A foreign policy scholar suggests (with some evidence) that the Tchaikovsky/Petipa/Ivanov adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffmann's story was intended as a portrait of the calming of formerly hostile relations between Europe and Russia under Tsar Alexander III. - World Politics Review
It shouldn’t have to be restated every time a lackluster movie is released that a critic’s job is to evaluate a film’s quality and how well it conveys the ideas it presents, not applaud filmmakers on the basis that the ideas they present are correct. - The Daily Beast
This is not the film Idiocracy, depicting us all as dumb consumerist sheeple. This is a film with great faith in humanity, and cynicism only about the institutions we have built and the particular people who hold power. - Current Affairs
"A federal judge has issued a default judgment against a major overseas e-book piracy operation known as the KISS Library after its operators failed to answer a lawsuit filed in July, 2020 by the Authors Guild, Amazon Publishing, Penguin Random House, and a number of authors." - Publishers Weekly
And the authors of those books — who, not long ago, couldn't get a single look from publishers — can thank social media: Booksgram, BookTube, and BookTok. - The Guardian
Says one exec, "While we don't live or die by ratings, as at commercial stations, learning when and for how long people are listening helps us make programming decisions. Since we sell sponsorships, being ranked in the top 10 is helpful especially when approaching media buyers." - Inside Radio
Tony Kushner: "She either comprehends or intuits, not what necessarily is the most obvious choice for dramatic action, but what's under the surface, where the real meaning of a piece lies. … She has this absolutely uncanny ability to translate that into music." - The New York Times
"The public continued to interrogate museums over their treatment of workers, their attachments to patrons with problematic sources of wealth, and their dragon-like hold on items of questionable provenance." And then there's Hunter Biden … - Artnet
It's happening with works by the likes of Klimt, Picasso, Rembrandt. Most controversially, if the only surviving photos of a lost work are in black-and-white, the software adds color. - The Washington Post
The dictatorship's censors were all too thorough: scenes were even cut from It's a Wonderful Life — and the doctored version of that film is turning up on television. Same with books. Here's how and why this has happened … - The Guardian
Swimming has been officially banned since 1923. More than two-thirds of all French have a negative perception of the river. And yet when French officials unveiled their ambitions for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris this month, the Seine was treated like a resurrected national monument. - Washington Post
It is impossible to overestimate the volume of stuff that is being produced, edited, and put online today. The content cup runneth over, and much of what’s in it is baffling and bizarre. - Wired
You can sense it in all the calculations Disney has been making with regard to what goes to theaters, what’s PVOD, and what goes directly to Disney+. - Slate
News accounts described its dozens of donated artifacts, including Confederate memorabilia. Based on historical records, some have also speculated the capsule might contain a rare photo of deceased President Abraham Lincoln. - The Guardian
