The court that had sentenced Altan, along with his brother and one colleague, to ten years in prison (on a charge of assisting the attempted 2016 coup that many believe was trumped-up) ordered them released under supervision last week. But the chief prosecutor appealed that decision, and police promptly went to detain Altan again. – Yahoo! (AFP)
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Idagio Launches Free Classical Music Service
The Berlin-based startup says the free tier will prominently feature its ‘Mood Player,’ which generates a playlist based on a person’s selected mood, as well as playlists curated by staff or well-known artists, including Lang Lang. There are also radio stations specific to composers and artists. – Billboard
‘Setting Us Up To Fail’: More Than One-Quarter Of Australia’s Arts Organizations To Lose Federal Funding
This week is the application deadline for the next four-year round (2021-24) of Australia Council for the Arts funding for small-to-medium organizations, a category which includes all groups but the largest (such as Opera Australia, the Australian Ballet, and the state capitals’ major symphony orchestras and theatre companies). Hundreds of those organizations have already been eliminated, and of those remaining, the Council says that up to 60% will be unsuccessful. Project-to-project finding will still be available, but it has been slashed in recent years. – The Guardian
Disney+ Is Attaching Warnings To Its Classic Movies About “Outdated Cultural Depictions”
Users of the service have seen the warnings attached to some of the company’s best-known animated films, such as Dumbo, Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp, with text that reads: “This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.” – The Guardian
The Latest Jobs Program For Actors? Anti-Sexual Harassment Training Videos
“New or expanded laws mandating sexual harassment training in states like New York and California, as well as a nationwide awakening to a very real problem, have fostered a market for workplace training videos and for actors who can bring #MeToo to life, usually in roles lasting just a minute or two.” – The New York Times
A Theory About Being A Jerk (Yes, We’re Talking About You)
“No one is as right about everything as the jerk thinks he is. He would learn by listening. And one of the things he might learn is the true scope of his jerkitude.” – Lithub
Using Aroma As A Stage Effect
“From at least the late 19th century, when David Belasco had actors cook and brew coffee on stage to heighten the realism of domestic scenes, to recent efforts to evoke a piney forest or the tang of gunpowder, directors have tried to involve an audience’s olfactory sense to intensify their experience. In his screen-to-stage adaptation of John Cassavetes’s 1977 film, Opening Night, Cyril Teste — the French director known for his ‘filmic performance’ technique that uses real-time video, live acting, music, and some audience participation — has added scent to the storytelling of this play within a play.” – Hyperallergic
Urban Dictionary Has Become A Research Tool, A Legal Resource, And Sometimes Even A Style Arbiter
Writer Christine Ro gives an overview of the ways the crowdsourced slang dictionary, now 20 years old (ancient in internet terms), is being used by (among others) linguists and sociologists, state DMVs, and attorneys and judges. (Then there was the time IBM tried using Urban Dictionary as a data set to feed the famous AI computer Watson.) – JSTOR Daily
Mo’Nique Sues Netflix For Gender And Racial Discrimination Over Lowball Pay Offer
The Oscar-winning actress and comedienne alleges in her court filing that, in offering her $500,000 as a talent fee for a stand-up comedy special, the company “offered or paid [Chris] Rock, [Dave] Chappelle, [Ellen] DeGeneres, and [Ricky] Gervais forty (40) times more per show … and it offered [Amy] Schumer twenty-six (26) times more per show than Mo’Nique. In short, Netflix’s offer to Mo’Nique perpetuates the drastic wage gap forced upon Black women in America’s workforce.” – NBC
New Prize For Arts And Social Activism To Be Named For Lena Horne
The Lena Horne Prize for Artists Creating Social Impact, sponsored by the Town Hall in New York City, “will recognize those who ‘promote awareness and create social change.’ The inaugural winner will be honored in February. The recipient will receive a $100,000 donation to be directed to a charity of their choice.” – Yahoo! (AP)