Here's the story of how Zhang Yiming built the tech giant ByteDance and its star video app became a global juggernaut — only to find itself caught between U.S. concerns about data privacy and the ever-tighter rule of Xi Jinping's Chinese Communist Party. - The New York Times Magazine
"When her father died in 1973, Maya took up the mantle of preserving and propelling his legacy. ... It involved assembling and organizing a large archive of his oeuvre and becoming the major authenticator of his work, a task she performed thousands of times until her eyesight gave way in the mid-2010s." - Artnet
"Hit hard by a cash shortfall and lackluster ticket sales ..., the (company) said Monday that it would withdraw up to $30 million from its endowment, give fewer performances next season, and accelerate its embrace of contemporary works, which, in a shift, have been outselling the classics." - The New York Times
"The Pops announced in November that it would cease operations at the end of this season. But the new tentative agreement, back-dated to this past Sept. 1, runs through Aug. 31, 2024 — suggesting that the group is eyeing a potential path to survival." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
With warnings mounting over a new Covid wave in the new year and the Bureau of Meteorology not predicting an end to La Niña until late summer, the live performance and festival sector has been left crippled – with no return to normal in sight. - The Guardian
Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) has named Matt August, a director and educator, their new artistic director. He succeeds Sean Daniels, who will serve as director of the new Recovery Project at Florida Studio Theatre. - American Theatre
This year’s race for the best-actress Oscar is so stacked with contenders that I’m ready to comb the academy bylaws for a workaround. Are five slots really enough to honor a field this formidable? - The New York Times
The adult protagonist has become a rare figure in American children’s books. With a few notable exceptions most children’s books today are deeply child-centric. - The New York Times
Security stopped Kelly Conlon because she is a New Jersey lawyer. MSG has begun using facial recognition technology to identify any visitor to any of its venues—including Radio City Music Hall—who is involved with any law firm that is actively involved in litigation against MSG Entertainment. - Ars Technica
"What happens when an ad agency and a greeting card company make a TV show?" In this case, Hallmark Playhouse, the Hallmark Hall of Fame (and its 81 Emmy Awards), and, ultimately, the Hallmark Channel and its iconic Christmas programming. - Tedium
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Bereny’s long-lost masterpiece on the wall behind Hugh Laurie. I nearly dropped Lola from my lap. A researcher can never take his eyes off the job, even when watching Christmas movies at home.” - The Guardian
Ben Davis: "Contemporary cultural backlash may not look like a return to a cozy, oblivious cultural center. It may take its cues more from Elon Musk buying Twitter to 'defeat the woke mind virus' or Peter Thiel funding an 'anti-woke' downtown film festival out of his pocket change." - Artnet
Even if there is a very strong neurological similarity between memories and experiences, we know that they can’t be exactly the same. “People don’t get confused between them." - Quanta
"I've had many second chapters in my life, often propelled by loss. ... As a human being, I'm relatively simple. I'm very work-oriented, I'm not extremely social. ... I'm not very curious about people, which is perhaps not the best way to be, but I have so much responsibility." - Artnet
Over time, laughter-inducing play transformed into practical uses: Laughter and amusement signified a situation was safe, and positive emotions could be used to help cheer others up. Then, around 40,000 to 45,000 years ago humor evolved to serve more modern applications. - Vox
