"If the 'wokeism is killing comedy' crew are motivated by a genuine devotion to great comedy, then they can relax, because it is in rude health when it comes to risk-taking, boundary-pushing content." - The Guardian
According to one CNN report, a song called "Fart" was blacklisted. The lyrics of the song read: "There are some people in the world who like farting while doing nothing." - BBC
Basically, it's because Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pushing the country in a more militaristic direction, especially with regard to Pakistan. And "India's wars with Pakistan are privileged by Bollywood 'because we always win.'" - The Guardian
The pressure to try to adopt positivity as a constant state of being has begun to feel exhausting. Some have gone as far as to call it “toxic positivity,” which may seem contradictory. - The Walrus
Dance psychologist Lucie Clements says we should reassess the value of "pushing past the pain": "You are risking more harm than good if someone is hurt or sick. … It perpetuates that you are not worth as much as the art." - Dance Teacher
When the manuscript began circulating, several major publishing companies vied for it in a frenzied auction, with bids soaring into the seven figures. - The New York Times
Alaa Al-Aswany on his The Republic of False Truths: "I made a big mistake. I thought the revolution was representing all Egyptians, but we were the minority. … At some point, people turned against us. This novel is a way to understand what happened." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
In 2017-18, 2% of works performed were written by women, and 3% by composers of color. By 2019–2020, it was 6% of works by women and 8% by composers of color. This year music by women comprise 12%, and nearly 17% are by composers of color. - San Francisco Classical Voice
Says the former director of Tate Modern, now at Paris's Grand Palais, "We probably cannot afford to ship works back and forth, and will have to think of … how a museum can do more for a local community instead of catering to economic models for tourists." - Artnet
The arts-dependent Cape Cod town got clobbered by last year's lockdowns, but with vaccination rates up and caseloads down this summer, the scene joyfully geared up — until it was hit with a cluster of "breakthrough" COVID cases among people who'd had their shots. - The New York Times
"(He was) as famous for guiding the megastar careers of Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan and Billy Joel as for his profane, sometimes uproarious feuds with Paul Simon, David Geffen and the entirety of Warner Bros. Records." - Billboard
Jason Harrington, 38, fabricated paintings which he sold as work by the late artists Barkley Hendricks and Richard Hambleton (aka Shadowman) for a total of $1.1 million, money he must now repay. He faces up to 20 years in prison. - Artnet
The Rady Shell was built to be the San Diego Symphony's summer venue, but, COVID rates and the city's weather being what they are, the orchestra will play there at least through the fall. Acoustically and audience-wise, it appears to be a success. - The New York Times
While she acted in other films, radio and TV before retiring to raise her children, she's best known for key supporting roles in several of her father's classics, including the heroine's truth-telling sister in Strangers on a Train and Marion Crane's pill-pushing co-worker in Psycho. - The Hollywood Reporter
Sarah Frankcom has stepped down as director of LAMDA (the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) as the school's trustees investigate "complaints on some aspects of conduct and management style." - The Guardian
