary nature of the music, it’s no surprise that many in the field greeted it with such disdain. - The Guardian

Christopher Knight: "Although the department store would not have made good art museum exhibition space, it is now very easy to see how well it would work for virtually every other art museum function." - Los Angeles Times

Suddenly, the unthinkable had happened: Tom Cruise seemingly now had nothing to do. - Deadline

High hopes for the imminent arrival of general AI have been there from the very beginning, and the successes of machine learning keep them high. - The New Atlantis

It comes after a former teenage prisoner sued media companies over Facebook comments posted below articles about his mistreatment in detention. - BBC

These days it pays to look at things from a sober perspective, but let’s face it: glitz can be fun. - Toronto Star