Stories

Barbara O Jones, Whose Acting Led A Generation Of Black Filmmakers, Has Died At 82

"Budding filmmakers like Charles Burnett, Julie Dash and Haile Gerima eschewed polished scripts and linear narratives in search of an authentic Black cinematic language. They relied on actors like Mrs. Jones, drawn from far outside the mainstream, to bring their work to life." - The New York Times

Dear Kids, AI Is Not Your Real Friend

The teens know it. Still, “‘sometimes it’s nice to vent or blow off steam to something that’s kind of human-like,’ agreed Hawk, a 17-year-old Character.AI user from Idaho. 'But not actually a person, if that makes sense.’" - The Verge

Bollywood Increasingly Toes – And Broadcasts – The Ruling Party Line

"Since Mr Modi first came to power in 2014, the Hindi film industry has produced several films referencing government policies. But in the past four years, experts say a lot them have begun to explicitly steer towards propaganda." - BBC

Canada’s Top Documentary Festival Keeps Sending Increasingly Dire Emails About Its Survival

The chaos is "just a symptom of wider uncertainty and a quiet but growing panic in the feature-length documentary world." - CBC

Laura Linney’s Favorite Part Of Central Park

"Bethesda Fountain was one of the first major commissioned works by a female artist . And it was built to commemorate fresh water that was brought into the city for the first time. It always takes my breath away." - The New York Times

Vulture’s Nominees For The Phonys

Welcome to the theatre awards for things like “The I’ve Seen Fire and I’ve Seen Rain.” - Vulture

The Crafts Of Making Kilts, Bagpipes, Cricket Bats And Balls Are Dying In Britain

"There’s less support for training, and government-funded apprenticeships are very hard to access in the UK. They’re not set up for our sector – which is ironic, as apprenticeships were developed by craft guilds in medieval times.” - The Observer (UK)

The Company Behind The Coming Army Of Voice Clones

It’s all too “easy to imagine the potential carnage: scammers targeting parents by using their children’s voice to ask for money, a nefarious October surprise from a dirty political trickster.”  - The Atlantic (MSN)

CJ Sansom, Mystery Writer Who Created The Tudor English Detective Shardlake, Has Died At 71

"He died just days before the May 1 streaming debut of the series Shardlake, on Disney+, an adaptation of his novels starring Arthur Hughes in the title role and Sean Bean as Cromwell.” - The New York Times

SAG-AFTRA Strikes A Deal With Nielsen For Streaming Data

How else could the union hold the producers to account? The streamers, but … er … “The Nielsen deal suggests that the union wants to be sure there is another party involved for ‘forecasting and enforcement.’” - The Hollywood Reporter

Is Los Angeles Ready For Meow Wolf?

“'We are undefinable in so many ways, and it makes people think, ‘It’s just entertainment,’’ says Meow Wolf curator Han Santana-Sayles, 31, sitting in her newly rented Pasadena home. 'But I truly believe we are a wild art experiment.’” - Los Angeles Times

In Surprise Action, Activists Take Over Whitney To Decry Museum Funders’ Ties To Israeli Military

"During the Whitney’s 'Free Friday Night' event, which offers pay-what you-wish admission between 7pm and 10pm, around 100 activists distributed custom-printed imitation brochures using the museum’s stylized branding to draw attention to its funders and sponsors and their ties to 'genocide and dispossession.'” - Hyperallergic

Directing Is ‘Angry Sex Between Art And Commerce,’ Says Director Jane Schoenbrun

Schoenbrun, who directed I Saw the TV Glow, says, "I worked really hard to make this film weird, like a provocation. … I’m structuring my life in a way where I can keep my values and my gaze outside of a system.” - Variety

After Agonizing Months, A Map For The Future Of LA’s Center Theatre Group

Snehal Desai: "It’s not that CTG doesn’t have folks coming; we have tens of thousands of folks, it’s just that we’re not necessarily getting folks to move within our venues.” - American Theatre

Behind The Scenes At Manchester’s New, Deeply Troubled Co-Op Live Arena

For instance, “construction staff at the venue warned others back in February that works were as much as 35 weeks behind schedule.” Thirty-five. Weeks. - BBC

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