“Rembrandt was 28 when he married Saskia in 1634; 36 when she died, leaving him with a baby son and a sorrow so destructive he gave up painting in oils for several years. The measure o…
Yes, this sounds salacious, but it’s sadly, depressingly real: Smallville actress Allison Mack offered that defense in court. “Mack's lawyers argued that Mack's threat to release…
Adults who take piano lessons, and who simply can’t be perfect at it, can find something new. “Playing the piano has accomplished what all that yoga and meditation never could. I…
This revelation comes courtesy of the Big Data of Ancestry.com, one of the most popular genealogy (and DNA testing) sites. Ancestry and demographers provide a variety of explanations, from i…
Anita Rachvelishvili, 34, has impressed conductors, directors, and the opera world in general. Riccardo Muti: “Rachvelishvili was for me a revelation. … She is without doubt the …
That’s right: Rabbit ears are back, baby. Or, well, people are turning to “over-the-air digital antennas " a one-time investment of as little as $20 " as a way to slash their mon…
This is going to surprise everyone: When people get off Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Slack, and more, they get a lot of books read. However! “My only real distractions were hunger and…
Whitfield spent decades being sought out for famous British male comics to play off her superb timing – but then she found her own stardom on TV in Terry and June and then as Edi…
No surprise, his favorite book was Becoming, by Michelle Obama. But of course, many of us who enjoy streaming platforms live for his playlists, and this year’s no different. – Th…
Yikes, and yuck. “The rapid return of Mr. Gatti and Mr. Dutoit has led some to ask whether the cult of personality that surrounds maestros in a tradition-bound field has won out, parti…
One perhaps charmed USC student says, “The things that we've learned in this class are so universal, not just in regards to Harry Potter, but to becoming a good writer and understandin…
Those aren’t really viral dances – they’re witty and very smart social media moves for established performers. To quote a CEO, “Dance sells.” –Â BBC
Truly, the movie isn’t that great. But it’s a great example of how Netflix uses all of that data we give it when we start, stop, walk away, return, and finish (or don’t) mo…
The Prophet, and a lot of other work, is public domain on January 1. Sure, the estates are going to lose money. (But honestly, who cares? This is great for readers.) – The NewÂ�…
Bruce Robbins says that “cosmopolitanism” has implications far beyond what movies, art, food, and other culture we might enjoy from all over the world. “If you are willing …
Here it comes, specifically for Netflix and Amazon, but others will be affected too: “The crucial clause in the E.U.'s audiovisual media services directive states that member states &#…
Duh, right? That’s what independent booksellers have been saying for years. As a collective, we may finally be getting it. “The best booksellers are not, strangely, just there to…
At least, most of them aren’t. Here’s an in-depth look at everything from Ruth Bader Ginsberg action figures to Ocean’s 8 to Halloween to Suspiria, with a final stop at …
A photographer in Durham, NC, in the early 1900s used a camera that allowed multiple, distinct pictures on one plate-glass negative. And the results are surprising. “Mangum’s gla…
Why? It’s one on a list of German institutions that, the conservative Israeli government says, are promoting anti-Israeli activity or sentiment. But “Tamar Zandberg, leader of th…
It’s “Green Christmas,” by Stan Freberg. “When it was released by Capitol Records 60 years ago, the song caused a huge backlash from major advertisers, many of whom t…
Some see it as the year before the end of the innocence in the U.S. – the year before JFK was assassinated. For others, that “innocence” was built on an entire system that …
That time is when you get to play Yente in the Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof. “People are so taken by the communication of the story and hearing it in this language.” R…
A great way to end the podcast year: MoMA senior conservation scientist Chris McGlinchey talks “about all the complex machines he uses, the extremely tiny scale conservators work on, a…
The photo turns 50 years old on Christmas Eve this year, but why did it affect humanity’s view of the Earth so strongly? The photo – called “Earthrise” – “…