Today's Stories

Critics Might Have Hated The Michael Jackson Movie, But It’s Now The Highest-Grossing Biopic Of All Time

The recently released Michael Jackson movie has overtaken Oppenheimer as the highest-grossing biopic of all time, after taking $977m (£739m) at the worldwide box office. - BBC

The AI Design Aesthetic That’s Taking Over The Internet

As Claude Design catches on among Anthropic users, a generic-design aesthetic is emerging that’s as noticeable as text-based A.I. tics such as overenthusiastic em-dash usage or “not X . . . but Y” constructions. - The New Yorker

Why You Need To Be A Better Reader

Navigating today’s digital information landscape requires strong critical evaluation skills. Reading plays a central role in this process by serving not only as a means of acquiring information but also of distinguishing credible claims from misinformation. But only a specific kind of reading builds that capacity. The difference is between passive and active reading. - The Conversation

When Being A Critic Was Glamorous

If you look at these people—literally look at photos or watch footage—you discover that they were either beautiful or charismatic, or both. They all appeared on television. Among fiction writers of that time, maybe Philip Roth had some of that swagger, quick wit, amused air, though he also had a professorial, sweater-wearing side.  - The Ideas...

Did Marcel Duchamp Wreck Modern Art?

Duchamp left behind a legacy that people either love or loathe. He is known as the father of conceptual art, but his so-called ideas were mostly idle notions, provocations, speculations. Opinion divides on whether he snuffed out or emancipated art.  - The Atlantic

Restorers Discover How A Rembrandt Painting Was Altered

Layers of overpaint have been removed from a 17th-century painting, confirming that it was painted by Rembrandt and revealing that a turban on one of the figures had been replaced with a traditional Dutch soft cap. - The Guardian

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Your eyes on the world through a culture lens

How Do We Learn To Read Books Again?

I don’t necessarily believe that reading books is going to automatically fix everything in your life or anything. I do think, however, it is kind of a panacea for a lot of the ills and a lot of the struggles that we’ve brought into our life through these tech platforms. - The Atlantic

Why Are GenZers Flocking To Movie Theatres To Watch Reality TV?

Where binge-watching reality TV used to happen in the secret and safety of your own home, the popularity of “Love Island USA,” and shows like it, are redefining community for millions of viewers. - Washington Post

Higher Ed Has Lost Public Trust. What To Do?

The reports differ in their diagnoses of where higher education went wrong and, by extension, of what should be done now. But their mere existence proves, if nothing else, that America’s universities have finally gotten the message: People don’t like them very much. - The Atlantic

How AI Is Reviving Dying Languages

Over the months, as the learning language model is trained on bits of the language — such as an old-age French nursery rhyme — it brings centuries-old dialect closer into the digital age. - The New York Times

American Playwrights Are Meeting The Times, But Are Audiences?

“These writers aren’t on a sociological mission. They’re not trafficking in grievance or appealing to a particular political base. They let their plays do the talking. And they’ve been trying to have a conversation that isn’t hijacked by the most doctrinaire voices in the room.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

What Bookmobiles Mean To Kids

“My reading journey began with a story that stretched more than 5,000 miles away, from Denmark to Alabama. While my siblings searched for new books, I always checked out the same one: The Marsh Crone’s Brew.” - LitHub

Oh Studios, Why Must You Undermine Women-Led Superhero Movies?

"With DC’s slate wiped clean, the studio had the chance to swing bigger with a woman-led movie than it ever has before — to make something so confident and audacious that, by the nature of its existence alone, it could be unimpeachable in a sea of superhero sameness.” - Salon

How Theatre Etiquette Is Changing

One actor: “We're used to it at this point, you know, people just munching away on popcorn, ripping open candy in very tense moments. … If something is making you want to talk to us, we're not afraid of it. We've got it under control up here.” - CBC

An Aboriginal Artist Reclaims The Ocean

Dharug artist Billy Bain: “You know, the beach was and still is an Aboriginal space, but in popular culture it has been represented as a very white space.” Bain has set out to change that. - The Guardian (UK)

Writing The Most Realistic, And Most Optimistic, Heterosexual Marriage On TV

First, Tina Fey wrote Liz Lemon, whose character was “heteropessimistic.” But in Four Seasons, she writes (and plays) a member of "an emotionally grounded romance that captures both the rewards of a successful, decades-long marriage and the challenges of maintaining one.” - The New Yorker

What Should Music Festivals Do To Make The Experience Better For Neurodivergent Fans?

