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K-Pop Demon Hunters Dominates The Annies

Does any other animated film have a chance at an award this year? The film “won in every category in which it was nominated,” equalling ten of the twelve awards (Arco and Bad Guys 2 won the categories in which Demon Hunters wasn’t nominated). - The Wrap

The Symphonic Supermarket Aisles Of Sheffield

“I headed to the back of the shop and to a cluster of three freezers. This was it. The sound they were making was an unbelievable symphonic hum. I stood entranced; it was like listening to an orchestra playing underwater.” - The Guardian (UK)

Trump Demands That Netflix Fire A Board Member After Her Warning That Corporations Shouldn’t Bow Down To Trump

Susan Rice, former United Nations Ambassador, said on a podcast this week that “corporations, media companies, law firms and universities that ‘take a knee’ to Trump should not expect Democrats to ‘forgive and forget.’” The current president did not appreciate that. - The Hill

Why Is Nearly Everyone Reading Fantasy These Days?

“The strictly disenchanted world, where nothing exists but physical processes describable without metaphor, and even consciousness is just a material problem waiting to be solved, can be a desiccated place. It keeps heart and mind on inadequate rations.” - The Guardian (UK)

Mexisistentialism Is A New Definition Of An Age-Old Strain Of Mexican Philosophy

Mexistentialism “teaches us that our crises, even if they are framed by the catastrophic, are that only in appearance. … Our crises will not destroy us because these crises are inscribed in history, and it is history that frames who we are.” - Aeon

Matz Skoog, A Charismatic Swedish Dancer Turned Director Of The English Ballet, Has Died At 69

Skoog came on board at a rough time, just as 9/11 obliterated any arts attention. “The softly spoken, self-effacing and courteous Skoog set about refreshing the repertoire and encouraging British choreographers, including Christopher Hampson and Michael Corder.” - The Times (UK)

The Regular Schmoes Asked Up On The Ballet Stage

“When the mood and choreography strike, Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney invites a few folks to perform on stage as supernumeraries. That’s a fancy term for extras—usually peasants—who mill around and have deeply animated conversations with their supernumerary neighbors.” - KC Studio

The Federal Communications Commission In The U.S. Is Going In On The ‘Must Be Patriotic’ Thing

The FCC chair asked broadcasters to sign a pledge, and said they should “inform and entertain audiences by upping programming that ‘celebrates the American journey and inspires its citizens by highlighting the historic accomplishments of this great nation.’” - NPR

Damian Lewis On Being In The Public Eye

“I had a stalker. We had an injunction on her and I thought that everything was safe and then I was on stage doing a press night in the West End and someone stood up out of the front row and put flowers at my feet and I realised it was my stalker.” - The Guardian (UK)

Ireland’s Basic Income For The Arts Is Now Permanent, But What Does It Mean For The Artists?

In Ireland, despite how often the government uses Irish arts to market the country to tourists, "more than 56 per cent of artists and arts workers experience enforced deprivation (that’s three times the rate in the general population).” - Irish Times (Archive Today)

With Lost Boys And Dracula On Broadway, Plus Sinners At The Oscars, Why Are We So Immersed In Vampire Culture?

“These mythological creatures tap into our anxiety over what would happen if we became otherly human. … As the horror author Grady Hendrix put it: ‘Vampires are the only monster that looks like us.’” - The New York Times

The New Wuthering Heights Treats One Of Its Women Very, Very Badly

“The film Isabella is a narrative tool for Heathcliff rather than developing in her own right. She becomes another victim of ‘fridging,’ a term coined by Gail Simone that references the way in which many female characters are disposable, depthless plot devices.” - The Guardian (UK)

South Africa Has Pulled Out Of The Venice Biennale

“The move comes after the country’s right-wing culture minister Gayton McKenzie scrapped a pavilion proposal by artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo.” They said, “The space will remain empty: a space of erasure, cancellation, censure.” - Hyperallergic

Why Discord’s Age Verification Idea Isn’t Going According To Plan

Hackers discovered the Peter Thiel-backed verification software, Persona, "bundled in an interface that pairs facial recognition with financial reporting – and a parallel implementation that appears designed to serve federal agencies.” Discord swiftly decided to kick Persona to the curb. - The Rage

Rediscovering The Classic Cassette Tape Player

For Spencer Richardson, who finds, repairs, and sells tape players, “his customers include older baby boomers and Gen X‑ers nostalgic for the players of their childhood, but most have been millennials like himself, drawn to something tactile and analog.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)

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