MoviePass, Too Good To Be True, Has Finally Died

The promise – unlimited films for $10 a month – went far beyond its founders’ capital and far beyond what the market could support. But for a limited time in 2017, MoviePass was poised with millions of customers and a demand for Netflix-like experiences at theatres. And indeed, it rewrote the rules, forcing cinema chains like AMC, Cinemark, and Regal to create subscription offerings in order to keep customers loyal. – Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Opera Opens Without A Resolution About Placido Domingo

Here was the situation the day before Saturday’s opening night: “With Domingo staying away from Los Angeles while an internal investigation is underway, the company pushed ahead Friday on season-opener plans with its general manager absent and rumors swirling about whether he will step down.” But of course, the show must – and did – go on. – Los Angeles Times

Biographer Jean Edward Smith, Who Brought Grant And Eisenhower Out Of Obscurity, Has Died At 83

Smith not only cleared up the reputation of President Ulysses Grant – showing that “Grant’s poor reputation as president had been fostered in part by biased graduate students at Columbia University who wrote the first studies of Reconstruction” – but restored to prominence the contributions of John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. (And he also wrote a scathing biography of the 43rd president, George W. Bush.) – The New York Times

Ireland Gets A New Museum Of Literature ‘In A Battle For The Soul Of Dublin’

Well, that’s poetic, and sounds incredibly Irish. The director of the new Museum of Literature Ireland says, “We’re in competition with a lot of venues backed by private drinks companies, with all their marketing budgets.” And, says the writer, “He’s right, in Dublin, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s all about the distilleries, and the Guinness Storehouse.” No longer. The Irish Times

Study Shows That Gendered Discrimination, And A Lack Of Parental Support, Create Massive Barriers For Women Theatre Designers

Sometimes you just need a study to back up what seemingly everyone (at least the women) already knows: “The fields of design, production, and technical theatre are the most male-dominated,” and the reasons? Er: Ninety percent of respondents “reported having experienced a negative work environment, gender-based harassment, and/or pay disparity,” especially in lighting and sound design. – American Theatre

Anne Rivers Siddons, Author Of ‘Peachtree Road’ And Other Books Whose Subject Was The New South

Siddons was an advertising copywriter before her buddy Pat Conroy, author of Prince of Tides, urged her to write about Atlanta – which she did. But that wasn’t her only topic. “‘The South is hard on women,’ she told People, ‘partly because of the emphasis on looks and charm. No matter what I did, I always ended up with this hollow feeling. … That’s why I wrote: I am writing about the journey we take to find out what lives in that hole.” – The New York Times