In the UK, "The Culture, Media and Sport Committee released guidelines earlier this year setting out ways for disabled people to feel more included at live music events.” - BBC

Some People Hate Horror Movies While The Rest Of Us Can’t Get Enough

“A horror film builds a safe enclosure where we can rehearse terror, chaos and helplessness with no adverse consequences. … But the body can’t always tell the rehearsal from the real thing.” - The Guardian (UK)

A Montreal Chemical Lab Is Planning To Close, Leaving Analog Film In Limbo

The MELS post-production studio “is closing a Quebec facility that houses one of North America's only laboratories capable of developing film for professional productions.” - CBC

We’re Almost Halfway Through 2026, And Here Are The Five Top Onscreen Moments So Far

To be fair, a lot of good movies and shows come out in the latter, awards-chasing half of the year, but still, here are "subtle, surreal moments that highlight a character’s fears and insecurities.” - The New York Times

By Topic

When Being A Critic Was Glamorous

If you look at these people—literally look at photos or watch footage—you discover that they were either beautiful or charismatic, or both. They all appeared on television. Among fiction writers of that time, maybe Philip Roth had some of that swagger, quick wit, amused air, though he also had a professorial, sweater-wearing side.  - The Ideas Letter

Oh Studios, Why Must You Undermine Women-Led Superhero Movies?

"With DC’s slate wiped clean, the studio had the chance to swing bigger with a woman-led movie than it ever has before — to make something so confident and audacious that, by the nature of its existence alone, it could be unimpeachable in a sea of superhero sameness.” - Salon

Some People Hate Horror Movies While The Rest Of Us Can’t Get Enough

“A horror film builds a safe enclosure where we can rehearse terror, chaos and helplessness with no adverse consequences. … But the body can’t always tell the rehearsal from the real thing.” - The Guardian (UK)

Some Libraries Are Lending Power Tools, Musical Instruments, And Even Prom Dresses Alongside Books

After all, “Library of Things” doesn’t mean only tech things. - The New York Times

The Thinking Style That’s Susceptible To Extremism

I’ve found that some of the most rigid thinkers describe themselves as spectacularly flexible while the most flexible people are often unaware of their own adaptability. This is why, instead of relying on asking people how rigid they think they are, I began studying people’s unconscious thinking styles. - Psyche

The Elusive Illusion Of Utopia (And Its Uses In Our Imagination)

Some patterns emerge: many utopias employ a framing device in which the narrator is accidentally or fantastically transported to a new land, and then subjected to reams of expository monologue about how it all works.  - The Guardian

Higher Ed Has Lost Public Trust. What To Do?

The reports differ in their diagnoses of where higher education went wrong and, by extension, of what should be done now. But their mere existence proves, if nothing else, that America’s universities have finally gotten the message: People don’t like them very much. - The Atlantic

Ad-Free Streaming Has Become A Luxury Good

Remember the halcyon days of watching shows without ads? How great that streaming moment was? Well … it’s over. Mostly over. Apple is one holdout … for now. - The Verge

Margaret Atwood Says The Problem With AI Is A Classic One

“The thing about AI is that it’s garbage in, garbage out,” she said at a book festival. - Deadline

Report: Chicago’s Creative Sector Is The City’s Third-Largest Industry

The creative sector is Chicago’s third-largest industry and accounts for nearly 213,000 jobs, according to a new economic impact study released Thursday by Arts Alliance Illinois, a statewide advocacy organization. - WBEZ

Royal Ballet And Opera In London To Eliminate 64 Staff Positions

“The reductions amount to roughly five percent of the organization’s current workforce of 1,169 staff. Nine of the cuts will involve compulsory redundancies, with the remainder expected to come from unfilled vacancies, voluntary departures, and natural turnover.” - OperaWire

Southbank Center Chairman To Step Down After Social Media Controversy

In May, Misan Harriman was accused by the Telegraph of sharing a social media post that contained a conspiracy theory about the Golders Green attack because it questioned the amount of coverage given to the Muslim victim, Ishmail Hussein. - The Guardian

What Should Music Festivals Do To Make The Experience Better For Neurodivergent Fans?

