The (very) popular social media and community site will now require a facial scan or government ID scan for age verification. After an incident in October where a third-party vendor breach exposed thousands of government IDs, it’s possible that not every user will trust this plan. - The Verge
In addition, Chappell Roan (“Pink Pony Club”) is said to be leaving the agency whether he steps down or not. And "pressure against Wasserman has been mounting. Two LA Council members demanded that Wasserman resign from the chairmanship of the LA28, the city’s Olympic committee.” - The Wrap
The AI-supported “findings supported scholars who had suggested that both versions were studio paintings – produced in the artist’s workshop but not necessarily by him,” but surprised some art historians, who now wonder whether an original exists somewhere. - The Guardian (UK)
“Conservatory-trained musicians are expected to execute written texts flawlessly while sounding convincingly fluid and expressive. Loosening inhibition can seem like a solution to both anxiety and excessive rigidity. But alcohol is a blunt tool.” - The New York Times
Tabouret: “It’s not very French to change stuff, so I thought that interesting as well as brave and fresh. They specifically wanted figurative painting, which also isn’t very French.” But church authorities eventually gave her a lot of artistic freedom. - The Guardian (UK)
Alabama had no professional recording studios before a man named Rick Hall created FAME. Then the town became songwriting and recording central. “They were like, well, we can work in the aluminum factory, or we can find a way to make a hit record. I know which is more fun.” - NPR
“Every night, I would sit in my room listening to recordings of Bach, then Horowitz and Ashkenazy, pretending to play along. It was pure escape, pure fantasy. I could hide inside the music. ... The Chaconne specifically was like an ancient key that slid into my heart.” - The Guardian (UK)
“After Bad Bunny said ‘God bless America’ in English, he added in Spanish, ‘Be it Chile, Argentina … ' and the countries of Latin America, suggesting he meant America broadly, not only the United States. (He also said ‘United States’ and ‘Canada’ in English.)” - The New York Times
Libby Howes, who was central to the group’s avant-garde breakthrough Rumstick Road, left the theatre during a psychotic breakdown. “For decades, Howes’s location has been a mystery; she has been an unquiet absence, one of the ghosts in the avant-garde’s machine.” - The New York Times
Panahi: "It is a failed state politically, ideologically, economically, culturally and environmentally. And it is not going to be able to last. The only reason it has survived is because of the amount of force it has used.” - NPR
“The final ratings were the big headline. Altogether, 22 million people switched from CBS to Fox for the In Living Color alt-cast, outdrawing Winter Magic and cratering ratings for the second half. Washington dominating the game didn’t help. The NFL was shook.” - The Guardian (UK)
This Super Bowl was “the first with A.I. taking center stage—a revealing gametime moment for the tech as it confronts investor anxiety, broader fatigue, and fears of impending economic crisis. ...The real twist is that consumers seem to loathe this marketing ploy.” - Slate
