The Soothing, Anti-Prestige, Counter-Programming Of Network TV

Stressed by prestige TV on streaming networks? Hey, here’s the solution: Just go with the networks. “It’s a soft parade of uniformly telegenic people in clothes that always fit perfectly, bantering like aliens who grew up watching only Friends and ER. Nothing bad can happen to me while these sitcoms and dramas are on, twirling through the latest iteration of an ancient dance. Everything is alright, and if it’s not, it’s surely headed for a quick resolution.” – Fast Company

This Land Is Only Made For Woody Guthrie’s Descendants, Apparently

Though it might seem like common sense that, like “Happy Birthday,” the iconic Woody Guthrie song “This Land Is Your Land” should come out of copyright anytime now, that’s not what a recent court case decided – and not what his daughter wants. Nora Guthrie says this is about more than money; keeping it in copyright “allowed the song’s message of inclusion to be protected from abuse and political jingoism.” – The New York Times

A New Opera In LA Shows The Area’s Rich And Tragic History

MacArthur winner Yuval Sharon says it’s time for opera to reckon with the past. “Sweet Land has been described by its creators as ‘an opera that erases itself.’ It achieves an effect not unlike that of traveling back in time to witness the first Thanksgiving, then returning to the present to hear its story warped through the traditional, wholesome retelling.” – The New York Times

She’s Been Dead For 45 Years And She’s Still The Arab World’s Favorite Star

“There is no western counterpart to Umm Kulthum, no artist as respected and beloved as she is in the Arab world.” She sang everything from the most complex classical Arabic music to nationalist hymns; her sold-out performances ran for five hours or more; her monthly live concert broadcasts had entire nations glued to their radios. (It was said that Umm Kulthum was the only thing that unified the Arab world.) You still hear her voice in cafes and taxis throughout the Middle East and the Arab diaspora. And she lived an extremely unusual life for a woman of her time and place. – The Guardian

Brooklyn Public Library And Brooklyn Historical Society Merge

Under the plan, which was approved this week by the boards of both organizations, the library — the nation’s fifth largest — will become the parent institute of the historical society. The society will remain in its landmark 1881 building in Brooklyn Heights, which houses nearly 100,000 books, manuscripts, photographs, maps and other rare items dating to the 17th century. – The New York Times