Mull, who died Thursday at age 80, "was a comfortingly disquieting presence -- deceptively normal, even bland, but with a spark of evil” in many of his most famous characters, ranging from Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman up to Sabrina the Teenage Witch. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo News)
Kehinde Wiley’s accusers have responded to concerns raised by the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) regarding museums’ decisions to rescind exhibitions of the artist’s work in the wake of sexual assault allegations. - Hyperallergic
"(Testing revealed that) the levels of arsenic and mercury in Beethoven’s hair were slightly elevated. The lead levels, on the other hand, were a startling 64 to 95 times higher than the hair of someone today." - NPR
"'The Kinkster,' as he sometimes called himself, brought an outlaw spirit and vaudeville showmanship to politics, books and music, pushing the bounds of good taste while chomping on a cigar and donning a black cowboy hat — an accessory that barely concealed the curly dark hair that inspired his nickname." - The Washington Post (MSN)
"This account is based on more than 30 other interviews" — Baldwin has stopped discussing the case with the press — "conducted in New York and Santa Fe, in addition to public court filings, police records and videos, as well as documents obtained under New Mexico’s freedom-of-information act." - The New York Times Magazine
State authorities released a statement saying, "The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office looked into the Graceland matter, and it quickly became apparent that this was a matter best suited for federal law enforcement." - The Commercial Appeal (Memphis)
"(Eike) Schmidt, who was backed by Italy's right-wing national coalition led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, secured 39.4% of the vote, behind Social Democrat Sara Funaro with 60.6%. … Florence, a city with a population of 360,000, is seen as a left-wing bastion, and Funaro's victory had been widely predicted." - DPA (Yahoo!)
"As the music director and conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Nézet-Séguin has his back to the world’s swankiest audiences. And as the 49-year-old’s sense of style evolves … judge-y fashion tongues are a wagging. Tattooed and platinum blond, Nézet-Séguin is unbothered." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
My instructors grudgingly conceded I had some talent but were skeptical I could develop it fully. These doubts forged a quality in me that turned out to be a strength in later years. - New Criterion
Simon won four Tonys as a producer, and he balanced producing film and stage works for years as well. He said, "I’ve found that many businesspeople can handle the question of financial viability but can’t judge a good story, so as an artist I also have that area of expertise.” - The New York Times
"(The question) is a matter of wide speculation. New Criterion says they burned their correspondence when she wed. However, Morisot’s letters with her sister show their flirtation was not always a delight. …Morisot rebuffed her mother’s persistent matchmaking, but she obliged Manet’s eventual suggestion that she marry his brother." - Artnet
Across six decades, starting in the early 1960s, he appeared in nearly 200 films and television shows — some years he was in as many as half a dozen movies. - The New York Times
"'Dame Tracey' has a ring about it. It's really cool. I don't think there's ever been one before." She might not have become Dame Tracey if she hadn’t been alerted to a letter marked 'urgent' sitting unopened at her former studio. … I get the feeling she hasn’t stopped smiling since." - BBC
Kazuko Shiraishi shot to fame when she was just 20 with her “Tamago no Furu Machi” (“The Town that Rains Eggs”). A pioneer of performance poetry, she was known for her Ginsberg-esque public readings (occasionally with Ginsberg himself), sometimes accompanied by jazz, and she created Japan's Beat poetry scene singlehandedly. - AP
