How A Simple Graphic Memoir Became America’s Most-Banned Book, Thus Juicing Its Sales
"The crusade against Gender Queer has largely driven its popularity and increased the size of (Maia) Kobabe's royalty checks. The memoir has sold more...
The Year The Streaming Business Crashed
Streaming may be the future, but in the present, it’s not paying the bills. The subtext of the Streaming Wars always has been that...
“The Whale” Was Originally A Play — A Powerful One, Say Those Who Have...
Says Shuler Hensley, who's played the 600-pound Charlie in New York and London: "It's a brilliant ending, because audience members have constantly told me...
How Kindle Novel Writers Are Using ChatGPT
I figured, Hey, if I don’t know what to write, I’ll just pop something in there and it will get me going, and I’ll be...
The Coolest Archaeological Finds Of 2022
"There were long-lost tombs uncovered during renovations of Notre-Dame in Paris, the mosaic floors upon which Santa Claus — well okay, St. Nicholas —...
#MeToo Comes To Belgium’s Flagship Art Museum
"Staff at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts are speaking out against the museum's director, Michel Draguet, after 31 of 176 employees signed an...
TikTok Conquered The Social Media World. Now It’s Being Conquered By Geopolitics
Here's the story of how Zhang Yiming built the tech giant ByteDance and its star video app became a global juggernaut — only to...
Maya Ruiz-Picasso, Eldest Daughter And Heir Of Pablo, Is Dead At 87
"When her father died in 1973, Maya took up the mantle of preserving and propelling his legacy. ... It involved assembling and organizing a...
Facing Falling Attendance, The Metropolitan Opera Will Trim Its Season And Focus On New...
"Hit hard by a cash shortfall and lackluster ticket sales ..., the (company) said Monday that it would withdraw up to $30 million from...
The Philly Pops Settles On A New Contract And, Just Maybe, A Future
"The Pops announced in November that it would cease operations at the end of this season. But the new tentative agreement, back-dated to this...
Australia’s Struggling Festivals Plead For Weather Insurance
With warnings mounting over a new Covid wave in the new year and the Bureau of Meteorology not predicting an end to La Niña until...
Arizona Theatre Company Gets A New Artistic Director
Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) has named Matt August, a director and educator, their new artistic director. He succeeds Sean Daniels, who will serve as director of the...
This Year’s Movie Best Actress Category Has Too Few Slots For All The Great...
This year’s race for the best-actress Oscar is so stacked with contenders that I’m ready to comb the academy bylaws for a workaround. Are...
Why Did Adults Disappear From Children’s Books?
The adult protagonist has become a rare figure in American children’s books. With a few notable exceptions most children’s books today are deeply child-centric. -...
Radio City Music Hall Removes Visitor After Facial Recognition Identifies Her As A Lawyer
Security stopped Kelly Conlon because she is a New Jersey lawyer. MSG has begun using facial recognition technology to identify any visitor to any...
How Hallmark Cards Became One Of The World’s Most Successful Media Production Companies
"What happens when an ad agency and a greeting card company make a TV show?" In this case, Hallmark Playhouse, the Hallmark Hall of...
Eagle-Eyed Art Historian Spots Long-Lost Masterpiece In Children’s Movie
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Bereny’s long-lost masterpiece on the wall behind Hugh Laurie. I nearly dropped Lola from my lap....
The Backlash Against “Wokeness” Seems To Be Arriving, Even In The Arts. But It...
Ben Davis: "Contemporary cultural backlash may not look like a return to a cozy, oblivious cultural center. It may take its cues more from...
The Difference Between Memory And Perception (And How Our Brains Process)
Even if there is a very strong neurological similarity between memories and experiences, we know that they can’t be exactly the same. “People don’t...
Patti Smith — Punk Rocker, Performance Artist, Poet, Photographer, Painter
"I've had many second chapters in my life, often propelled by loss. ... As a human being, I'm relatively simple. I'm very work-oriented, I'm...
The Science Of Humor
Over time, laughter-inducing play transformed into practical uses: Laughter and amusement signified a situation was safe, and positive emotions could be used to help cheer others up....
Why Are We Fighting About Schools?
Political experts and campaign consultants were taken by surprise when schools suddenly assumed center stage in the national debate, but as this issue of Lapham’s...
What America Needs Is A Good Comic Opera Company
In the 1950s, TV networks broadcast light operas by Victor Herbert and Kurt Weill. Those pieces are rarely revived now; neither are the comic...
The Guardian Is Hit With A Ransomware Attack
"Some of The Guardian's tech infrastructure and 'behind-the-scenes services' have been impacted, according to the publication. Employees were asked to work from home for...
Russian Troops Are Destroying Mariupol’s Drama Theater To Hide Evidence Of Bombing And War...
Recent video from Ukraine shows a bulldozer tearing down the back of the ruined theater, which Russian fighter planes bombed last March while hundreds...
