In the days when most leading comics were firing off one-liners like Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield, Newhart was one of the first solo performers to do anecdotes and sketches of people’s interactions. And he got plenty of material from his days as an accountant and at the Illinois State Compensation Board. - WBEZ (Chicago)
Some psychiatrists and philosophers interested in AI-human relationships suspect that AI psychosis may just be the most visible example of a much broader phenomenon: the subtle reshaping of ordinary human belief by conversational AI. - Big Think
The immersive video company Cosm filmed multiple New York City Ballet performances, using 13 cameras shooting from 84 positions. The footage was edited to produce what Cosm calls shared reality (“virtual reality without the clunky glasses”). The result will be shown this year in Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles. - The New York Times
The century-old Strand Bookstore has agreed to pay the federal government nearly $1.5 million to resolve a claim that it was not eligible for a pandemic-relief loan it obtained because the store’s owner is married to a member of Congress. - The New York Times
“Some of us can see a lot of doom and gloom,” said Miranda Banks, a professor of film, television and media studies. “But this generation has their eye on the power of human creativity in a way that I’m not sure any of us in other generations have been so attuned to.” - Los Angeles Times
The $10.1 billion figure marks a 19 percent increase from 2025, while the company reported $892 million in operating income, a 13 percent jump from last year. Fan attendance overall grew 19 percent to 61 million people, Live Nation said, with international attendance growing 29 percent. - The Hollywood Reporter
“The musical, inspired by the titular Cuban band, took home five Tony Awards in 2025, including a special Tony for its onstage band. While the show is closing in January, producers say it is on track to recoup before closure. … In 2027, the musical will open in London’s West End.” - The Hollywood Reporter
In other words, the key sell for engaging with art in this case is that there is science – a real expertise! – backing it up, to reassure those on the fence that it’s not all a clanging, nebulous waste of time. - The Guardian
The motion to approve the project passed by an 8-4 vote after listening to over 100 public remarks largely against the project after a nearly 9-hour meeting. - The Hill
The livestream went down during public testimony largely against the project and after a tense exchange with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). NCPC tech experts were looking into the issue, Reuters reported. - The Hill
“The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is set to receive about $62.5 million next year in the proposed budget. That’s up less than 1% from the arts budget that passed City Council last year.” - WBEZ (Chicago)
Just before midnight Friday, District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order — finalized and made public minutes later - barring the government from any construction work for 14 days, granting a request filed days earlier by the governments of D.C. and Virginia. - NPR
It is something of a truism in the library world that, when economic conditions worsen, people use libraries more. Patrons and librarians across the U.S. tell NPR they're seeing that pan out now. - NPR
Machover’s brilliant new half-hour orchestral score asks AI for agency. It does so by treating the technology as stupid, musicians as creative artists and the audience as capable of opening its collective mind. It handles democracy not as a done deal, but a series of scary questions — and doesn’t trust the heartless machines for answers. - Los Angeles...
“(The painting) Near Abiquiu was previously only known from a 1931 photograph. It laid hidden under a row of fur coats for nearly 40 years, until a woman known only by her middle name, Betsy, was helping her now-deceased aunt, an accomplished former Foreign Service worker, prepare for hospice.” - Artnet
