Stories

Police Bust World’s Largest Pirate Movie Site

Fmovies launched in 2016 and racked up 374 million monthly visits more than 6.7 billion visits from January 2023-June 2024. Data from SimilarWeb ranked Fmovies as the 280th most visited website in any category and the 11th most popular TV, movies and streaming website. - Engadget

Carole Rothman, Founder Of Broadway’s Second Stage Theater: Exit Interview

As she approaches her not-entirely-amicable departure after 45 years, the 73-year-old artistic director discusses the challenges she faced as a woman in the industry, her favorite memories (and her biggest disaster) and what her future in the theater may look like. - The New York Times

How Democrats And Republicans Are Using Music In This Campaign

In 2024, both main parties recognise the positive power of music. While campaign songs and rally playlists encourage a sense of unity, they also send important messages to the wider electorate, reinforcing and differentiating the identity of the party and leader. - The Conversation

What Dancers And Choreographers Should Consider When Presented With Non-Disclosure Agreements

There are very legitimate concerns which such agreements can protect against, so an NDA shouldn't be rejected on general principle. Here's what to look for to make sure that the document is safeguarding creative product and personal security rather than covering up malfeasance. - Dance Magazine

Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Is Out After Only Nine Months

"The chair of the OA board, Rod Sims, said that Davies’s contract was prematurely severed by mutual agreement … due to 'differences of opinion about how Opera Australia should successfully balance artistic innovation, audience development and commercial imperatives moving forward'." Sources say a mediator had to be brought in. - The Guardian

NPR Is Hiring A “Joy Czar”

"Embedded in the newsroom throughout the year, the person will aim to 'ratchet up our ‘joy’ quotient across platforms,' according to an internal memo." - Bloomberg

About 96 Percent Of NFTs Are “Dead”: Study

After examining over 5,000 NFT collections and collecting 5 million transactions from NFTScan, researchers found that the overwhelming majority are dead (zero trading volume or social media activity), 43% of NFT holders have lost money on them, and the average loss is 44.5%. - NFTevening

University Of The Arts Rescue Plan, A Merger With Temple University, Is Scuttled

"The Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, which contributed about half of UArts’ $62 million endowment, is not in favor of that money going to Temple as part of the deal, which largely appears to be sinking it. … Temple did not want to engage in a legal battle with a charitable trust." - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Publishers File First Amendment Lawsuit Against Florida Over School Library Law

"Florida’s statute ... requires districts to set up a process for a parent or resident of the county to contest school and classroom library materials that they believe contain pornographic or sexual content. The country’s largest publishing houses say Florida has unleashed a wave of censorship." - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)

Ticket Sales At Bayreuth Rebound, Special 150th Anniversary Ring Cycle Announced

After a worrisome dip in attendance in 2023 (to 97%), ticket sales to the summer Wagner mecca were up to a total of 58,000 this year. The festival's 2026 sesquicentennial will feature a special performance of the Ring tetralogy, the first Bayreuth production of Rienzi, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. - AP

The Latest Takedown: ABBA Asks Trump Not To Play Their Music At Rallies

"Together with the members of Abba, we have discovered that videos have been released where Abba's music has been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately removed and taken down." - BBC

Is The Traditional Summer Vacation Bad For Education? (And Students)

Some education advocates tout the benefits of what’s called a “balanced calendar,” which spreads vacation time equally across the seasons—a reimagining of what school can be, for the betterment of working parents, teachers, and students alike. - The Walrus

Why Did Canada’s Top Museum Push Out A Visionary Curator?

For many, Nanibush’s departure was a catastrophe. Prior to her arrival, the AGO, like many museums, tended to treat Indigenous culture as something ossified and static. Nanibush changed that completely. - The Walrus

What Netflix Standup Specials Say About The State Of Today’s Comedy

Like other performers in our Balkanized, make-your-own-prime-time-entertainment landscape, many comedians act less like artists or court jesters than like notionally humorous leaders of affinity groups or of minor, mostly harmless cults. - The New Yorker

How Policing Audience Phones Changes Meaning In The Theatre

The “Starbucks!” sticker is an effort to physically prevent photography and videos circulating online. But this seemingly innocuous action creates a ripple effect about the meanings created within the production and the social aspect of theatre-going. - The Conversation

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