Stories

Events in the U.S. lead to the question. "Following the implementation of legislation prohibiting 'pornographic or indecent' literature in Utah’s public schools, a complaint was lodged against The Old Testament and its less racy – but still occasionally outré – sequel." - Irish Times

They were the 2022 version, not this year's show. Since Ariana DeBose hosted both, that added to the confusion. "The problem, it turns out, stems from confusion over Paramount+ subscription levels." Or from CBS never bothering to explain the distinction, of course. - Los Angeles Times

"Entries are capped at 16,500 and competition is fierce - this year, more than 11,000 people submitted work but less than 10% were successful." - BBC

Philip K. Dick, of course. And it's called the "rhetorizor." - Salon

Musician María Elena Ríos made the claim. "'It’s very difficult to talk about the emotional abuse and the abuse of power of a sexual predator who is loved around the world for playing a character in a movie such as Tenoch Huerta,' Ríos tweeted on Saturday." - Los Angeles Times

Paulette Hamilton, MP for Birmingham, is not having it. "If they're going to take away without consultation, without actually speaking to anybody, just saying they're going to move the money elsewhere, it's just not good enough ."- BBC

In the 2010 movie. Natalie Portman "was dancing for up to eight hours a day by the time shooting rolled around. During one significant scene, where the ballet director, Thomas, encourages Nina to push herself to the limit, Portman channels a lifetime of pressure." - Far Out Magazine

Pike: "This idea that it’s no longer enough to be healthy and we have to be 'well' is something that needs to be interrogated. Yet it’s so seductive because it’s in pursuit of things that people are ashamed to want, like youth, beauty and fitness." - The Observer (UK)

Michael Arden, best director for his revival of Parade, said he was often called "the F-word." (The NYT wouldn't print the word either.) Then "he drew raucous cheers as he reclaimed the slur, making clear that he was now one with a Tony." - The New York Times

After Shakespeare in Love, Weinstein pressured Fiennes to sign a five-movie contract. "The actor claimed he was effectively threatened by Weinstein that if he did not comply with the offered deal, he would not work in Hollywood again." - The Observer (UK)

Annecy's mayor: "The best response to this tragedy is to live even more forcefully and more intensely. ... With this conviction art and culture celebrates life, and enables us to change the world to make it a better place." - Variety

Moore's new noves "is also, as always with Moore, very funny, with plenty of opportunities for her trademark gallows humour." - The Guardian (UK)

Alex Newell became the first out nonbinary actor to win a Tony, for their performance in Shucked - "and less than an hour later, Some Like It Hot star J. Harrison Ghee became the second for their lead performance as a musician on a journey of gender discovery." - Washington Post

For good reason. "The museum traces its origins back to when King Leopold II set up the International Exposition of 1897. As part of that, 267 Congolese men, women and children were taken by force to Belgium and exhibited to the public ... on the site where the museum stands." - BBC

Kimberly Akimbo for new musical, Leopoldstadt for play, and Topdog/Underdog for play revival. The whole list is at the link. And Ariana DeBose hosted it all without a script. "In the end the telecast aired without pickets, without scripted banter and without a hitch." - The New York Times