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The BAFTA Nominees Were Pretty Diverse.  The Winners Were All White.  Criticism Has Ensued.

"By the end of the night," wrote one journalist covering the awards, "when it slowly sank in that every single winner was white, you could practically feel the BAFTA team's heads sink into their hands as they braced for yet another social media storm."  They weren't wrong. - BBC

Stella Stevens, Sexy, Funny Hollywood Star Of 1960s and ’70s, Is Dead At 84

"(She was) known for her voluptuous figure and graceful comic touch in such films as The Nutty Professor with Jerry Lewis and the cruise-ship disaster story The Poseidon Adventure. ... Ms. Stevens became more of a character actress in the second half of her career." - MSN (The Washington Post)

Public Radio’s “The Takeaway” Will End In June

"The news program, which launched in 2008 as an alternative to NPR's Morning Edition, has seen declining carriage and audience, according to leaders at WNYC, which co-produces the program, and distributor PRX. … The show airs on 241 stations, ... (but) carriage has declined by about 13% over the past several years." - Current

An Algorithm For A Fandom Site? Makes No Sense

AO3 is one of the biggest fan fiction sites today. It’s an open source, multi-fandom archive for transformative fanworks that, as of January 2023, is home to approximately 10.5 million works across over 55,000 fandoms, ranging from big names to the most niche corners of the internet. - Wired

King Charles Taps Andrew Lloyd Webber For Coronation Music

Lord Lloyd-Webber said he wanted his new coronation anthem to reflect a "joyful occasion". A gospel choir will sing and there will be Greek Orthodox music in memory of the King's father, Prince Philip. The music will have a traditional tone with pieces from classical composers. - BBC

Why Millennials Are In To New Age Music

As my generation grew up, new age seemed a bit like a lost world—a faerie realm we were promised but never got to go to. Although it’s based on familiar pop structures, the songwriting has an origami quality of folding and unfolding back on itself, creating pockets and planes. - The Atlantic

The Key To Happiness? Low Expectations

High expectations aren’t always a bad thing. But if you’re finding yourself flooded with disappointment more often than you’d like, you might consider the case for lowering your expectations and turning to gratitude instead. - The Atlantic

A History Of The Game “Monopoly”: Meant To Critique Capitalism But Turned In to A Celebration Of It

There have now been more than a thousand versions of Monopoly, based not only on different cities but on properties such as “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Powerpuff Girls,” and M&M’s. The message, though, remains the same. - The New Yorker

BBC Relaxes Dress Code For Presenters: Sweaty Is More Authentic

“It’s a bit like, be as sweaty and dirty as when we’re in the field is actually more trustworthy than if we look like we’ve just stepped out of an awards ceremony or a fine dinner party.” - Deadline

Time To Rethink The Meaning Of Indigenous?

Today, nearly half a billion people qualify as Indigenous. If they were a single country, it would be the world’s third most populous, behind China and India. Exactly who counts as Indigenous, however, is far from clear. - The New Yorker

Understanding The Wonder That Is BookTok

Although the Barnes & Noble event caters to fans of romance and fantasy, BookTok is vast and multifarious. The community is a constellation of fandoms. - Lithub

Conspiracy Theories: Toxic Influence Or The Price Of Democracy?

If great masses of people maintain a certain belief over long periods of time, one can be fairly sure that there is something in it. This doesn’t mean that the belief in question is true, but it’s unlikely to be complete nonsense either. Myths tend to have a core of truth. - Unherd

Is This Painting A Raphael Or Not?

What began with a chance discovery turned into a quest that consumed Mr. Ayers for decades. He managed to discover a great deal about the painting’s mysterious origins before he died last year at age 64.  - Wall Street Journal

Turns Out Students Don’t Actually Want An ‘All-Digital’ Library

Make that 'library.' Faculty and students at Vermont State University were not having it when the financially strapped institution announced last week that everything would be digital. "Since the announcement, the union faculty and staff voted no confidence" in the leadership. - Inside Higher Ed

Alvin Ailey Dance Turns 65

The troupe's third artistic director says it's been a real challenge during the past few years, and now is a time for joy and some experimentation. "We often have different generations of audience members at the same performance, and so everybody has something they can connect to." - NPR

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