Maybe! "Best-seller lists don’t fully convey the adoration that Red, White & Royal Blue has garnered on BookTok, ... where fans have shared their obsession with the escapist love story en masse, and videos tagged #redwhiteandroyalblue have received more than 500 million views." - The New York Times
"After all that, the actual experience of video chat is maybe in its most boring state ever. ... The market is largely run by tech giants and the pace of new and interesting features has slowed to practically nothing." - The Verge
Maybe this: "I realized I was paying more attention to historical objects and works that I otherwise might not have given a second glance to." - Hyperallergic
"Harry Styles was hit in the eye with a sweet in Vienna, Bebe Rexha received stitches after she was hit in the face with a mobile phone in New York, and Pink was left stunned when someone threw their mother’s ashes on stage in London." What is going on? - The Guardian (UK)
"Pew Research Center's just-published findings … as part of its bi-annual 'State of the News Media' show that public radio's audience trended down in 2022, part of a steady decline since 2017, although local station and NPR revenue continued to grow." - Inside Radio
"As a result, the proportion of people watching any traditional TV broadcast in a given week has declined from 83% in 2021 to 79% in 2022, the sharpest fall on record, … according to the media regulator Ofcom." - The Guardian
Hillary Simms, the first woman in the American Brass Quintet, would like to solve that by inspiring more girls and women - which involves ending the "token woman in brass" idea. "We are pitting ourselves against each other, which is the absolute opposite of what we need." - The New York Times
It's a temporary injunction, but still, "the executive director of Central Arkansas Library System, Nate Coulter, said the judge's 49-page decision recognized the law as censorship, a violation of the Constitution and wrongly maligning librarians." - NPR
After the leaks, "certain incidents began occurring that resembled the fictional action. ... A fight broke out during the mixed doubles tennis tournament. ... There were rumours of marital affairs. A complaint was made that the tennis players were too 'cosy' with yacht club members." - The Guardian (UK)
"The beauty of going to the movies was never just about the films on the screens — it was about the way we all gathered to watch them." - The New York Times
In the nineteenth century, "The tears were a form of praise. The femaleness of response, though, became a negative." Until the trauma plot, and the meme "Do you even cry, bro?" - LitHub
"Yet despite these (shrinking) numbers, subscriptions are here to stay, say Bay Area theater leaders, partly because the basic numbers don't tell the whole story." - MSN (San Francisco Chronicle)
"In the post-pandemic era, Philadelphia’s cultural districts often look like the good old days: streets and sidewalks crosshatched with arts patrons animating the city's parking garages, restaurants, theaters, and bars. On other nights: crickets." - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
"After filing for bankruptcy protection in 2020, Cirque decided it had to be more than just a circus. It wanted to be a brand, something that could sell perfumes, sunglasses, tote bags and video games. So over the past year the circus brought in consultants ..." - The New York Times
Nielsen Audio ratings indicate that, over the past two years, market share and estimated listener numbers have fallen at an alarming rate at KQED in San Francisco (traditionally public radio's strongest market), WBEZ in Chicago, WNYC in New York, and KCRW and KPCC/LAist in Los Angeles. - Three Things