In the UK, "The Culture, Media and Sport Committee released guidelines earlier this year setting out ways for disabled people to feel more included at live music events.” - BBC

Country Music Is Taking Over Music Stages

You’ve heard this one before, right? But: Country music is taking over … in the UK. Excuse us? - The Guardian (UK)

Why “Music You Can See” May Be The Future

I playfully ask them, “Why do you have to see it?” But I know why. They have grown up seeing music as much as hearing it. With iPhones steeping the modern human being in images 24/7, listening to extended forms of music without visual illustration will appeal ever less. - The New York Times

Getting Back To When Music Induced Physical Reaction In Your Body

Bettina Varwig's research focuses on how 17th and 18th-century listeners responded to music. “When you read about how music affected listeners in Bach’s time, their testimonies are striking in their bodily intensity. Music contracted their innards and made their hearts leap.” - The Guardian

Suno Offers “Incubator” Program For Artists Using AI For Music

The new program, called Spark, will include grants, mentorship and marketing support, Suno said, as the company said it’s looking to “help more artists turn ideas into finished projects, connect those projects with fans, and build new opportunities to grow their careers both on and beyond Suno.” - The Hollywood Reporter

Unpublished Sacred Music By Donizetti Discovered In Archive

A researcher cataloguing the music collections of the Diocese of Bergamo discovered a four-page setting of the Vespers psalm Dixit Dominus, scored for three male voices a cappella, written by the young Donizetti sometime between 1818 and 1821. - Gramilano (Milan)

The AI Design Aesthetic That’s Taking Over The Internet

As Claude Design catches on among Anthropic users, a generic-design aesthetic is emerging that’s as noticeable as text-based A.I. tics such as overenthusiastic em-dash usage or “not X . . . but Y” constructions. - The New Yorker

Did Marcel Duchamp Wreck Modern Art?

Duchamp left behind a legacy that people either love or loathe. He is known as the father of conceptual art, but his so-called ideas were mostly idle notions, provocations, speculations. Opinion divides on whether he snuffed out or emancipated art.  - The Atlantic

Restorers Discover How A Rembrandt Painting Was Altered

Layers of overpaint have been removed from a 17th-century painting, confirming that it was painted by Rembrandt and revealing that a turban on one of the figures had been replaced with a traditional Dutch soft cap. - The Guardian

An Aboriginal Artist Reclaims The Ocean

Dharug artist Billy Bain: “You know, the beach was and still is an Aboriginal space, but in popular culture it has been represented as a very white space.” Bain has set out to change that. - The Guardian (UK)

Trading Manhattan Art Meet-Ups For A Farm, And A Huge Studio As Well

Uman: “I love working on the floor. I start with a mood, a color, and I determine the size of the canvas or linen. … I always wanted the color to go straight onto the canvas, and that will probably be a problem for restorers in the future.” - The New York Times

The Artists Who Painted Early Hollywood Into Existence

“‘In general, at the studios, they systematized the production design, so that it was fast,’ Kanjo said, describing the rigid process as militaristic. ‘Five artists at a time work day after day to get these things done.’” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Why You Need To Be A Better Reader

Navigating today’s digital information landscape requires strong critical evaluation skills. Reading plays a central role in this process by serving not only as a means of acquiring information but also of distinguishing credible claims from misinformation. But only a specific kind of reading builds that capacity. The difference is between passive and active reading. - The...

How Do We Learn To Read Books Again?

I don’t necessarily believe that reading books is going to automatically fix everything in your life or anything. I do think, however, it is kind of a panacea for a lot of the ills and a lot of the struggles that we’ve brought into our life through these tech platforms. - The Atlantic

How AI Is Reviving Dying Languages

Over the months, as the learning language model is trained on bits of the language — such as an old-age French nursery rhyme — it brings centuries-old dialect closer into the digital age. - The New York Times

What Bookmobiles Mean To Kids

“My reading journey began with a story that stretched more than 5,000 miles away, from Denmark to Alabama. While my siblings searched for new books, I always checked out the same one: The Marsh Crone’s Brew.” - LitHub

Writing The Most Realistic, And Most Optimistic, Heterosexual Marriage On TV

First, Tina Fey wrote Liz Lemon, whose character was “heteropessimistic.” But in Four Seasons, she writes (and plays) a member of "an emotionally grounded romance that captures both the rewards of a successful, decades-long marriage and the challenges of maintaining one.” - The New Yorker

How Domestic Novels Became So Epic

“What can a novel about contemporary domestic life possibly add to our knowledge? If familiarity breeds contempt, what could be more familiar than the home, with its sisyphean routines and demands?” Just ask Ducks, Newburyport. - The Guardian (UK)

Critics Might Have Hated The Michael Jackson Movie, But It’s Now The Highest-Grossing Biopic Of All Time

The recently released Michael Jackson movie has overtaken Oppenheimer as the highest-grossing biopic of all time, after taking $977m (£739m) at the worldwide box office. - BBC

Why Are GenZers Flocking To Movie Theatres To Watch Reality TV?

