“When adversaries in politics go low, one has no choice but to go equally low, if not lower, in order to have the same visceral impact [on] the same number of people. And what was revealed to me under the previous administration was that the fate of our whole democracy might hang on your wit and your ability to use obscenity and travesty and mockery effectively.” – Los Angeles Review of Books
Edinburgh Fringe Venues Get Lifeline From Scottish Government
“The Scottish Government and the city council have joined forces to offer £1.3 million worth of support to leading venue operators to help offset the impact of possible restrictions and extra health measures. … The Fringe funding is aimed at helping to pay for the costs of creating temporary outdoor venues, which public health experts say are much less risky for major events.” – The Scotsman
New Antitrust Crusader Confirmed To Run The FTC — And Big Tech Shudders
Lina Khan’s bipartisan confirmation to the FTC is as strong a sign as any that she has Congressional backing for her most ambitious ideas. – Protocol
Giant “Marilyn” Statue Unveiled In Palm Springs — How Offensive Can It Get?
The aim is to saunter between a woman’s spread legs, look up her billowing dress and snicker at her panty-clad crotch — or, better yet, snap a photo for posting on social media. With Marilyn Monroe as its doleful model, this adolescent sculptural trash is presented as a welcome draw for desert resort tourism, battered during the COVID-19 pandemic. – Los Angeles Times
Soprano Gianna Rolandi, 68
New York-born, South Carolina-raised and Curtis-trained, she became one of the top American coloraturas of her generation and one of the stars of New York City Opera, where she was a protégée of Beverly Sills. She later went on to direct the young artists’ program, the Ryan Opera Center, at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where her husband, conductor Andrew Davis, is the longtime music director. – Parterre Box
Why UK Music Festivals Are Dying
The problem for festivals is that preparation and planning – let alone building a site – stretches over months and often costs millions, and the current question marks hanging over festivals are making such work impossible. – The Guardian
Screens And Speakers And What we Learned During COVID
Screen nausea and social media compulsions are no joke, but the current self-loathing about the long year of screen time is misplaced. It was not lost time. – Wired
Rich Guy Goes To Hollywood, Improbably Makes It Big As Movie Mogul
At a time of entertainment industry upheaval, David Ellison has transformed Skydance into the rarest of Hollywood businesses — a thriving, built-from-scratch, all-audiences, independent studio. – The New York Times
Do We Really Need Public Statues?
We want to mark important events and people. But which ones? And who should decide? And are we creating an unreconcileable hierarchy of what’s important (and what’s not). – Aisle Say
A New Dance Company To Mine The Experience Of Older Dancers
“It can take a long time to work out what your voice is, particularly in ballet. After 100 Nutcrackers, 100 Cinderellas, to get to a point where you can make decisions yourself is incredibly empowering.” –Sydney Morning Herald