"(He) somehow managed to know nearly every significant cultural figure of the past half-century. Mickey Mantle confided in him. … Martin Scorsese taught him film directing at NYU. He (did) surprise cameos with Robin Williams." Billie Holiday took him to the movies. Tiffany Haddish calls him her godfather. - MSN (The Washington Post)
The law, which passed earlier this year via a majority Republican Legislature, forbids "any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation" in grades K-6. - Axios
"Under the name @seanalator, Sean Bankhead built a YouTube channel to showcase his unique style; a routine set to Beyoncé’s 'Run The World (Girls)' went viral and reached 8.4 million views, and soon Bankhead was working with the likes of Missy Elliott and Katy Perry." - GQ
"That’s not a matter of preference, such as not caring for sports or pets; it’s a pathological condition. Accordingly, it’s been given one of those Greek-derived diagnostic labels that allow us to imagine we’ve established a scientific truth rather than merely invented a term: 'musical anhedonia.'" - Literary Hub
All these movies are awards contenders, and each of them, in a different way, is enthralling. What they add up to is the glorious resurgence of a form that never went away but is reaching a new peak of influence. Yet you might well ask: Why the biopic, and why now? - Variety
"Étienne Cabet's fictional 1840 travelogue, Voyage en Icarie (Travels in Icaria), … was so popular and affecting that it led hundreds of French citizens to leave their homes and journey to the United States to realize the egalitarian paradise he had described." - Smithsonian Magazine
The federal government had estimated earlier this year that Google's compensation should amount to about $172 million. Google estimated the value at $100 million. - CBC
The average top-end ticket outside of London comes in at £49.19, compared with £141.37 for West End shows, while the average cheapest ticket in theatres outside of London was £21.27 – 16% less than in the West End in 2023. - The Stage
The French-Canadian company ... opened its first permanent show, Mystère, at Treasure Island three decades ago. … Cirque has since grown into a billion-dollar entertainment juggernaut with six shows running twice a night up and down the 4.2-mile Strip, not to mention its worldwide tours." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
As the CEO of the San Diego-based nonprofit newsroom inewsource says, "People want to ‘see’ more in the news, as is evidenced by the growing audiences on social media sites like Instagram. The allure — and mandate — of visuals inspired us to hire (two-time Pulitzer winner) Steve (Breen)." - Nieman Lab
Jeremy Hobson, the creator of the weekly evening show called The Middle, "found much of modern public radio’s heavily produced, pre-recorded nature grating, as it appeared the hosts were too scripted, sounded unnatural, and pandered to a single worldview." - The Daily Beast
She's known to wider audiences for playing formidable mothers in the series ER, Cheers, Sex in the City, and The Closer, but her greatest achievements were on stage: she garnered two Obies, six Tony nominations and two Tony wins. - AP
After a baby seagull under the roof dislodged a bunch of asbestos in 2017, what was then a very decrepit Colston Hall was closed for a major overhaul. It took three years longer than planned, at nearly triple the original budget, but the Bristol Beacon is now open. - BBC
"Almost 2,000 plays by more than 1,000 writers are accessible on the theatre’s Living Archive, along with lists of their casts and directors. Vicky Featherstone … has wanted to create an easily accessible digital archive of works performed at the theatre since she became artistic director 10 years ago." - The Guardian
Social media “gives the impression that people are more irrational, humorless and overly sensitive than in the past,” but vintage letters to the editor contain “remarkably similar” sentiments. - The New York Times