Where binge-watching reality TV used to happen in the secret and safety of your own home, the popularity of “Love Island USA,” and shows like it, are redefining community for millions of viewers. - Washington Post

A Montreal Chemical Lab Is Planning To Close, Leaving Analog Film In Limbo

The MELS post-production studio “is closing a Quebec facility that houses one of North America's only laboratories capable of developing film for professional productions.” - CBC

We’re Almost Halfway Through 2026, And Here Are The Five Top Onscreen Moments So Far

To be fair, a lot of good movies and shows come out in the latter, awards-chasing half of the year, but still, here are "subtle, surreal moments that highlight a character’s fears and insecurities.” - The New York Times

Turning Hugh Jackman Into Grizzled Old Robin Hood Required A Coat That Weighed 200 Pounds

"Because the cape and costumes were so rough, and the weather, the hair would start to get tangled a lot. … I was in every single take behind Hugh, brushing out, re-braiding to hold it in place to keep some of the texture - Variety

The Collapse Of The Limited Series

“Why do these shows feel so minor this year? Are we in a limited-series slump, or are viewers looking for a different storytelling vehicle in 2026?” - Vulture

Why Ballet Is A Natural Subject For Horror Movies

“Anyone who spends even a day with a professional dancer or a ballet troupe could likely come away and already have the core of a body horror flick ready just from seeing all the injuries strapped up and ignored, or hearing the stories of cut-throat auditions.” - Far Out

New Festival Redefines Lincoln Center Dance

For years, there has been too much ballet at Lincoln Center, which I say as someone who loves the form. Modern dance is part of the center’s history, too, and now it is finally being given a stage. - The New York Times

Competing At Istanbul’s Tango Championship

The Turkish metropolis has become one of the world’s major centers of tango, perhaps behind only Buenos Aires itself. This month Istanbul hosted La Turca Tango Marathon and Championship, a three-day festival and competition which saw 56 dancers from around Europe competing in six categories. - The New York Times

As Other Small Colleges Shrink Non-STEM Programs, These Four Are Adding New Dance Majors

“To get a new major approved, facult­y must demonstrate that there’s a genuine hunger for more dance on campus. They must lay out the benefits not only for future students, but also for the institution as a whole — its reputation and its bottom line.” Here’s how these four colleges did it. - Dance Magazine

After 25 Years, Choreographer Lucy Guerin Leaving Her Dance Company

She is creating a final solo work for herself — her first time onstage in 13 years — as a farewell, and she officially departs as artistic director of Lucy Guerin Inc at the end of this year. The company, based in Melbourne, has toured widely, from Paris to New York to Shanghai. -...

Eugene Ballet Gets $1M Anonymous Gift, Out Of The Blue

When Executive Director Josh Neckels received notification from the bank that the company had received a deposit, he nearly dismissed it as spam, but decided to call the bank to check. - Oregon Arts Watch

American Playwrights Are Meeting The Times, But Are Audiences?

“These writers aren’t on a sociological mission. They’re not trafficking in grievance or appealing to a particular political base. They let their plays do the talking. And they’ve been trying to have a conversation that isn’t hijacked by the most doctrinaire voices in the room.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

How Theatre Etiquette Is Changing

One actor: “We're used to it at this point, you know, people just munching away on popcorn, ripping open candy in very tense moments. … If something is making you want to talk to us, we're not afraid of it. We've got it under control up here.” - CBC

If You’re A George Washington Reenactor, This Is A Very Busy Year

One man "retired a year ago from his ‘regular job’ at an alternative energy company and is reenacting full time these days, while the heightened interest lasts. He and his horse recently set a personal best with three separate events in one weekend.” - NPR

Arena Stage Boots Its Black, Woman Artistic Director On The Night One Of Her Championed New Musicals Opens

OK, Hana Sharif resigned under great pressure. She wrote: “The board and I arrived at a crossroads — one defined not by a lack of shared love for this institution, but by differing visions for how Arena Stage should meet the future.” - The New York Times

Broadway’s Most Famous Restaurant Has Been Bought By Broadway’s Biggest Theater Owner

After almost a century as a small private business, Sardi’s was officially acquired this week by the company that was already the restaurant’s landlord — the Shubert Organization, owner of 17 Broadway theaters. The legendary eatery has now closed for renovations and is expected to reopen in November. - Eater

An Actor With Alzheimer’s Performs Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape”

Peter Marinker, now 84, first played Krapp in 1983, and he’s reusing the tapes he made back then for this production in London. He’ll have an earpiece to get prompts if necessary, but when his memory fails, he refers to a poem written by the aging Beckett himself after developing aphasia. - The Guardian

Jerry Moriarty, Painter Of Comics, Has Died At 88

“‘It’s as if Edward Hopper had taken up songwriting,’ the comic artist Chris Ware wrote in The Believer magazine in 2009. ‘For lack of a better word, it’s poetry.’” - The New York Times

