Everybody hated Prince Harry's memoir, which nevertheless became the fastest-selling book in history. A country hit managed to divide much of America. A rock star kissed his bandmate on stage and got thrown out of a country. Gwyneth Paltrow briefly managed to get most people on her side. - BBC
There’s a gap between the backlash Chappelle generates online and his live shows with legions of fans. Amid this comedy culture war, he’s doubling down and cashing in. - The Wall Street Journal
Scientist Henkjan Honing and his colleagues have found that even newborns have the ability to recognize a beat and to notice when a regular rhythm is broken. - Nautilus
New research released by the American Library Association found that more than half of Gen Zers and Millennials surveyed in 2022 had visited a physical library location in the previous year. And of the Gen Zers and Millennials who said that they did not identify as readers, more than half still reported going to the library. - The Atlantic
"In a world … where moviegoing isn’t what it once was and blockbusters run three hours … a great trailer gets audiences motivated to check out a film on opening weekend. But the very best previews are so much more than that: They hold up as short-form works of art in their own right." - Variety
"If the former colonizers of Togo saw the Palais de Lomé, the country’s first major art and culture park, they might have found it a 'nightmare,' said Sonia Lawson, the center’s founding director." - ARTnews
An author puts a hold on releasing a Russia-set novel, private equity buys one of the big US publishers, controversies break out over the work of two big-name dead writers, book-banners (including a certain governor) on the warpath, people flip out over software … - Literary Hub
Preliminary findings from an upcoming report reveal that only a third of responding institutions say audience engagement is back to 2019 levels; for performing arts organizations, the figure is only 15%. 23% of the groups are still at "reduced capacity," down 10 points from last year. - WHYY (Philadelphia)
"Despite positive attendance numbers in the spring and fall, … several of the city’s larger organizations … are in a similar boat — single ticket sales are increasing, but not fast enough to cover the decrease in subscriptions. As an outlier, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust reports robust subscriptions for its Broadway series." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In addition to Sarafina!, which became a worldwide hit, Ngema is remembered internationally for the 1981 satire Woza Albert, which won over 20 awards in various countries. - AP
Fay Weldon, Russell Banks, Charles Simic, Kenzaburo Oe, Dubravka Ugresic, D.M. Thomas, Martin Amis, Cormac McCarthy, Robert Gottlieb, Milan Kundera, Edith Grossman, Louise Glück, A.S. Byatt, … - Literary Hub
Such is occasionally the cost of doing business when you work in the same tight-knit industry as your identical twin. Turns out, Jean said, mix-ups are “really good for networking.” - The New York Times
To take stock of the past year, Artforum asked an international group of artists to select a single exhibition or event that most memorably caught their attention in 2023. - ArtForum
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program, established in 1993 to identify and nurture talented African American and Latino music students, began with a simple question from Azira G. Hill. - ArtsATL
While more than four fifths of recorded music is consumed via streaming, vinyl continues to make a comeback. Sales rose by 11.7% to 5.9 million units in 2023, increasing for the 16th year in a row, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) trade group. - BBC
