"In the latest in a string of financial and legal battles, the Philly Pops is being sued in a federal racketeering lawsuit by its former artistic director of jazz, Terell Stafford, who alleges he wrongfully lost his job and is owed money under his contract." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
The biggest flaw for film writers, I began to realize, was that often writers are told to draft superfluous articles about celebrities to satisfy a publication’s advertisers and investors. In return, writers and editors make enough to pay their bills. - The Smart Set
After 15 years running Geneva's opera house, he returned to Paris to restore the national opera after years of shrinking audiences, administrative turmoil, the flight of top-tier singers, and the difficult opening of the Opéra-Bastille. He had more success than most observers had dared hope for. - Forumopera (France) (via Google Translate)
Last weekend’s failures may mark the beginning of an unusual summer packed with Pyrrhic victories and well-reviewed but overlooked projects. Still, a bad Memorial Day weekend doesn’t mean that the movie industry is in free fall. - The Atlantic
"The most avid audiobook listeners consumed an average of 6.8 titles in 2023, the survey found, marking an increase from 6.3 in 2022. Among a broader survey group, which included those who had ever listened to an audiobook, the average number of audiobooks listened to last year was 4.8." - Publishers Weekly
"Programs that address this discontent exhibit a remarkably consistent set of characteristics. They are interdisciplinary, integrating methods and perspectives—from, say, engineering and the social sciences—that are normally kept apart." - Persuasion
"Amanda Jones vividly remembers the time she received her first death threat. … Jones lost 50 pounds, took medical leave from work and watched in disbelief as chunks of her hair started to fall out. Knowing something had to change in the spring of 2023, she filed a lawsuit and wrote her book." - The Guardian
That publishing decision is not being met with glee in either the U.S. or Canada. “‘It's hard to simultaneously draw the ire of black people, white people, conservatives, AND liberals… But I think you've just done it,’ rapper and podcaster Zuby replied on X.” - CBC
For every rave like Entertainment Weekly's ("jaw-droppingly gorgeous from start to finish"), there's a critique like this from The New York Times ("too often a misguided attempt to resuscitate the show breaks its ribs"). Director Rebecca Frecknall and stars Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin consider why. - The Washington Post (MSN)
"In the decades since she founded Richmond Ballet in 1980, she has grown the organization from a local troupe of 12 dancers with an operating budget of $164,000 to a 20-dancer-strong, internationally recognized company with a budget of just under $7 million." - Pointe Magazine
"Summerhall, … (a) complex of galleries, theatres and a cinema … housed in the city’s former veterinary school, has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s most innovative and critically acclaimed venues since it was set up 12 years ago by a wealthy benefactor, Robert McDowell." - The Guardian
That's the term SFMOMA director Christopher Bedford uses; Hirshhorn Museum director Melissa Chiu calls it "radical accessibility." Ted Loos reports on how those two institutions and Atlanta's High Museum are putting the idea into practice. - The New York Times
A former assistant conductor at the Dallas Symphony and Dudamel Fellow at the L.A. Philharmonic, the 36-year-old German takes up her position in the fall of 2025. Robert Spano will remain Principal Conductor through this coming season and then become Principal Guest Conductor. - Pizzicato
"The activist targeted (Monet's) 'Poppy Field' ..., affixing a sticker that covered about half the painting with an apocalyptic vision of the same scene. The group said it’s supposed to show what the field would look like in 2100, 'ravaged by flames and drought,' if more action isn’t taken against climate change." - AP
"Louisville Public Media … says it has an operating budget deficit of $755,000. To make up for the shortfall, it’s laying off six full-time staff and two part-time staff. It’s also eliminating two unfilled positions. The stations feeling the impact include WFPK Independent Louisville, WUOL Classical Louisville and WFPL News." - Inside Radio
