“National Geographic Channel has pulled its long-running Neil deGrasse Tyson chat show StarTalk off the air, at least for now, following allegations of sexual misconduct against the famed astrophysicist. StarTalk will remain on hiatus as a Fox Networks Group investigation into the multiple claims continues.” — Variety
Blog
Anne Midgette Reviews The IRS’s On-Hold Music
“Background music has to walk a tricky line. We want something inoffensive yet meaningful, and you’d better believe that we — the consumer masses — will barrage customer service with complaints if the balance tips too far in one or the other direction.” — The Washington Post
Court Throws Out Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Artforum And Its Ex-Publisher
“New York’s Supreme Court has dismissed a case against [the magazine and its] former publisher, Knight Landesman, whom curator and art fair director Amanda Schmitt claimed had sexually harassed her via ‘unwelcome physical contact and repulsive written and oral demands for intimacy’ while she was an employee at the magazine.” (Landesman resigned the day the suit was made public.) — ARTnews
Movie Theatre In Germany Offers Nationalists Free Tickets To ‘Schindler’s List’, Nationalists Act All Insulted
The Cinexx theater in the town of Hachenburg made the offer to members of the right-wing party Alternative für Deutschland for a screening on Jan. 27, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Cinexx says it wasn’t trolling and wants to “initiate discussion,” but AfD folks called the scheme a “tasteless instrumentalization” and a “senseless provocation.” — The New York Times
Louvre Had Record-Breaking 10.2M Visitors In 2018, Thanks To Delacroix And Beyoncé
The figures show a bounce-back for the museum after several years of dips in attendance attributed to falling tourism in Paris following the 2015-16 terrorist attacks. Juicing the numbers were the wildly successful Delacroix retrospective and (of course) the hit Beyoncé/Jay-Z video “Apeshit.” — The Guardian
Beset By Orbán’s Right-Wing Government, Budapest’s Theatres Hang On
Howard Shalwitz, longtime artistic director of the DC company Woolly Mammoth, writes about his recent visit to the Hungarian capital, reporting that, despite constant political pressure on funding and programming, “there’s still plenty of social and political kick on Budapest’s stages.” — HowlRound
#MeToo Sweeps Argentina After Young Actress Accuses Star Actor Of Rape
Last month, Thelma Fardin posted a video to Instagram in which she tearfully recounted how Juan Darthés allegedly raped her while they were touring Nicaragua for a telenovela. She was 16; he was 45. Fardin’s million followers sent the video viral, with the hashtag #Miracomonosponemos (roughly, “#LookWhatYouveDoneToUs”), and the effect has been as big as that of the Harvey Weinstein accusations in the US. — Public Radio International
In Brazil, Female Readers Band Together To Support Female Writers (And They’re All Going To Need Each Other Now)
Book clubs with names such as “Read Women” have been growing in Brazilian cities, pushing for including more work by women authors in publishers’ lists, bookstores’ inventory, and even school curricula. Now those writers and their supporters worry about whether the new president, Jair Bolsonaro, and his far-right followers will undo the progress of recent years. — Public Radio International
Get Ready: Musician Holograms Are Coming To A Concert Near You
The experiment has already dipped into some North American venues where the virtual likeness of deceased crooner Roy Orbison received mixed reviews a few months ago. Opera singer Maria Callas was also resurrected in a performance some critics say looked more like she was a floating ghost than a physical entity. Glenn Gould will be added to the hologram circuit in 2019, with the late Canadian pianist accompanied by live orchestras as part of a tour organized in co-operation with his estate. – Toronto Star
Reconciling Rich Board Members And Their Compromised Money
It’s a particularly stark reminder that no organization is purely good when money is the major organizing principle. The art and search for meaning that constitute the best expression of humanity will always be diluted here. In this case it’s cut by the worst expression of humanity, war. It’s also a stark reminder that people with blood on their hands will always have a chance to rehabilitate their image. – The Baffler