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Nobody Makes Superheroes Like Australia

DC and Marvel got you bored? Hunt down Captain Invincible, Griff the Invisible, or, even better, the TV series Cleverman, told from an Indigenous Australian perspective. - The Guardian (UK)

What A Classical Retelling Means To Its Writer, And Its Audience

Madeline Miller's 2011 book The Song of Achilles has, she says, helped readers come out to their parents; has inspired people to earn Ph.D.s in Classics; and even led to some intense tattoos. - The Guardian (UK)

Jeopardy’s Next Big Headache

What kind of vetting do they have over there at Sony, anyway? - Washington Post

Here Are The Fall’s Award-Bait Films

In theory, four fall film festivals are about to take place, with masked, vaccinated, and tested participants. "Yes, the last Oscars were just four months ago. But there’s no shortage of intriguing awards season hopefuls premiering at these festivals." - Los Angeles Times

Donald Newlove, 93, Author Who Explored The Depths Of Drink

Newlove wrote hundreds of articles, essays, and stories; novels; and several books of advice for writers as well. Once sober, he called his former muse "Drunkspeare." - The New York Times

Using Artists – And Art – To Revive A Town In Cornwall

There's a revival in the town of St. Austell, thanks to the history of clay. - The Guardian (UK)

The Outdoor Concerts In Ireland Where Musicians Arrive By Canal And Barge

Sounds gloriously picturesque: "There’s a tall lamp standing on the stone quayside at a lock in rural Co Carlow on a warm and clear evening. Beside it, a cream and green barge is moored, with a mixing desk on the bow and a few cables trailing on to the bank up towards the lamp." - Irish Times

Let’s Talk About Luma Arles

The art park (project? bioregion?) in France is a bit unclear right now. Luma "is a wonderland of good intentions. They certainly don’t pave the road to hell, but they do offer versions of desirability that are at odds with each other." - The Observer (UK)

Is Seeing Live Theatre Worth All Of The COVID Precautions And Stress?

Charles McNulty, in Los Angeles, says yes, but: "Anticipating the stress of the new COVID-19 protocols, I forgot the old stresses, the lunatic driving at Hollywood and Vine, the $25 parking fee ('credit card only, please'). The woman sitting behind me returned after intermission with a bag of potato chips." - Los Angeles Times

Micki Grant, Composer And Trailblazer, 92

Grant was the first in so many categories. First woman to write the book, lyrics, and music to a Broadway musical. One of the first Black actors with a long-running character on a soap opera. And when she couldn't win - see 1986's flop Phillis, about Phillis Wheatley - she bounced back. - The New York Times

Good Thing It Wasn’t Banksy

Or was the graffiti artist after whom the NY Police Department sent a drone, a helicopter, and several cars actually the next potential Banksy or Basquiat? - Vice

The Opera Tenor Who Likes To Take His Audience To The Edge

Australian tenor Stuart Skelton on Wagner: "Singers are like athletes doing long-distance competitions. You get to the point where you’ve reached your physical limits. You hit the wall. Then it’s a mental game of trying to dig deep into your technical resources to keep going." - The Observer (UK)

When The NYT Book Review Minced Few Words

You might call the headlines "brutally honest," if you were being kind. "Novel or Nightmare?" one asks. "Two Pathetic Books," one proclaims. - The New York Times

Artificial Intelligence Can Kind Of Produce New Yorker Cartoons, But Those Captions

"Comics artist Ilan Manouach and AI engineer Ioannis Siglidis developed the Neural Yorker, an artificial intelligence (AI) engine that posts computer-generated cartoons on Twitter." The results can be hilarious - or deeply unsettling. - Hyperallergic

Ed Asner, Emmy Award Winning Actor And Political Activist, 91

Asner won played Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show; his career continued into the 2000s, including Up and Elf, and even the 2019 Dead to Me. He also worked hard for unions (including the Screen Actors Guild), animal rights, and farmworkers. - The New York Times

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