The thefts took place over 30 years, and many of the 2,000 missing items were among millions in the museum’s collection that had not been catalogued or photographed. That last point wasn’t new: a scathing investigation about the British Museum identifying several of its security weaknesses had been published in 2002. - ARTnews
The average top-end ticket outside of London comes in at £49.19, compared with £141.37 for West End shows, while the average cheapest ticket in theatres outside of London was £21.27 – 16% less than in the West End in 2023. - The Stage
"(The 41-year-old LGBTQ+ festival's) dramatic reversal of fortune began with a series of clashes between board members and the group's former executive director over spending decisions that allegedly deepened financial woes faced by the organization, according to a Times review of internal emails, board-meeting minutes and interviews." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
The writers, including Pulitzer Prize winners Taylor Branch, Stacy Schiff and Kai Bird told the court on Tuesday that the companies infringed their copyrights by using their work to train OpenAI's GPT large language models. - Reuters
An author called Demetrious Polychron wrote and self-published a "pitch-perfect" (his word) sequel titled The Fellowship of the King. Then he sued Tolkien's estate and Amazon, claiming the streaming series The Rings of Power infringed his copyright. Oh, goodness, did that backfire … - The Washington Post (MSN)
A.I. fans argue that if artists ignore ethical questions and embrace A.I., we could produce more. “A.I. could help you write 100 books in a year!” they say. My question is always: Will A.I. produce 100 times as many readers? - The New Republic
Our Life In Art, by playwright Richard Nelson (the "Rhinebeck Panorama" cycle), is about the 1923 U.S. tour by Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theater. The director of today's Moscow Art Theater was set to stage the piece — until Russia invaded Ukraine. - The New York Times
Modern fandom online is a vast and varied place, and some of its practices are shaped by the platforms where fan communities gather. On TikTok, fans might make videos they hope will reach millions of eyes, while closed spaces such as Discord might only reach a dozen intensely interested people. - Atlas Obscura
In response to the placement of a Nativity scene in the Iowa capitol, the Temple (per its usual practice) claimed equal representation and installed a display of the occult figure Baphomet there. Former Congressional candidate Michael Cassidy drove from Mississippi to Des Moines and ripped Baphomet's head off. - Business Insider
"There was a time in my life when it was trivial to sign up to a new social network and pick up its patterns and mores on the fly. Now, I feel exhausted by the prospect." - The New York Times
Macron said that the 74-year-old star — facing multiple rape accusations and having been caught on camera sexually harassing a translator and making lewd remarks about a 10-year-old — is "a great actor … (who) makes France proud" and should not be stripped of the Legion of Honor. Predictable outrage has ensued. - BBC
The six performers sacked by the company — a week after going on strike over the board's refusal to address unsafe working conditions — have formed the Central New York Ballet. They made their debut at a sold-out holiday performance in Syracuse this week. - CNY Central (Syracuse)
"Attorney general (Letitia James) filed suit Wednesday against SiriusXM, accusing the satellite radio and streaming service of making it intentionally difficult for its customers to cancel their subscriptions." - AP
"Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish (for several hours) on Tuesday in New York City to discuss a possible merger, Axios has learned from multiple sources." - Axios
Less than a decade ago, readers, authors, and publishers put a lot of faith in the site and the ability of its user-written reviews to launch a book into bestseller territory. But with the repeated "dumpster fires" (as one author called them) of recent years, the site's authority is waning. - The Guardian
