"(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
From early on, Radcliffe was aware of two competing drumbeats—two inevitable destinies, usually somehow intertwined, that were being predicted for him. - The Atlantic
Among her discoveries, many of whom Gladstone Gallery still represents, are Matthew Barney, Joan Jonas, Jenny Holzer, Keith Haring, Wangechi Mutu, Carrie Mae Weems, Richard Prince, … - ARTnews