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If Disney’s Pirates Scared You, Thank Alice Davis, Who Has Died At 93

The costume designer also created more than 150 outfits for the It's a Small World ride. "One wrinkle occurred, Ms. Davis said, when she noticed the panties on the ride’s animatronic French cancan dancers repeatedly falling apart." They got pantaloons. - The New York Times

Gentle Ukrainian Film Critic, Become Soldier, Become Vivid Chronicler Of A War

War has always provoked remarkable writing. Anton Filatov’s blog posts on Facebook are a 21st-century version of this, and they have gained him a growing audience. - The New York Times

Composer Ned Rorem, 99

"By the time he was 40, he had written more than 400 art songs, as well as three symphonies, several one-act operas and a great deal of chamber music. ... By this point, however, Mr. Rorem was at least as well known for his diaries as for his music." - The Washington Post

Joan Didion’s Estate Auction (Sunglasses for $27,000?)

Among the 224 items up for grabs, both the photograph (a 1968 portrait of Didion by Julian Wasser) and the table (an oak desk she used in her office) were sold for a combined total of $87,000 — far beyond their projected worth. - Los Angeles Times

Just How Serious Are Jay Leno’s Burn Injuries?

"Right now they're in that progression of somewhere between deep second and third-degree burns to the face," says his doctor.  "We're hoping we can keep them from progressing by using these alternate treatments, including good wound care and hyperbaric oxygen and aggressive surgical management." - CNN

Kevin Spacey Is Hit With Seven More Sexual Assault Charges In London

"The Crown Prosecution Service said (Spacey) has been charged over 'a number of sexual assaults against one man between 2001 and 2004'.  It also authorised 'one charge of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent' against the 63-year-old actor, who lives in the United States." - MSN (AFP)

The Author Of “Gomorrah” Is On Trial For Criminal Defamation Of Italy’s New Rightist Prime Minister

"Roberto Saviano, Italy's best-known anti-Mafia author, went on trial for libel on Tuesday for calling Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a 'bastard'.  If convicted, he could face up to three years' imprisonment, but under Italy's legal system a fine of around €500 euros or a suspended sentence are more likely." - Reuters

US Patent Office: No, Mariah Carey Can’t Trademark “Queen Of Christmas”

While Carey might’ve filed a petition to be the one and only “Queen of Christmas,” that royal title will remain free for anyone to claim this winter. - Washington Post

Conductor David Robertson Returns To Composing

My composition chops were extremely rusty and needed buckets of WD-40 put on them. What was interesting is how once you get started, you actually get in the zone; all of a sudden wonderful things start occurring to you. - Van

Roberta Flack, Stricken With ALS, Can No Longer Sing

The 85-year Grammy winner, whose biggest hits were "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly With His Song," has been diagnosed with the neurological syndrome amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ("Lou Gehrig's disease"). - AP

Jay Leno Hospitalized With “Serious Burns”

The former longtime host of NBC's The Tonight Show, who is now 72, reportedly suffered burns to his face in a gasoline fire which broke out in the garage where he keeps his collection of vintage cars. - The Hollywood Reporter

Jeff Bezos Says He’ll Give Away Most Of His Money. So How?

“The hard part is figuring out how to do it in a levered way,” he said. “It’s not easy. Building Amazon was not easy. It took a lot of hard work — a bunch of very smart, hard-working teammates, and I’m finding — and I think Lauren is finding the same thing — that charity, philanthropy, is very similar.” -...

Maurice Sendak’s Dance Between Art And Music

Music was an essential ingredient in Sendak’s creative process. “The work can’t happen without music,” he said in 1994. “I think everything I’ve done is a collaboration with a composer.”  - ArtForum

Alan Rubin, Co-Founder Of Washington’s Biograph Theater, Has Died At 85

Rubin was a geologist before he discovered the joys of art films in San Francisco. "For nearly three decades before it went dark in 1996, the 270-seat Biograph was an oasis for a small but devoted class of film buffs." - Washington Post

Gal Costa, Who Popularized Brazil’s Tropicalia Songs, 77

"Costa was a leading exponent of música popular brasileira. ... She never considered herself a traditional protest singer, or even politically motivated until the last few years when she spoke out against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro." - Washington Post

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