And, in this case, narrowing it to give more power to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. "The acquisition will help HarperCollins expand its catalog of backlist titles at a moment of growing consolidation in the book business. Houghton Mifflin publishes perennial sellers by well-known authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, George Orwell, Philip Roth and Lois Lowry, as well as children’s...
Wait, are palaces like Sandringham likely to host stolen cultural artifacts? We'll never know - at least not from the police, who are barred by a 2017 law from searching the royal residences. - The Guardian (UK)
Mere months after her star turn in 20 Feet from Stardom, the singer was in a car accident so terrible that she spent five months in the hospital and years undergoing rehab. "Clayton said her family sat by her bedside crying profusely while a team of doctors came into the room. 'I wondered, ‘What the heck is going on?’'...
The actor started performing when she was 14, feeling like most 14-year-olds - awkward and unlovable ... until she got onstage. "I felt so great on stage. We wore fishnet tights, macs and berets, and sang a series of sweet French songs. I knew I was good, because I was absolutely in tune with myself at that moment." -...
The Museum of American War Letters is offering not just glimpses of the letters, but audio of tapes and other communications sent back home by soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Right now, it's mostly focused on Vietnam, but it plans to expand, and it's open to anyone who wants to visit, virtually. "The institution has no street address —...
Monica Thomas: "I spent time watching the robots move to get a sense of joint flexibility, etc. I then made a dance on my body to act out each part. I hired dancers to learn this choreography, which allowed it to be put together in one sequence for filming. I gave a video of the whole dance to Boston...
Small-scale, outdoor productions could take place in nearly every park that has a bandstand. They just need some attention, and the concerts need some intention. "They are structures unlike any others: halfway between the outside world we crave and the domestic interior to which we have been urged to retreat. They are often beautiful – flashing their finials –...
It's not just the documentary, of course, but ... "Public scrutiny of the court-ordered guardianship has exploded with the #FreeBritney movement backed by fans turned activists and the recent New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears." - Los Angeles Times
That's because, well, look at the image of the cover. Author Dav Pilkey said of The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung Fu Cavemen From The Future, "It was brought to my attention that this book also contains harmful racial stereotypes and passively racist imagery. ... I wanted to take this opportunity to publicly apologize for this. It was...
The streamers battled it out with crates of artisanal food, top-drawer scotch, and other gifts to draw voters' attention to their movies. When Nomadland "premiered" (or rather re-premiered) on Hulu, for instance, "Fox Searchlight announced a virtual global premiere. ... Invitees to the event were sent the aforementioned crate—stuffed with gourmet cheese, 'humanly raised' salami, and trail mix—to enjoy...
What has to change: "Disabled people may be artists, musicians, singers, or actors, our experiences and stories rarely find their way to the stage. When we do appear in scripts or on stages, almost invariably those stories focus on the non-disabled people around us and cast us as villains, punchlines, or charity projects for the protagonists. Ableism runs...
"The West Indian Cultural Centre (WICC) in Wood Green was constructed in the 1980s, becoming a vibrant hub for cultural events and debates on subjects such as the struggle for racial equality. It drew huge numbers of visitors who came to hear speakers including the Nobel prize-winning poet Derek Walcott, the American civil rights activist Al Sharpton and the MP...
Rania Andouni was targeted for her gender expression - and when she went to the police station to file a complaint, the police not only harassed her further, but charged her. A Tunisian "sentenced Amdouni to six months in prison on the charge of 'insulting a public officer during the performance of his duty,' which is punishable by up to one year...
A critic wonders, in the wake of two mass shootings after a year of mass death and destruction. "Every day I’m thankful for the work I get to do. I am paid to watch, to think, to write. But this week, like so many others recently, it has felt pointless, even silly, to analyze fictional stories when real people...
