PEOPLE

Jeremy O. Harris Was Quite Productive During His Three Weeks In A Japanese Prison

In a paywalled essay in Vanity Fair, the playwright/actor/screenwriter/Impresario writes that he read 23 books, finished an outline he owed to a film studio, journaled, and profited from his time off the grid. Indeed, he says, “you could re-create this experience and rich white people would pay for it.” - The Cut (MSN)

Melvin Edwards, Influential Sculptor Of Steel Assemblages, Has Died At 88

“Working primarily with found steel objects, Edwards created masses of hooks, chains, and beams, some of which were abstracted beyond recognition. His titles … tended to be forceful, referring to anti-Black violence, Malcolm X, African cultures, and even American-led wars in Vietnam and Iraq.” - ARTnews

Indigenous Australian Broadcaster Rhoda Roberts, 66

Roberts dedicated her life to sharing the stories of her people, preserving and promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture through language, dance and ceremony, and securing pathways for First Nations talent to flourish. - The Guardian

Choreographer Ben Stevenson, Who Brought Houston Ballet To Prominence, Has Died At 89

"Known for the organic beauty, narrative drive and humor of his productions, (he) became the most famous ballet choreographer in Texas, and one of the most celebrated in the country, during almost three decades at the helm of Houston Ballet and later at Fort Worth-based Texas Ballet Theater.” - The Dallas Morning News (Yahoo!)

Mary Beth Hurt, Tony-Nominated Actress Who Originated A Role In Crimes Of The Heart, Has Died At 79

Hurt also "drew moviegoers to her array of emotionally impactful performances in such films as Interiors, Chilly Scenes of Winter and The World According to Garp.” - The Hollywood Reporter

Tracy Kidder, Who Helped Redefine Nonfiction, Has Died At 80

“Kidder was careful to eschew focusing on his longtime loves like fishing or baseball, afraid that if he spent too much time in one of those realms, it might cause him to ‘feel sick of it.’” - The Guardian UK (AP)

The Almost Unimaginable Influence Of Frederick Wiseman

“To imagine a hospital administrator agreeing to this sort of project in a post-Titicut world speaks to the devastating impact of Wiseman’s work; anyone who had seen anything like it before surely would’ve said, You can see yourself out.” - Paris Review

Officials Seize Property Worth $23 Million Allegedly Embezzled From Actress Ursula Andress

Italian authorities said Thursday they had seized €20 million of assets in Tuscany, including property, vineyards. and artworks, allegedly bought with money embezzled from Andress. The onetime Bond girl, now 90, had filed a complaint alleging a “progressive and significant depletion of her assets” by her financial managers. - AFP (Yahoo!)

Despite Initial Denial From White House, Bill Maher Will Receive Mark Twain Prize For American Humor

“After The Atlantic cited anonymous sources saying he was, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called it ‘fake news.’ But today the Kennedy Center made it official.” - NPR

Tracy Kidder, Author Of Award-Winning Nonfiction Bestsellers, Has Died At 80

“(He) turned everything from computer engineering to life in a nursing home into unexpected bestsellers. … Kidder won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for his 1981 work The Soul of a New Machine, which (explored) a fledgling computer company long before most people cared about the inner workings of Silicon Valley.” - AP

Former Museum Wunderkind David Ross’ Reckoning

Ross had become a master at catering to ego, facilitating deals and making a class of people feel important. Now he’d begun to wonder if the skills that made him exceptional at his job had also made him in some ways complicit. - The New York Times

Robert White, America’s Favorite Irish Tenor, Has Died At 89

“He built a serious and wide-ranging classical career, collaborating with major artists like Eugene Ormandy, Leonard Bernstein and Yo-Yo Ma, without stinting the traditional ballads that John McCormack (1884-1945) had brought to the masses.” - The New York Times

Jury Finds Bill Cosby Liable In Another Sexual Assault Case, Awards $59 Million

“After a nearly two-week trial in Santa Monica, jurors found Cosby, 88, liable for the sexual battery and assault of Donna Motsinger. They awarded her $17.5 million in past damages and $1.75 million for future damages, … (plus) an additional $40 million in punitive damages,” totaling $59.25 million. - AP

Actress Valerie Perrine Dead At 82

“(Her) memorable film roles included a porn actress abducted by aliens in Slaughterhouse-Five, Lex Luthor’s secretary in two Superman films and an Oscar-nominated performance as the wife of Lenny Bruce in Lenny. (She died) following a 15-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.” - Deadline

New Book: Inside Stephen Sondheim

Along with his happy student-teacher alliance with Hammerstein, the defining association of Sondheim’s life was his tortured relationship with the mother he described as a “monster,” among harsher words. - The Atlantic

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