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Contemplating Frank Auerbach’s Work

Auerbach “grasped the unknowability of other people, the limits of love, the obstacles obstructing our longing for a secure place in the world. He wanted to convey the urgency of the insecurity that he believed was fundamental to our human situation.” - Washington Post

Activists Protest Outside Art Basel Miami

“Organizers from local groups ... used the international art fair as a platform to criticize the Miami Beach government, which doubled its investment in Israeli bonds to $20 million last year.” - Hyperallergic

Marvin Laird, Who Conducted Broadway Shows And Wrote The Music For Ruthless, Has Died At 85

Bernadette Peters, with whom he often worked, said, "The orchestras loved him. He had a great sense of humor and they respected his musicianship. … He knew what I was going to do before I did it.” - The New York Times

Benjamin Britten Acted In Cinderella, And Prokofiev Went Ice Skating

How was the Christmas season for Europe’s great composers? - Classical Music

Silvia Pinal, Golden Age Star Of Mexican Cinema, Has Died At 93

“The golden-haired Ms. Pinal, who collected more than 100 film and television credits in a career that began in the late 1940s, was known for balancing urbane glamour with saucy humor and sensuality” - and for working with Luis Buñuel on the Palme d’Or-winning Viridiana. - The New York Times

You’ll Never Guess How Indie Rock’s Boom Went Disastrously Bust

There was a time when bands could make a living. Now we’re in “an indie business landscape that’s particularly inhospitable to emerging artists looking to establish careers off their work.” - Hearing Things

Olivia Wilde Wants To Change The Childhood Narratives Around Film

The director - and actor - says that when little girls love movies, they’re told they should be actors. But “I think when little boys say they love movies, people say ‘You should be a director.’” She would like to make the messages more equal. - Variety

Angela Alvarez, Great-Grandmother Who Won A Grammy At 95, Has Died

Alvarez, 97 when she died, won a Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in 2022. As she accepted her award, she said, “Although life is difficult, there is always a way out, and with faith and love you can achieve it. … It’s never too late.” - The New York Times

How To Detach Your Musical Taste From Spotify’s Algorithm

“Even if you think you are making an active choice – I am playing this song, I’m listening to this genre – the algorithm is still quietly influencing you.” Is it possible to break free, aside from abandoning the data mining app that is Spotify? - Slate

Can One Simply Age Into Acceptance Of Terrible Holiday Movies?

“Everything about the modern Christmas movie is so relentlessly familiar. Even the stars I don’t recognize look somehow inherently recognizable, as if they are all fitted with squinting approximations of famous faces. I’ve found myself charmed by their commitment to the bit.” - The New York Times

Dick Van Dyke Is Singing And Dancing In A New Coldplay Video, At 98

If there were ever an argument for dance (and a sense of humor) as a way to extend one’s life, well: Dick Van Dyke in a suit and tie, barefoot, dancing in his California backyard as he nears his 99th birthday, is it. - Vulture

Wicked Is A Blockbuster Movie, Sure, But The Real Story Arrived In Front Of Other Cameras

“Grande and Erivo have been praised for their performances onscreen, but they have also been performing in a parallel show, making viral magic on the press tour.” - The New York Times

The History Behind Denmark’s Oscar Entry Shows The Pressures Of 20th Century Life

“The co-writers were also interested in details about the world that produced someone like Dagmar. Copenhagen in the post-WWI years was crowded and people could easily disappear.” - Time

Good Thing Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers Were Recovered, So They Could Be Sold At Auction

Wow, OK, these slippers better work as claimed: “The final bid of $28 million was the largest sum spent at an auction for a piece of entertainment memorabilia, the auction house said.” - The New York Times

Google Really, Really Doesn’t Want To Be Regulated Like A Bank

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found a lot of issues around Google Pay - but "says its finding that Google should be supervised doesn’t mean the company is 'guilty of wrongdoing.’” - The Verge

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