Stories

AI music has gone viral before and charted before, but song generators are now good and fast enough that they can flood the zone, creating tracks that slip past the safeguards of major streaming platforms and distributors. Spam-filtering systems can do only so much to stem the flow. - The Atlantic

The trio were not only the most influential, but also the most gainfully employed—two factors that have everything to do with each other. - ARTnews

Why so much dance on TV lately? “Where the goal is to quickly get and then hold the viewer’s attention, energetic movement is a straightforward strategy. Dance’s graphic elements immediately catch the eye, and they can make that gaze linger.” - Dance Magazine

Peacock and Paramount+ have high hopes. “Emmy success can still bring tangible benefits. Even the commitment to campaigning can move the needle, especially for two streamers looking to recruit more talent to their ranks.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)

“The experience of watching so many movies over a twelve-day period coaxes your brain into a heightened state of pattern recognition, and you might begin to wonder if certain films have been programmed based on narrative and thematic similarities.” - The New Yorker

“The Town has seen its homegrown talent reach new levels of success on the global stage, from figure skater Alysa Liu earning Olympic gold in Milan to filmmaker Ryan Coogler winning four Oscars for his blockbuster Sinners and R&B powerhouse Kehlani receiving two Grammy Awards.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Um, ouf? “He doubled down on his personal commitment to AI, noting that he still uses it every day. … I asked him whether he would rather stop writing than stop using AI in his writing process. ‘Yeah,’ he answered.” - Wired

“The museum said it had also received what it described as ‘malicious communications’ before the evacuation.” - ARTnews

It’s not about the phones. Instead, as a society, we have to remove structural barriers - and build new libraries. "A democracy needs its people to read, and it is society’s job to make that possible.” - The New York Times

Well, not kids, but youth, YouTube youth. “The success of two YouTube-native filmmakers at the box office indicates the growing power of the platform — and online culture as a whole — in attracting audiences to cinemas.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

“You take yourself with you, right? The image becomes mirrored: Who you were and what you took from a book the first time is reflected in who you are and what you take from the book now.” - Reactor Mag

“When the history of Trump’s second administration is written, the whole sorry Kennedy Center chapter will be key to understanding the chaos, cruelty and grotesque egotism of the president, as well as the bravery and determination of those who resisted and persevered.” - Washington Post (Yahoo)

“It’ll be like Barbenheimer,” says one biographer of Paul and John of the new wave of movies coming out this year, including four by Sam Mendes, with one devoted to each band member. - The Guardian (UK)

OK: “The music giant said Pershing Square's $64.3bn (£48bn) takeover offer was ‘not in the best interests’ of the company, shareholders, artists, fans and other stakeholders.” - BBC

Lawrence Ferlinghetti explained, years ago, that “‘Howl’ knocked the sides out of things, just the way rock music in the '60s knocked the sides out of the old music world.” - NPR