Stories

The Wooster Group Actress Who Disappeared

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

Director Jafar Panahi Calls Iran ‘A Failed State’ After The Arrest Of His Co-Writer

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 Year Young Black Comedians Stole The Super Bowl’s Thunder, And Thence Created The Modern Halftime Show

“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 Year’s Super Bowl Ads Were Bleak For The Future Of Creativity

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

What Happens When Artists Lose Their Archives

“It was the loss of authorship, sequencing, and context. Works that were never meant to exist independently were broken apart and reintroduced to the world as aesthetic fragments. My archive had become modular in the most violent sense. Not by choice, but by necessity and market indifference.” - Hyperallergic

The Ice Dancers With Possibly The Olympics’ Biggest Challenge

“The most decorated ice dance pair in U.S. figure skating history wants more than a team medal in Milan — they want the ice dance gold medal. ... But while they did so much heavy lifting for their team, their competition got extra rest.” - USA Today

The Comic Artists Responding To The Moment With Art

One comic “states: ‘Someday you’ll know that there were so many people thinking and worrying about you even though you don’t know us.’ Other artworks include cartoons of Liam in the bunny hat himself — riding a dragon, or surrounded by a group of bunnies in the snow.” - Minnesota Public Radio

Maybe We’ve Been Getting Bosch All Wrong

“We are supposed to read triptychs from left to right: Adam and Eve → sexy fruit playground of jubilant behavior → decay and hell. ... But the middle panel, where the temptation is happening, is so fun and funny.” - Paris Review

Days After Gutting The Washington Post, Murdoch Media Veteran Will Lewis Abruptly Steps Down

“‘Will Lewis’s exit is long overdue. His legacy will be the attempted destruction of a great American journalism institution,’ said the union representing most Post employees.” - The Guardian (UK)

The Academy Held A ‘Bake-Off’ For Ten Shortlisted Casting Directors To Explain What Casting Actually Is

“Only members of the casting branch vote on the nominations, but the bake-off is open to members from across the Academy, since they’ll be the ones voting on the winner.” - Vulture

For The Director And Star Of This Brazilian Film, There Was A Cost For Being Outspoken

Wagner Moura, Oscar-nominated star of Oscar-nominated movie The Secret Agent says of the movie: It “is a result of something that we both … I don’t want to say, ‘the price we paid’, but it wasn’t easy to be vocal about Bolsonaro.” - The Guardian (UK)

Behind The Two Oscar-Nominated Songs From Documentaries This Year

“One of them is an aria performed an opera star … from an obscure documentary titled Viva Verdi!.” - Variety

Where Has Hollywood’s Production Money Gone?

Quite a bit went to Great Britain last year, actually. - The Guardian (UK)

How Did Milan’s Olympics Opening Ceremony Measure Up, Artistically Speaking?

“Do you know what’s more tubular than snowboarding? Giant tubes of paint descending from the ceiling! More sweeping than curling? A beautiful recital of a poem by a man in a long coat! More thrilling than a hockey brawl? A dance-off between two competing clusters of contemporary dancers!” - Vulture

Yorkshire Takes A Weary Breath, Prepares For Another Onslaught Of Wuthering Heights Fans

One hotel owner: “It could all be a flash in the pan, and that’s fine. If it sticks, that’s also great. What I do know is that I won’t be renaming any rooms as ‘The Jacob Elordi Room’ or ‘The Heathcliff Room.’” - The Guardian (UK)

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