"People might tell you that you’re the odd one out. Remember you’re not, you too are the mainstream. The world might try to make differences a pejorative thing, but I’ve carved out a whole career by celebrating it." - The Guardian (UK)
Her career started with a book that was originally aimed as pornography for bored housewives. But "when ultimately published, Riverfinger Women 'was the first book that was advertised in The New York Times that was identified as a lesbian book.'" - The New York Times
Sempé, who died on Thursday at 89, had a whimsical style. "His ink cartoons were often set in a mythical mid-century Paris or millennial New York, but their appeal was universal." - Slate
Heche, an Emmy- and Tony-nominated actor, was declared brain dead six days after a fiery one-car crash in L.A. The Daily Beast said that the actor "deserved so much better from Hollywood," and The Guardian said she was basically too smart for Hollywood. - Los Angeles Times
Jane Boleyn, married to Anne's brother George, tends to be portrayed as a schemer whose (likely false) testimony sent her husband and sister-in-law to their deaths. The evidence from the time suggests otherwise, say several scholars. - Smithsonian Magazine
An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and begin punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced. The author was taken or fell to the floor, and the man was restrained. - The Guardian
What these projects have in common — and what distinguishes them from Martin’s early days as the only guy onstage — is that he now eagerly shares the workload on almost every endeavor he tackles. - The Hollywood Reporter
"Even if Baker's career had been restricted to her role as an entertainer, it would have had the allure of a thriller. The racecraft of the day was bound to give rise to spycraft: all identities are impostures, and Baker had a chameleonic gift for moving among them." - The New Yorker
Back home in Russia (where he spent years under house arrest on trumped-up charges), among culturati in Ukraine, in Europe (where he now lives and works), and especially at Cannes this year, the dissident director opposes the invasion of Ukraine but gets criticism for it nevertheless. - The New York Times Magazine
"I identify much more as a composer. A couple of times, I backed away from conducting for a while. I felt it’s not a professional advantage to be a double threat. It takes a lot of time to be as well prepared as a conductor." - San Francisco Classical Voice
"His production company, Zentropa, ... said it released the information in order to avoid speculation about his health leading up to the premiere of his series The Kingdom Exodus at the Venice Film Festival next month." - AP
"(His) lovingly crafted narratives on subjects ranging from the Brooklyn Bridge to Presidents John Adams and Harry Truman made him among the most popular and influential historians of his time." - AP
"She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention. She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident." Her car first hit an apartment building, then, several minutes later, a house, which burned down. - MSN (The Washington Post)
"Through a career that included 100m album sales and a starring role in Grease (1978), one of the most successful musicals in film history, she was the entertainer least likely to court controversy, ... one of the few young stars who were more popular with parents than with their children." - The Guardian
