Margo McDaid: “At first, it felt like a coping mechanism; a ritual to hold on to. … I wanted to see how my work would change if I practised every day." - The Observer (UK)
Should crosswords lead solvers to new words and ideas, or should they be for those who’ve been doing crosswords for a while and “don’t want to be disrupted”? Crossword creator Anna Shechtman says it’s a challenge. “The notion of a sort of apolitical, abstract common knowledge is a fantasy." - Slate
“‘It’s pretty unheard of to paint a skyscraper, so it was like, ‘Oh man let’s go take advantage of this and do it while it lasts,’’ said Misteralek, one of five graffiti artists who described the scene inside the towers.” - The New York Times
“If Broadway is sustained by tourists, to use a sweeping generalisation, Off-Broadway is where the locals can be found, given the primarily limited run nature of what is offered. Losing theatres to high rents and redevelopment only contributes to the hollowing out of the city." - The Stage (UK)
"The contest ... can disqualify contestants deemed to have breached its rules on political neutrality,” and the song “October Rain” currently contains lyrics that seem to be about Hamas’s attacks on Israelis on October 7, 2023. - The Guardian (UK)
The thing is, "Federal law includes computer-generated images of identifiable people in the prohibition on child pornography. Although the prohibition seems clear, legal experts caution that it has yet to be tested in court.” Also, does an AI-generated nude depict a real person or not? - Los Angeles Times
The IATSE president "addressed one of the key issues in the negotiations — artificial intelligence — saying it should not be used to replace workers, but also that it has the potential to lighten the load." - Variety
"Athena Stevens is suing Shakespeare’s Globe for harassment, discrimination and victimisation, claiming she encountered ‘unfavourable' treatment because of her disability while working there” - and since the story first broke, new information about the Globe’s policies may have strengthened her claim. - The Stage (UK)
A week ago, it was crunch time for actors, musicians, directors, writers, and PR people on the path to an Academy Award. But importantly, while trying their hardest, most (except for Robert Downey Jr.) had to walk the “Don’t be a try-hard” line. - Washington Post
"While they can certainly be literary, a lyric is just one channel for conveying meaning in a song. The vocal delivery, melody, rhythm, arrangement and production are all used to enhance, or sometimes subvert, what the words are saying." - The Guardian (UK)
Wolff "is the last living representative of what’s known as the New York School of composition, a group that included John Cage, Morton Feldman, Earle Brown and David Tudor. Their tight-knit circle shifted midcentury American music away from classic European models. And it radiated out." - The New York Times
To add insult to injury (one that the National Labor Relations Board may not look kindly upon), the workers learned they had been laid off while they were testifying to the Austin (Texas) City Council about why they deserved better pay. - The Verge
"My main obsession was Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, so when Burger King released a line of light-up goblets with the visages of characters like Aragorn and Arwen etched on their sides, I knew I needed them." - The New York Times
