Fortnite’s most significant achievement may be the role it has come to play in the lives of millions. For these players, Fortnite has become a daily social square – a digital mall or virtual afterschool meetup that spans neighborhoods, cities, countries and continents. This role is powered by Fortnite’s free availability, robust voice chat, cross-platform functionality, and collaborative gameplay. Accordingly, examples abound of kids, adults and families simply hanging out or catching up on Fortnite while they play. – Redef
Tag: 01.02.19
Marcel Marceau Was A World War II Resistance Hero Who Saved Dozens Of Jewish Children
Recruited by his cousin, resistance leader Georges Loinger (who recently passed away at age 108), Marceau used his mime and acting skills to convince German and Vichy authorities that he was a teacher or youth leader taking young kids (who happened to be Jewish and incognito) to an exercise camp (that happened to be on the Swiss border). — The History Channel
Leonardo’s ‘Salvator Mundi’ Is Missing — And It’s Mixed Up With The Saudi Crown Prince And The Mueller Investigation
The world’s most expensive artwork was supposed to have been on display at the Louvre Abu Dhabi four months ago, and it’s been more than 100 days since anyone (other than some Saudi royals) has known where it is. What’s more, special prosecutor Robert Mueller is investigating both the buyer of Salvator Mundi (Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman) and its seller (Trump-connected oligarch Dmitri Rybolovlev, who made a $300 million profit on the sale). Reporter Zev Shalev connects the dots. — Narativ
There Were Brilliant Documentaries In 2018, And Docs Did Great Box Office. Too Bad They Weren’t The Same Films
“Go to festivals like Sundance or True/False and it feels like we’re living through a golden era of nonfiction film; turn up at your local art-house theater and you’d think the medium was nothing but celebrity-driven hagiography and cheap provocation.” — Slate
Reality Winner’s Interrogation By The FBI Becomes A Play — With Not One Word Changed
A 25-year-old Air Force vet and translator for a U.S. intelligence contractor, Winner was convicted of leaking a classified NSA report on Russian hacking of US voter databases. For The Intercept, the web site to which Winner gave the report, Alisa Solomon writes about how director Tina Satter found the transcript of the FBI’s questioning of Winner and knew she had to stage it verbatim. — The Intercept
Creating Ability-Positive Theatre for Children
“Stories that are ability-positive center around real or fictional characters with different ability statuses, not for dramatic reasons, like an abled character experiencing a new struggle, but simply to show humans, in all their complexities, who make up the fabric of our world.” Tim Collingwood, an actor-playwright-activist who identifies as having Asperger’s syndrome, writes about how he was inspired to meet the ability-positive ideal with an adaptation of The Ugly Duckling. — HowlRound
How Writers’ Estates Can Get In The Way Of Writers’ Work
Once a writer dies, their work is controlled by an estate. Of course. But that control can often result in censorship, unreasonable demands for fees, and suppression of scholarship. Pity the poor scholar/biographer searching for insight… – New Statesman
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
Millions Of Cable Subscribers Lose Access To Local Stations In Fees Dispute
Tribune, which controls 33 broadcast stations across the affected markets, had asked Charter to pay more than twice what it currently does for the same content going forward, said Charter spokeswoman Nathalie Burgos. “That is more than we pay any other broadcaster. They’re not being reasonable,” Charter said in a statement. – Washington Post
London’s Nightclubs Are Dying. Berlin, By Contrast Is Investing In Its Night Life
London’s mistreatment of its nightlife is such a tragedy. A city without clubs is a colorless place, and allowing them to disappear means marginalized communities vanish; young people flee the city, and arts and creativity suffer. With London fast becoming a playground for developers and a city that only the rich can afford it would do well to replicate Berlin’s example. – CityLab