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In Portland, A Bar For Classical Musicians To hang Out And Play

Tucked in the bustling neighborhood, Mendelssohn’s has become a gathering place for Portland’s musicians to sip on themed drinks, sing ballads from the high stage and meet other people interested in classical music. - The Oregonian

What Paris Can Teach London About Architecture

Some Brits might bristle, but Paris's building height restriction lessons are real. "Skyscrapers are like air travel: they used to be as glamorous as the jet set, but now they’re in a Ryanair phase – generic, dull and predictable, a default option for unimaginative property companies." - The Observer (UK)

Just How Dirty *Is* The Bible?

Events in the U.S. lead to the question. "Following the implementation of legislation prohibiting 'pornographic or indecent' literature in Utah’s public schools, a complaint was lodged against The Old Testament and its less racy – but still occasionally outré – sequel." - Irish Times

The Tonys Started At The Right Time On Paramount Plus, But

They were the 2022 version, not this year's show. Since Ariana DeBose hosted both, that added to the confusion. "The problem, it turns out, stems from confusion over Paramount+ subscription levels." Or from CBS never bothering to explain the distinction, of course. - Los Angeles Times

Britain’s Royal Academy Takes Public Submissions For The Summer Exhibition

"Entries are capped at 16,500 and competition is fierce - this year, more than 11,000 people submitted work but less than 10% were successful." - BBC

You Know Who Predicted The Grimmer Aspects Of ChatGPT?

Philip K. Dick, of course. And it's called the "rhetorizor." - Salon

A Saxophonist Has Accused One Of Black Panther 2’s Stars Of Sexual Assault

Musician María Elena Ríos made the claim. "'It’s very difficult to talk about the emotional abuse and the abuse of power of a sexual predator who is loved around the world for playing a character in a movie such as Tenoch Huerta,' Ríos tweeted on Saturday." - Los Angeles Times

A British Member Of Parliament Says Local People Need To Be Consulted About Cuts To The BBC

Paulette Hamilton, MP for Birmingham, is not having it. "If they're going to take away without consultation, without actually speaking to anybody, just saying they're going to move the money elsewhere, it's just not good enough ."- BBC

It’s Time To Discuss ‘Black Swan’ Again

In the 2010 movie. Natalie Portman "was dancing for up to eight hours a day by the time shooting rolled around. During one significant scene, where the ballet director, Thomas, encourages Nina to push herself to the limit, Portman channels a lifetime of pressure." - Far Out Magazine

Actor Rosamund Pike Has Had It With The So-Called Wellness Industry

Pike: "This idea that it’s no longer enough to be healthy and we have to be 'well' is something that needs to be interrogated. Yet it’s so seductive because it’s in pursuit of things that people are ashamed to want, like youth, beauty and fitness." - The Observer (UK)

A Tony Award Winning Director’s Speech Was Bleeped As He Tried To ‘Reclaim’ A Word

Michael Arden, best director for his revival of Parade, said he was often called "the F-word." (The NYT wouldn't print the word either.) Then "he drew raucous cheers as he reclaimed the slur, making clear that he was now one with a Tony." - The New York Times

Joseph Fiennes Says Harvey Weinstein Tried To Bully Him

After Shakespeare in Love, Weinstein pressured Fiennes to sign a five-movie contract. "The actor claimed he was effectively threatened by Weinstein that if he did not comply with the offered deal, he would not work in Hollywood again." - The Observer (UK)

Days After Playground Stabbings, Annecy’s Film Fest Opens On Defiant Note

Annecy's mayor: "The best response to this tragedy is to live even more forcefully and more intensely. ... With this conviction art and culture celebrates life, and enables us to change the world to make it a better place." - Variety

Author Lorrie Moore Says She Simply Has To Be Cruel To Her Characters

Moore's new noves "is also, as always with Moore, very funny, with plenty of opportunities for her trademark gallows humour." - The Guardian (UK)

In These Tonys, Two Nonbinary Actors Made History

Alex Newell became the first out nonbinary actor to win a Tony, for their performance in Shucked - "and less than an hour later, Some Like It Hot star J. Harrison Ghee became the second for their lead performance as a musician on a journey of gender discovery." - Washington Post

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