The prize was supposed to be populist, but now, and for the past few years, it seems to be idealist instead. " The traditional criteria for judging the prize... seem to be out of the window. - The Guardian (UK)
Not only because Greg Gutfeld has no conservative competition in his time slot. "Right-wing comedy has become both a viable business strategy and a crucial element of conservative politics. … Whether or not this comedy is to your taste, it's working for Gutfeld and his audience." - The Conversation
State-of-the-art filterless air purifiers and an "ionisation curtain" (a row of snake plants with ionisers attached to draw in aerosols) at the front of the stage are among the measures being taken to reassure live audiences. - The Straits Times (Singapore)
"I couldn’t help but think about how the approaching opening of the Academy Museum — a space that will celebrate the work of these below-the-line craftspeople — is set against the backdrop of Hollywood’s labor strife with the union that represents these same artisans." - Hyperallergic
Mark Pullinger finds that, while venues' staff may be masked themselves, they're not requiring patrons to have face coverings or proof of vaccination (to be clear, they're following the lead of Boris Johnson's government), and he looks with envy at safety measures in Europe and New York. - Bachtrack
There's plenty of demand for seats from theatregoers within England, but the audience for midweek afternoon shows is almost entirely tourists from abroad, of whom (thanks to COVID) there are still very few. - The Guardian
Online festival screenings have attracted large and enthusiastic new audiences for independent and artist-led film. The hybrid edition of Sundance 2021 reached an audience 2.7 times larger than the 2020 edition in Utah, with over 600,000 audience views. - Hyperallergic
"A large community of TikTok users have carved out a corner called 'BookTok'. BookTok influencers are predominantly teenagers and young women, … (and) when a book catches on among users (a common hashtag on BookTok videos is #TikTokMadeMeReadIt), the real-world results can be impressive." - Publishers Weekly
The phenomenon of self-publishing is often linked to online book production methods. However, there is a much richer history of self-publishing that goes further back than its digital counterpart. - The Conversation