Jan 18 Microsoft buys video game maker Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion By Matt O'Brien, Associated Press Microsoft is paying nearly $70 billion for Activision Blizzard, the maker of Candy Crush and ‘Call of Duty,’ as it seeks an edge in the fiercely competitive businesses of mobile gaming and virtual-reality technology. Continue reading
Jan 18 LISTEN: The Supreme Court hears cases on religious expression and a Picasso stolen by the Nazis By Associated Press Arguments at the high court appeared to unite justices on the left and right in favor of Harold Shurtleff, a conservative activist. Shurtleff wanted to fly a white banner with a red cross on a blue background in the upper left… Continue reading
Jan 17 Watch 6:36 New museum aims to showcase history of creative labor by actors of color By Jeffrey Brown, Lena I. Jackson The Academy of Motion Pictures is best known for the Oscars, and for the controversy in recent years about the lack of diversity in its ranks and awards. Now the organization has opened a new museum in Los Angeles —… Continue watching
Jan 17 Novak Djokovic returns to Serbia after Australia bars entry, French Open may do the same By Darko Bandic, Dusan Stojanovic, Associated Press A plane carrying Djokovic touched down in his native Serbia on Monday. That closed at least the first chapter in a dizzying drama that has resonance in the world of elite sports, Australian pandemic politics and the polarized debate over… Continue reading
Jan 15 Watch 6:24 How Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater balances history and innovation By Christopher Booker This month would have been Alvin Ailey’s 91st birthday; the celebrated modern dance visionary died in 1989. Decades later, his choreography is as vibrant as ever and his company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater remains as innovative. Christopher Booker… Continue watching
Jan 14 Watch 7:21 Immersive Van Gogh exhibits paint a new way of experiencing art By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport, Alison Thoet Vincent van Gogh is the quintessential art-world phenomenon, both for his artistic creations and life story. But now, he's everywhere, in a new way: the center of a boom in immersive art experiences. Jeffrey Brown reports for our arts and… Continue watching
Jan 14 Lionel Richie to receive Gershwin Prize for pop music By Jonathan Landrum Jr., Associated Press Lionel Richie will be honored all night long for his musical achievements. The Library of Congress said Thursday that Richie will receive the national library’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Continue reading
Jan 13 Watch 6:23 Married MacArthur ‘geniuses’ explore border policy and immigration By Jeffrey Brown, Lena I. Jackson Last year’s MacArthur Fellow recipients were among the most diverse since the foundation started giving the so-called “genius” awards 40 years ago. Two of the recent grantees are married Latino filmmakers, looking at migration and U.S. border policy. Jeffrey Brown… Continue watching
Jan 12 Watch 3:34 Rebecca Hall’s Brief But Spectacular take on ‘Passing’ and racial identity By Melissa Williams Rebecca Hall has been on-screen since age 10, but in her new film "Passing" she steps into the director role for the first time. It is based on a novel that was written in 1929 by Nella Lawson at the… Continue watching
Jan 12 Ronnie Spector, ’60s icon who sang ‘Be My Baby,’ dies at 78 By Mark Kennedy, Associated Press Ronnie Spector, the cat-eyed, bee-hived rock ‘n’ roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as “Be My Baby,” “Baby I Love You” and “Walking in the Rain” as the leader of the girl group the Ronettes, has died. She was… Continue reading