One arts council president says bluntly that the artists need more funding, or "this situation is definitely going to have long-term consequences." - CBC
James Baldwin got it. "Baldwin acknowledged the restrictions placed on Poitier and other Black actors at the time, but he also recognized Black agency in these performances. Poitier 'smuggled in reality,'" Baldwin wrote, no matter what was on the page.- The Atlantic
But it's price-fixing of ... DVDs? Yes. There's millions in BluRay and DVD sales, apparently. "The conspirators communicated with each other to eliminate competition and raise prices." - The Verge
Center Theatre Group and the LA Phil aren't canceling - and aren't planning to cancel - shows, at least not at the moment. CTG's managing director says, "We are trying to avoid changing too often and creating audience whiplash." - Los Angeles Times
While public consultation on the scheme is still in progress, the plan is for roughly 2,000 visual artists and performers to receive, for an initial three-year-period, an (anticipated) hourly rate of €10.50 ($12), paid weekly, for them to do their creative work. - BBC
Authors must accept that art is prone to inspiring disparate, and potentially conflicting, responses — and they can’t do anything about it. - Washington Post
The late author's estate has announced the creation of the Jack Kerouac Foundation, which will raise funds to build the center — which will present exhibitions, spoken word performance, music, lectures, and conferences — at the church Kerouac attended growing up in Lowell, Mass. - MSN (The Boston Globe)
This massive release isn’t something entirely worth celebrating. Instead, it’s a pointer to the sheer absurdity of American copyright law, which long ago came under the thumb of the entertainment industry and distant heirs of artists determined to preserve what is essentially a windfall. - Los Angeles Times
You've got some benefactors' names all over the buildings of your non-profit, and then those donors, because of how they made their money, become pariahs. Awkward! Gladwell's "modest proposal" to prevent this situation — based in Scripture, no less — involves a simple change in tax law. - Oh, MG
With the return of audience capacity limits and distancing rules due to the Omicron surge, and with performances being cancelled on short notice if company members test positive, the government announced £21 million in aid before Christmas and added £45 million last week. - The Scotsman
"More than 20 acts have pulled out of the 2022 Sydney festival, just 48 hours before opening night, boycotting the festival over a sponsorship deal with the Israeli embassy." - The Guardian
The Under the Radar Festival (theater), Prototype (opera), and Exponential Festival (multiple genres) — much-anticipated events in what was once a barren January calendar — have called off this year's live performances due to the staffing and logistical problems caused by the Omicron variant. - The New York Times
Politicians, media commentators, and scholars from both left and right all seem to agree that the French political debate has been contaminated by American ideas. - Catalyst Journal
As millennials age into the solid middle of the culture here at the end of 2021, they’re getting to experience that disorienting slip with some of the most beloved pop culture of their youths, and most particularly the pop culture that was celebrated during the presidency of Barack Obama. - Vox
