Maria Alyokhina had been under house arrest for months, but when, in April, Putin announced that she was to be sent back to a penal colony, she improvised an escape that involved a disguise as a food delivery worker, crossing Belarus incognito, and smuggled travel documents. - The New York Times
Carlin is a venerated figure in his chosen field who unites performers as disparate as Joe Rogan and Jim Gaffigan, but he’s also someone whose influence transcends comedy. - The New York Times
"During the 1910s and '20s, Millay achieved the kind of fame that was unusual for a poet then and unthinkable now. ... But fame is rarely an unmixed blessing, particularly when it arrives early in life. Like Judy Garland or Britney Spears, Millay had to grow up in public." - The New Yorker
His great innovation was to turn the santoor, a hammer dulcimer which Indians had heard only in Kashmiri folk music, into a full-fledged solo instrument in high-art Hindustani classical music. He was especially known for his duos with bamboo flute superstar Hariprasad Chaurasia, with whom he collaborated on several Bollywood soundtracks. - BBC
Pérez had a comic book career that spanned four decades. His "meticulous pencil was behind some of the biggest comic book heroes," including New Teen Titans and The Avengers. "Pérez's mid-'80s reboot of Wonder Woman returned the superheroine to her Greek mythology origins." - NPR
"Parnell had been in several bands, including the British prog-rock outfit Atomic Rooster, when he auditioned for This Is Spinal Tap, a deadpan sendup of rock clichés, and got the role of the drummer, Mick Shrimpton." He fit in just fine. - The New York Times
Savage, who starred in the original Wonder Years when he was a kid, has been at the center of a few stories about his conduct in recent years. This time, after an investigation, "the decision was made to terminate his employment as an executive producer and director." - The New York Times
They fled by car and foot when the bombs began to drop. Now Oleksandra Kovalchuk, staying at her parents' house, "using a borrowed laptop, has become a central node in an international network trying to protect museum and library collections in Odesa and beyond." - MSN (Boston Globe)
An outgoing man whose sonorous baritone betrayed his beginnings as a singer, Karayanis presided over the founding of the opera company’s orchestra and creation of its expansive rehearsal and costume facility, which the board of directors named after him. - Dallas Morning News
As a working archaeologist, a regional official, and the national Minister for Culture, Hamdani — born and raised very near the ancient Sumerian city of Ur — worked to protect antiquities from looters, established a comprehensive database and atlas of archaeological sites, and trained a generation of specialists. - The Art Newspaper
He was fond of the Beat writers who had emerged on the West Coast and elsewhere and began publishing them. The spring 1958 issue featured Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, Ginsberg, Kerouac and others who had been making an impression on the San Francisco poetry scene. - The New York Times
Known early on for his "bright vanilla hair" and youthful mien in films by Jacques Demy, Vittorio De Seta, Claude Chabrol, and others, he later pursued darker roles with filmmaker Pierre Schoendoerffer. As a producer, he scored his greatest success with nature documentaries Microcosmos and Winged Migration. - The Guardian
Textile conservators and fashion curators are appalled that beauty mogul Kim Kardashian donned Marilyn Monroe’s iconic Jean Louis gown for the 2022 Met Gala. Monroe’s show-stopping garment became famous 60 years ago when the Hollywood legend wore it to sing a breathless “Happy Birthday." - Los Angeles Times
"Footage showed someone running on stage and tackling Chappelle during his performance at the Netflix Is a Joke festival ... on Tuesday night. ...Chappelle, 48, was apparently unharmed and returned to the stage to finish his set." - The Guardian
A handsome young Black man surprising Chinese immigrants with fluent Mandarin can amass quite a following on social media. Frankie Light is one of several people who pick up various languages (or, at least, phrases), spring them on native speakers, and post the video on YouTube. - The New York Times
