Stories

Mark Zuckerberg’s Epically Bad Statue Of His Wife

The sculpture by Daniel Arsham, a brand-friendly New York-based artist with his own fashion line, is really bad — but it’s interestingly bad. When you look at it, it just sort of collapses in your brain, like a bouncy castle pierced by a falling tree branch. - Washington Post

Ian McKellen Says His Fat Suit Saved Him From Injury During Recent Stage Fall

"It was in the battle scene. My foot got caught in a chair, and trying to shake it off I started to slide on some newspaper that was scattered over the stage, like I was on a skateboard." - Saga

Authors Sue Anthropic AI Over Copyright

“Anthropic has enjoyed enormous financial gain from its exploitation of copyrighted material,” the complaint states, noting that Anthropic projects it will generate more than $850 million of revenue in 2024. “Anthropic’s commercial gain has come at the expense of creators and rightsholders.” - Publishers Weekly

Publisher Is Selling George Orwell Papers, Breaking Up Valuable Collection

The treasure trove that is the extensive archive of correspondence and contracts amassed by Orwell’s original publisher, Victor Gollancz, could be scattered to the winds in what has been described as an act of “cultural vandalism”. - The Guardian

Judge Rejects Richmond Ballet’s Motion To Dismiss $11.5 Million Lawsuit By Two Former Dancers

"The lawsuits, which seek a total of $23 million in damages, claim the institution’s environment led the former dancers to develop eating disorders and other health issues, including one who alleged they lost their menstrual cycle." - WRIC (Richmond)

Judge Blocks Major New Sports Streaming Venture

ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery said they would appeal the ruling. - AP

The Real Spawn of The “Alien” Franchise Is Successful Directors

"The 1979 creature feature … begot not only the unlikeliest and most malleable of franchises but also an astonishing array of cinematic careers — a fact reflected not just in the protracted intervals between installments but also in the huge stylistic variation among them." - The Washington Post (MSN)

Too Many New Plays, Too Few Producers

The ratio of independent producers to new plays being written, and people wanting to make them, is completely out of kilter. And as subsidies dwindle and support for the arts in general wanes, the number of us – people willing to run a small business producing independent theatre – is decreasing too. - The Stage

Geffen Playhouse Expands Its Audience To Include Prisoners And Their Families

"The first thing we do is make sure that they can see plays that reflect their lives," says artistic director (and Oscar winner for Moonlight) Tarell Alvin McCraney about his Theater as a Lens for Justice initiative, which offers free tickets to "populations impacted by incarceration." - The New York Times

Seattle Exhibit On Confronting Hate Spawns More Of It

“In an exhibit that was supposed to be about coming together to confront hate, hate has won. And, our community feels more alone as a result.” - Seattle Times

What Have We Done To Beethoven’s Ninth, And What Has It Done To Us?

The symphony — and not only the "Ode to Joy" — has been used for everything from Nazi propaganda to the fall of the Berlin Wall to the national anthem of white-ruled Rhodesia to Tiananmen Square demonstrations to entrance music for Melania Trump. Not to mention all the commercials. - The Guardian

State Designates “Nutcracker” As “Living Historic Landmark”

The show is now officially known as a Living Historic Landmark by the state of Utah, the studio announced Monday. This designation is the first of its kind and was made possible by Utah Sen. Luz Escamilla's bill in the recent legislative session. - KSL

Disney Avoids Getting Publicly Sued By Adding Arbitration Clauses To Absolutely Everything

After a visitor died of anaphylactic shock from being fed allergens (the servers had been warned) at a Disney World restaurant, Disney attorneys tried to dismiss her widower's lawsuit because, they argued, he agreed to private arbitration when signing up for Disney+ and again when purchasing theme park tickets. - New York Magazine (MSN)

Battle Of The Theme-Park Titans

Disney and Universal are engaging in one-upmanship as their theme parks bring in more revenue than their sputtering entertainment divisions. (This is despite the fact that visitor numbers have started to fall.) Yet the studios' rivalry in the live-attractions business goes back decades. - TheWrap

The Black Women That Big Publishers Hired As Senior Executives In 2020 Are Now Mostly Gone

"In response (to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations), major publishers recruited and promoted Black editors and launched new imprints devoted to books by nonwhite authors. Publishing companies said they would diversify their work force. … Four years later, there is a growing sense that the momentum has stalled." - The New York Times

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss