The studios will kick in $321 million — a record sum — to keep the writers’ health fund solvent. The health plan changes are the centerpiece of the four-year contract reached by the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers over the weekend. - Variety
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced a series of high-profile appointments across its leading arts institutions, led by the naming of conductor and cellist Chang Han-na as the new president and chief executive of the Seoul Arts Center. - Moto Perpetuo
“Scott Guggenheim, who with his wife Shannon Guggenheim owns 3Below Theaters, cited an ongoing landlord dispute as one major factor in what he called a ‘difficult’ decision. ... ‘There were … specific issues — particularly around construction, signage, and commitments — that were not fully realized,' he told the Chronicle.” - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
It’s a phenomenon that has long puzzled psychologists and philosophers alike. Given that we usually dread sadness and strive to avoid it because it feels so bad – from painful conversations to the grief of loss – why do we actively seek it in art? - Psyche
Ghostwriting has an undeservedly bad reputation. Even without AI, some readers feel betrayed if the name on a book’s cover doesn’t tell the whole story. - The Atlantic
While the layoffs are noteworthy, they are a fraction of the size of the cuts overseen by former CEO Bob Iger when he rejoined the company. From 2023 to 2025, multiple rounds eliminated some 8,000 workers, achieving cost savings of $7.5 billion. - Deadline
You can make a solid argument that, except for the particular music being sung (and, today, the inclusion of girls and women), the practice of cathedral choral music is largely unchanged from the days of Elizabeth I. But declining church attendance and financial support are taking a toll. - AP
“Marcel Duchamp is an enigma that art history swallowed and got stuck in its throat. What do we do with him now? I left the Museum of Modern Art’s big new show of Duchamp not sure if I know, or the museum knows, or if the public will know.” - Artnet
“In a blow to the freedom to read in the United States, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that a controversial 2023 Iowa law … can go into effect, reversing a lower court decision and sending the case back for a third hearing.” - Publishing Perspectives
There will be famous actors in the competition, certainly, but they’re in indie-studio productions. Indeed, artistic director Thierry Fremaux said openly, “The United States will be present. Studios less (so). When the studios are less present in Cannes, they are less present full stop.” - The Hollywood Reporter
For 25 years, people have been arguing about whether that this project was a good idea or a terrible one. Here’s a look at each side, at why the building has cost so much, and why director Michael Govan considers the whole thing so important. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
The Walt Disney Co. “is expected to lay off as many as 1,000 employees through role eliminations in the coming months, Variety has learned. Many of the cuts are expected to come from the media giant’s marketing department.” - Variety
“A federal court granted the administration’s request to withdraw its appeal of a federal judge’s earlier ruling that struck down Trump’s attempt last year to dismantle the agency” by executive order. However, the fiscal 2027 budget which the White House is submitting to Congress includes no funding for IMLS. - Publishers Weekly
Maurizio Cattelan has set up a hotline where folks from anywhere can “confess their sins.” Those the artist/father-confessor considers most in need of repentance will be invited to confess to him in real time during an April 23 live-stream. “In a world of sin, absolution has never been so close,” he says. - Euronews
From ACT in San Francisco to Berkeley Rep to Stanford Live, producers and presenters are moving starting times from 8:00 to 7:30, 7:00 or even 6:30. So far, there have been lots of favorable comments and very few complaints. - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
