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Why Is France’s Oscars Committee So Bad?

Over the last three decades, a number of French movies have earned Oscar recognition, but none have been the official French Oscar submission. - Variety

Universities — The Essential Ingredient Should Be Free Speech

Teaching a subject is important; it is also in a sense incidental. The classroom is, first and foremost, a place to train young minds toward a yearning for knowledge and a taste for argument — to be intellectually curious — even if what they wind up discovering challenges their most cherished convictions. - The New York Times

How “Conglomerate” Publishing Works

I found that, if we look beyond just “authors”—if we also take into account agents, scouts, editors, marketers, managers of subsidiary rights, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers—we end up with something like a conglomerate superorganism: conglomerate authorship. - Public Books

Dan Wagoner, Performer And Choreographer At The Center Of Midcentury Modern Dance, Has Died At 91

"A child of small-town Appalachia for whom the idea of going to New York City was like 'going to the moon,' he … danced with Martha Graham, was an early member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company and led his own well-regarded troupe for 25 years." - The New York Times

Art, Oligarchs And Fraud

We think of oligarchy as a foreign concept, but the truth is that American oligarchs abound, and many of them collect art. It’s a time-honored strategy. - Mother Jones

Readership Of Print Magazines In US Appears To Be Growing (!)

"(While) 80%+ of 100+ national magazines have lower readership than they did a decade ago, over the past two years, nearly 90% of those have maintained or actually increased readership." - MediaPost

Reconsidering “Rhapsody In Blue” As It Turns 100

It is easy, and accurate, to call “Rhapsody in Blue” naïve and corny. But, to be fair, it was still very early in the timeline of jazz and swinging Black music on record. - The New York Times

Neil Patrick Harris Is Turning “Tick, Tick … Boom!” From A Chamber Piece Into A Big-House Musical

Jonathan Larson conceived the show as a monologue, with himself at the keyboard playing all the roles. After he died suddenly in 1996 and Rent became a smash hit, Tick, Tick … Boom! was adapted into a three-actor piece. But NPH and the Kennedy Center have bigger plans. - The Washington Post (MSN)

Major Museums Remove Native Artifacts In Response To New Federal Rules

The American Museum of Natural History will close two major halls exhibiting Native American objects, its leaders said on Friday, in a dramatic response to new federal regulations that require museums to obtain consent from tribes before displaying or performing research on cultural items. - The New York Times

Death Sentence For Arsonist Who Burned Down Kyoto Anime Studio, Killing 36

"The Kyoto District Court found defendant Shinji Aoba mentally capable to face punishment for his crimes and announced the sentence … on Thursday. Aoba stormed into Kyoto Animation’s No. 1 studio on July 18, 2019, and set it on fire. … More than 30 other people were badly burned or injured." - AP

David Brooks: For A Kinder, Gentler World? It’s Culture Above Politics

"I confess I still cling to the old faith that culture is vastly more important than politics or some pre-professional training in algorithms and software systems. I’m convinced that consuming culture furnishes your mind with emotional knowledge and wisdom." - The New York Times

A Major Audio Producer Is Testing AI To Translate Its Podcasts

"By the end of March, iHeartMedia plans to debut between five and ten podcasts, originally created in English, translated into new languages including Spanish, French, German and Italian using artificial intelligence." - Inside Radio

They Won’t Admit It, But British Cultural Institutions Are Accepting Sackler Family Money Again

Over the last five years, many arts organizations in the US and UK stopped accepting the (previously generous) donations of the Sackler family because of its role in the opioid crisis. Records indicate that the Sackler Trust has recommenced its donations, but the recipients remain unnamed. - The New York Times

Dallas Looks To Restart Its Stalled Culture Pass Program

"Culture Pass Dallas was created by the Office of Arts and Culture and the Dallas Public Library in 2019. Six months after launching, the pandemic hit and put the program on hold. Now, the Office of Arts and Culture is prioritizing rebuilding (the free-admission program)." - The Dallas Morning News (MSN)

Victoria & Albert And British Museums To Loan Looted Asante Gold And Silver To Ghana

"Under the (three-year) deal, 17 objects from the V&A and 15 from the British Museum will go on show later this year at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of Asante region. Many of the items have not been seen in Ghana for 150 years." - The Guardian

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