It started with a standing ovation. “At this point, allegedly, the gentleman swatted Academy award-winning Kidman with his program, prompting Urban to accuse the man of assaulting his wife. Quick as a flash, Urban summoned his burly security to escort the couple and Kidman’s mum out of the audience, while Opera House security were sent in to retrieve the aggrieved opera lover.” – Sydney Morning Herald
What “Hamlet” Suggests About Trump’s Impeachment Trial
Rereading “Hamlet” after the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, I was struck by how fears of insurrection permeate the play. Every age sees itself in Shakespeare’s tragedy, but little did I expect to be reminded of the recent uprising and its poisonous politics when returning to this most philosophical of revenge dramas. – Los Angeles Times
Hachette Pushes Out The Last Of The Mainstream MAGA Publishers
Kate Hartson, a fit 67-year-old who once ran a small press specializing in dogs, had all the trappings of a liberal book editor, including an apartment on the Upper East Side and a place in Hampton Bays. But she also seemed to be that rarest of figures in New York media: a true believer in Donald J. Trump, people who worked with her said. She published “Triggered” by Donald Trump Jr., Mr. Lewandowski’s “Trump: America First: The President Succeeds Against All Odds” and the work of other Trump die-hards like the Fox News host Jeanine Pirro and Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker. – The New York Times
The Women Who Created The Blues
For popular music fans, “rock created the music publications we read today. R&B created rock. Blues created R&B. And Mamie Smith made the blues a national sensation.” – NPR
Elton John Says Brexit Negotiators Screwed Up, And Screwed Over Musicians
Elton John says his tours can absorb the costs and the paperwork, so theoretically Brexit’s horribly negotiated touring musician deals (note: what deals?) don’t affect him. But, he adds, “I don’t want to live in a world where the only artists who can afford to tour properly are those who have been going for decades and have already sold millions of records.” – The Guardian (UK)
A Group Of D&D Teenagers, With The Help Of The Kennedy Center, Give An Artistic Boost To The Home Of The Simpsons
In Springfield, Oregon, if you see people wandering around with choose your own adventure-style art books in their hands, don’t be surprised: “Three writers, an executive editor and an illustrator worked side-by-side with local businesses and organizers at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to create the 51-page illustrated epic journey along Main Street in Springfield.” – The Eugene Register-Guard
Often, The Art Was Taken By Force, So This Activist Says He Can Take It Back
Mwazulu Diyabanza is a Congolese activist who would prefer France’s museums were open so he could get some attention for taking African objects from their displays “to highlight what he sees as the mass pillaging of the continent by European colonialists. And it’s not just the mighty museums. Diyabanza and his supporters also plan to include smaller galleries, private collections and auction houses in their campaign. ‘Wherever the riches of our heritage and culture have been stolen,’ says the 42-year-old, ‘we will intervene.'” – The Guardian (UK)
The Action Star Revival Had Largely Left Black Actresses Behind
Nothing against the (many) kick-ass, and asskicking, Black actresses of the science fiction universes, but for something closer to reality? Enter Queen Latifah. – Los Angeles Times
Pro Tip: Not All Of Those Suddenly On The Market ‘Seldom Seen’ Artist’s Works Are Real
Five Florine Stettheimer works showed up in 2020. But there was a bit of an issue: “Only two turned out to have been actually created by Stettheimer. Of the other works, two were removed from the marketplace and the attribution changed on the third.” – The New York Times
You Want Robots To Move Well?
Hire some choreographers. “Choreo-roboticists (that is, roboticists who work choreographically) believe that incorporating dancerly gestures into machinic behaviors will make robots seem less like industrial contrivances, and instead more alive, more empathetic, and more attentive. Such an interdisciplinary intervention could make robots easier to be around and work with—no small feat.” – Wired
As Protests Continue Across Russia, Pussy Riot Releases A New Song In Support
Lead singer Nadya Tolokonnikova, who has been imprisoned before for her music and activism: “Art is the most important weapon I have against a repressive regime.” – BBC
Broadway’s Wigmaster Decides To Hang It All Up
Paul Huntley has been doing wigs for so long that he can remember helping construct Elizabeth Taylor’s braids for Cleopatra. He’s been on Broadway since 1973. But now, after a fractured pelvis, a pandemic shutdown, and the delay of his final show – Diana – it’s time to wind down and move back to London, he says. “There is no work to be had, so it was a wise thing to do. And I’m in my late 80s, so I think it was time.” – The New York Times
The Future (And Some Of The Present) Of Comics Is Black
Yes, Black Panther is returning to comics, but also, so very much more than Black Panther. Here’s a guide for newbies. – The New York Times