"His understated comedy routines that emphasized the absurdities of ordinary life made him a national sensation. (He) became the first comedian with a No. 1 record and the star of two long-running sitcoms (and is) regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern comedy." - The Washington Post (MSN)
The online news outlet, founded in 2013, collapsed in 2021 after Watson and other execs were caught lying to potential investors with wildly inflated figures for audience size, valuation, and earnings. Watson, convicted of identity theft, securities fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy, faces up to 37 years in prison. - CNN
"Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter said there isn’t a theme when selecting the honorees, but one often emerges organically. This year, that accidental theme is 'a reflection of American culture through its music and how music is used to create American culture.'" - The Washington Post (MSN)
"The initiative, (20 unrestricted grants of $50,000 each to disabled creative artists,) administered by United States Artists, named its inaugural class of fellows in 2020. … The second class was announced in 2022, and this is the last cohort in the program." - The New York Times
"A funny thing happened when I got to the end of all that eating: I realized I wasn’t hungry. I’m still not, at least not the way I used to be. And so … I’ve decided to bow out as gracefully as my state of technical obesity will allow." - The New York Times
Retired Ontario Provincial Police Detective Sam Lazarevich recalled coming to arrest Gerald Fremlin in 2004 and the furious reaction from Munro; he remembers thinking "Aren't you going to defend your daughter?" Police already had Fremlin's letter confessing the sexual abuse; it had been sent to Munro 11 years earlier. - AP
Like Karl Marx and Jim Harrison, who died at their desks, and George Orwell, who was writing a book review when he died, Schjeldahl wrote until the end. We can be grateful for that because we have this book. - The New York Times
In the release, the commission said it had chosen Hartwig Fischer, 61, because of his “global expertise in leading international cultural institutions and museums.” It did not mention Fischer’s time at the British Museum. - The New York Times
“She did not want the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, of which she was co-founder and president, to continue in perpetuity. ‘We are working toward a sunset in 2026,’” says the foundation’s executive director, who said that “there was still some artwork and roughly $40 million in cash.” - Boston Globe
“So much of Munro’s work was about someone forgiving someone else (especially a woman forgiving a man) for something unforgivable, or about making some other horrible compromise of the soul — and also about how wretched these compromises are.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 but continued working, both in TV and in her own popular podcast, including when the cancer spread to her brain. - Variety
“Many of his most powerful works slow down the passage of time so that viewers become keenly aware of their own physical presence and thoughts.” - The New York Times
The story of the sprawling former estate of pop singer Michael Jackson took a new turn this week when Neverland Ranch stood in the direct path of a wildfire that’s burned 34,000 acres in Santa Barbara County. - Los Angeles Times