One Hundred Reasons To Love Mel Brooks On His 100th Birthday

"At 9 he saw his first Broadway show, Anything Goes, with the Broadway belter Ethel Merman, which explains everything.” - The New York Times

Ann Blyth, Oscar-Nominated For Her Role In Mildred Pierce, Has Died At 98

“Blyth was just 17 when she made Mildred Pierce, based on James M. Cain’s hard-boiled 1941 novel. She had begun her movie career in innocent-teen roles, and played sharply against type as the coddled, conceited Veda Pierce.” - The New York Times

Tony Brown, Whose Advocacy And TV Show Changed The Face Of Public Television, Has Died At 93

“An intense and impeccably dressed former social worker with hardscrabble West Virginia roots who was blessed with a silken baritone, Mr. Brown acknowledged that he made programming decisions ‘on the basis of one thing — will it help Black people?’” - The New York Times

Mel Brooks At 100

“I wanted to keep the party going. I wanted to keep the happiness and joy and explosions of laughter going into a dour part of our lives, not our childhood anymore,” Brooks recalled. “ - AP News

Actress Ann Blyth, The Dastardly Veda In “Mildred Pierce,” Is Dead At 98

A former child actor who trained as an operatic soprano, Blyth had a busy career in Hollywood through the 1940s and ‘50s and worked in television in the ‘70s. She’s best remembered for her Oscar-nominated performance as the “cheap and horrible” daughter of Joan Crawford’s character in Mildred Pierce. - The Hollywood Reporter

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American Playwrights Are Meeting The Times, But Are Audiences?

“These writers aren’t on a sociological mission. They’re not trafficking in grievance or appealing to a particular political base. They let their plays do the talking. And they’ve been trying to have a conversation that isn’t hijacked by the most doctrinaire voices in the room.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Despite Challenges And Bans, It’s A Golden Age For Queer Literature

A bookstore owner writes, "Queer literature has become one of the growth engines of the publishing industry. L.G.B.T.Q. fiction has never been more visible, more varied or better promoted.” Happy Pride! - The New York Times

Margaret Atwood Says The Problem With AI Is A Classic One

“The thing about AI is that it’s garbage in, garbage out,” she said at a book festival. - Deadline

Arena Stage Boots Its Black, Woman Artistic Director On The Night One Of Her Championed New Musicals Opens

OK, Hana Sharif resigned under great pressure. She wrote: “The board and I arrived at a crossroads — one defined not by a lack of shared love for this institution, but by differing visions for how Arena Stage should meet the future.” - The New York Times

The New Republic’s 15 Most Important Artworks In U.S. History

The editors have chosen four movies, six books, two songs, a piece of classical music, a painting, and a monument “whose impact extended beyond culture to society as a whole.” - The New Republic

How Arts Philanthropist Christophe De Menil Ended Up Isolated During Her Final Years

The daughter of the founders of Houston’s Menil Collection, Christophe herself had a glittering social life filled with the arts and artists, and she funded career-establishing work by Robert Wilson, Twyla Tharp, Trisha Brown, and others. Her family life, on the other hand, was … well, fraught. - New York Magazine (MSN)

Google Invests $75 Million In A24 Studios To Develop AI Filmmaking Tools

“Google’s DeepMind AI unit and A24 are aiming to create new tools for movie production and distribution. … Though Alphabet unit Google is a major player in online entertainment through YouTube, the deal marks the first time it has taken a stake in a studio.” - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)

Lonnie Bunch Works To Keep Smithsonian Independent And Functional Amid Trumpist Turmoil

“Bunch has been cast by many of his admirers as something of a resistance figure — one of the only high-profile leaders standing up to Trump by single-handedly preventing the president from rewriting American history itself.” - The Atlantic

Want To Hear Some Newly Discovered Mozart?

Here you go: “The works were played publicly for the first time on Sunday at the National Library of France.” - The New York Times

In Los Angeles, LACMA Hosts A Huge Art Parade

Michael Govan was feeling pretty good about the 600,000 people who came to the block party and parade, too: "We’re not gonna close Wilshire every weekend, but it’s an example of what we can do. … It’s really exciting to see the building work.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

With The Roku Sale To Fox, Not To Mention The Paramount Deal, Right-Wing Interests Dominate Streaming

"The scale of this quiet coup is staggering. … In practical terms, Roku controls the television home screen.” - Salon

All Of The Music That’s Been Fed Into ‘Generative’ (Read: Theft-Based) AI

“Companies often claim to use only content that is freely available online, but the datasets reveal the quantity of downloadable music that developers can access even though it is not supposed to be free.” - The Atlantic

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