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Law Enforcement Is Now Investigating Attempt To Foreclose On And Auction Off Graceland, Elvis Presley’s Home

Once Presley's granddaughter, actress Riley Keough, filed suit and provided evidence that the organization attempting to foreclose doesn't actually exist, the apparently fraudulent attempt was withdrawn. Now the Tennessee Attorney General is investigating, and so, reportedly, is the FBI, which won't officially comment. - AP

Memphis Judge Puts Hold On Auction Of Graceland To Pay Debt That May Not Actually Exist

"Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins issued a temporary injunction against the proposed auction that had been scheduled for Thursday in Memphis, where the king of rock ‘n’ roll’s former home is located." Elvis Presley's granddaughter says the debt allegedly racked up by Lisa Marie is based on fraudulent documents. - AP

Tom Lehrer Is A Biting Satirist And Still Alive At 96. So Why Did He Give It All Up?

Was it because, as a child mathematics prodigy, he wanted to fulfil his real vocation and become a great mathematician? Apparently not. He taught the course that humanities and social science majors have to take in the US university system. “Math for tenors,” he calls it. - The Guardian

Elvis Presley’s Granddaughter Sues To Prevent What She Says Is A Fraudulent Foreclosure On Graceland

Riley Keough argues that the planned auction of Elvis's home in Memphis to repay a $3.8 million loan to her mother, Lisa Marie Presley (who died last year), is based on forged documents — and that not only did the loan never exist, the company demanding repayment doesn't actually exist, either. - NPR

Fraud Trial Begins For Ozy Media Co-Founder Carlos Watson

The former MSNBC morning news anchor created the digital news media company Ozy in 2013. Prosecutors allege that, as it failed to make money, Watson falsified visitor statistics, forged financial documents, and had his co-founder impersonate a YouTube executive on a call with Goldman Sachs. - The Daily Beast (Yahoo!)

Artist Kehinde Wiley Accused Of Sexual Assault By Ghanaian Colleague

"British-born, Ghana-based artist Joseph Awuah-Darko accused star artist Kehinde Wiley of sexual assault in an Instagram post published Sunday and said that he is seeking 'legal action.' On his own Instagram, Wiley denied the allegations." - ARTnews

Alta, Poet Who Started What Was Probably The US’s First Feminist Press, Has Died At 81

Alta started Shameless Hussy Press in her garage. “She was having trouble getting her own brash and sensuous free-form poetry published by the mainstream companies, as were her friends, and when she learned how simple offset printing was, she decided to do it herself.” - The New York Times

In Search Of Nefertiti’s Tomb

It's happened numerous times: famous archaeologists (or those looking for fame) claim they've finally found the resting place of the legendary ancient Egyptian queen. Yet they might be right this time. - Artnet

Australia’s Richest Person Demands That National Gallery Take Down Her Portrait

Gina Rinehart, a mining magnate with a knack for attracting controversy and a lack of awareness of the Streisand Effect, is unhappy with her likeness in a series of portraits by Vincent Namatjira, one of the country's leading indigenous artists, at the National Gallery in Canberra. - Time

How Alice Munro Was Deeply Tied To Her Southwestern Ontario Roots

So strong are the associations between Munro and her origins in southwestern Ontario that for some, the area around Huron County came to be known as “Alice Munro Country.” - The Conversation

Inside The Brutal Murder Of NYC Gallery Star Brent Sikkema 

"Within hours, Brent became the focus of a high-profile police investigation, reverberating across a horrified international art world that revered him. The murder weapon, a santoku knife, was found right away, in the kitchen. The killer, police say, had washed it and put it away."  - The Wall Street Journal

Steve Martin Writes About Being Friends With Peter Schjeldahl

Peter’s goal, per him, was to have one idea, at least, per sentence. His best mentoring, he said, came from journalists, which makes sense. His reviews have an urgent quality. Breaking news! - The New Yorker

Roman Polanski Exonerated In French Defamation Case

"A French court on Tuesday acquitted film director Roman Polanski of defaming British actress Charlotte Lewis after she accused him of raping her when she was a teenager. … She sued for defamation after Polanski called her allegations a 'heinous lie' in a 2019 interview with Paris Match magazine." - Reuters

Saxophonist David Sanborn, 78

Sanborn was known for luxurious saxophone melodies on songs including "Maputo," but his sound — informed by R&B and global funk— and his legacy extended far beyond his jazz roots. Often perceived as a "smooth jazz" artist, Sanborn loathed that term. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Kathleen Battle Returns To The Met. Tim Page Reports

Ms. Battle was greeted with an immediate and prolonged standing ovation—the first of many—from her eager audience as she walked onstage in a black dress with a long, turquoise-colored wrap. - The Wall Street Journal

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