“The tragedy came from the women’s testimony — a set decorator who spoke of how Depardieu trapped her between his legs and groped her, an assistant director who detailed multiple occasions when the actor touched her breasts, buttocks, and genitals. The farce is from Depardieu’s performance in court.” - The Hollywood Reporter
“(He) experienced the ups and downs of fame more dramatically than most. His break came in 1984’s spy spoof Top Secret! … (and) his movie career hit its zenith in the 1990s ... as a dashing leading man” in Tombstone, True Romance, Top Gun, The Doors (as rockstar Jim Morrison), and Batman Forever. - AP
Just hours before he was due to surrender to Federal authorities to serve almost 10 years in prison, Watson received clemency from the Trump White House. - CNBC
Want to learn to live like her? The Marina Abramović Institute offers €2,450 (~$2,600) five-day Cleaning the House workshops in various locations—Brazil, Thailand—taught by people (not her) trained to lead guests “through a series of long durational exercises to improve individual focus, stamina, and concentration.” - ARTnews
David M. Childs, an architect who crowned the New York City skyline with the tallest building in the Americas — a shimmering new 1 World Trade Center in place of the twin towers destroyed on 9/11 — died on Wednesday in Pelham, N.Y. He was 83. - The New York Times
“Her most headline-grabbing work focused on pornographic films, which she saw as worthy of consideration as a discrete genre — and worthy of scholarly analysis and inquiry as well. She shrewdly compared pornography to another popular genre: the musical.” - The New York Times
A heartthrob for most of his life, the actor came out publicly in 2003. He said, “I’m positive that love exists … and is available to us all the time.” - The New York Times
“Archaeologists have been searching (in and around Lumbini in southern Nepal) for an altogether different Buddha — not the figure of faith and metaphor, but an actual man who was born, lived, preached and died in this region at least a century before any records of his teachings were written down.” - Smithsonian Magazine
“He called his previous behavior, particularly toward subordinates, ‘bone-headed’ and ‘narcissistic.’ He acknowledged that he had long yelled at his assistants (‘Yes, of course’) and that he had on occasion thrown things at people (‘Very, very rarely’).” - The New York Times
“A statement posted to Facebook reads: ‘As many of you may already be aware, Johnny Mathis is approaching his 90th birthday this year. So, it’s with sincere regret that due to Mr. Mathis’s age and memory issues which have accelerated, we are announcing his retirement from touring and live concerts.’” - The Guardian
“He faces two counts of sexual assault. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine of €75,000. … For many in France, the case marks a cultural reckoning. Can a nation famed for its culture of seduction — and long criticized for shielding male artists — hold one of them accountable?” - AP
As a musician, he was a founding member of the Lenox and Vermeer String Quartets and the Orpheus Trio. Over the years he directed and curated chamber programming at BAM, the Spoleto Festivals, the New World Symphony, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. - The Strad
Jolie, the Oscar-winning actress, humanitarian and object of global fascination, was not the red-hot center of attention. Which is just how she wants it. “I like to see what other people make,” she said. “That’s part of my creativity.” - The New York Times
“Depardieu, 76, is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (‘The Green Shutters’). The actor faces up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($81,000) if convicted.” - AP
Biographer Sue Prideaux has found materials indicating that the artist did not have syphilis at all, his lover was well over the age of consent at the time and was free to stay with or leave him as she wished, and he actively campaigned against injustice and corruption in the colonial government of French Polynesia. - The Guardian
