Stories

Film Archivists Plan To Edit And Complete Orson Welles’s Unfinished “Don Quixote”

“Oja Kodar, the American film-maker’s partner and collaborator, has given her blessing to the project led by archives in France, Spain and Italy, along with the Munich film museum, to produce a coherent film out of 30 hours of footage scattered among them.” - The Guardian

Italy Acquires 2,400-Year-Old Frescoes From Ancient Etruscan Tomb

“The Culture Ministry announced in May that it had acquired the fresco panels, dating from the 4th century, from members of the Torlonia family, one of Italy’s ancient noble families whose vast collection of antiquity has long been kept out of the public domain.” - AP

Penelope Keith, One Of Britain’s Most Beloved Sitcom Actresses, Is Dead At 86

“In the late 1970s and early 1980s, (she became) one of Britain's most popular comedy actresses through her work in the BBC sitcoms The Good Life and To the Manor Born: she was both convincing and funny when portraying imperious and autocratic ‘grand ladies’.” - The Telegraph (UK) (Yahoo!)

New York’s Little Island Has Cut Its Performance Schedule In Half

Last summer the outdoor venue on stilts in the Hudson River presented 100 performances over four months; this year’s season is offering 56 performances over six weeks. The stated reason for the change is that funder Barry Diller “wants to take programming in a different direction.” - The New York Times

Comcast Is Splitting Itself In Two, Spinning NBCUniversal Into A Separate Company

“The stand-alone NBCUniversal will include Universal’s film and television studios, its growing theme parks division, the NBC and Telemundo networks, Bravo, Peacock, and the European media business, Sky. The remaining Comcast business will consist of the company’s broadband, wireless and cable television operations.” - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)

Appeals Court Upholds Harvey Weinstein’s L.A. Rape Conviction But Orders Re-Sentencing

“A three-judge panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal unanimously issued the decision, saying his trial judge did not violate the former movie magnate’s constitutional rights. … The decision came a day after prosecutors in New York decided Weinstein would not face a fourth trial there.” - AP

Critics Might Have Hated The Michael Jackson Movie, But It’s Now The Highest-Grossing Biopic Of All Time

The recently released Michael Jackson movie has overtaken Oppenheimer as the highest-grossing biopic of all time, after taking $977m (£739m) at the worldwide box office. - BBC

The AI Design Aesthetic That’s Taking Over The Internet

As Claude Design catches on among Anthropic users, a generic-design aesthetic is emerging that’s as noticeable as text-based A.I. tics such as overenthusiastic em-dash usage or “not X . . . but Y” constructions. - The New Yorker

Why You Need To Be A Better Reader

Navigating today’s digital information landscape requires strong critical evaluation skills. Reading plays a central role in this process by serving not only as a means of acquiring information but also of distinguishing credible claims from misinformation. But only a specific kind of reading builds that capacity. The difference is between passive and active reading. - The Conversation

When Being A Critic Was Glamorous

If you look at these people—literally look at photos or watch footage—you discover that they were either beautiful or charismatic, or both. They all appeared on television. Among fiction writers of that time, maybe Philip Roth had some of that swagger, quick wit, amused air, though he also had a professorial, sweater-wearing side.  - The Ideas Letter

Did Marcel Duchamp Wreck Modern Art?

Duchamp left behind a legacy that people either love or loathe. He is known as the father of conceptual art, but his so-called ideas were mostly idle notions, provocations, speculations. Opinion divides on whether he snuffed out or emancipated art.  - The Atlantic

Restorers Discover How A Rembrandt Painting Was Altered

Layers of overpaint have been removed from a 17th-century painting, confirming that it was painted by Rembrandt and revealing that a turban on one of the figures had been replaced with a traditional Dutch soft cap. - The Guardian

How Do We Learn To Read Books Again?

I don’t necessarily believe that reading books is going to automatically fix everything in your life or anything. I do think, however, it is kind of a panacea for a lot of the ills and a lot of the struggles that we’ve brought into our life through these tech platforms. - The Atlantic

Why Are GenZers Flocking To Movie Theatres To Watch Reality TV?

Where binge-watching reality TV used to happen in the secret and safety of your own home, the popularity of “Love Island USA,” and shows like it, are redefining community for millions of viewers. - Washington Post

Higher Ed Has Lost Public Trust. What To Do?

The reports differ in their diagnoses of where higher education went wrong and, by extension, of what should be done now. But their mere existence proves, if nothing else, that America’s universities have finally gotten the message: People don’t like them very much. - The Atlantic

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