News
"Marie Antoinette: Pop Culture Icon" exhibit
2+ hour, 50+ min ago (1038+ words) James Madison University is hosting the "Women in French" conference on May 7-9, and I will be presenting my research on the representations of the late French Queen in popular culture during the opening ceremony. Part of my collection has been…...
AI music is flooding streaming platforms. But listeners like it less and less
16+ hour, 55+ min ago (376+ words) Music fans are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with AI songs, according to a recent report published by the music and entertainment insights company Luminate. The decline is especially notable with young listeners who are part of Gen Z and Gen Alpha....
Multigenerational Carroll County musician mixes dungeon synth and old-time
1+ day, 16+ hour ago (563+ words) A Carroll County musician is making waves among fans of a music genre known as dungeon synth. Dungeon synth sounds like new age music, but it spun out of ambient passages that increasingly appeared on black metal albums in the…...
Melanie C reflects on Spice Girls, motherhood and body acceptance ahead of new solo album
2+ day, 5+ hour ago (972+ words) It's been 30 years since the Spice Girls first topped the charts with their hit 1996 single "Wannabe." When the UK Royal Mint released a commemorative coin in March to celebrate, it credited the iconic girl group with defining "90s pop culture. Singer-songwriter…...
Visionary NPR leader Kevin Klose, who led network to new heights, has died
2+ week, 3+ day ago (890+ words) Updated April 15, 2026 at 1: 55 PM EDT Former NPR President and CEO Kevin Klose, a buoyant and transformative leader who helped to propel the public broadcaster into the top ranks of major U. S. networks, died Wednesday morning in his sleep from complications of…...
One man's 'bad, dad paintings' earn him thousands in commissions
1+ week, 2+ day ago (53+ words) WVTF One man's 'bad, dad paintings' earn him thousands in commissions Here & Now's David Folkenflik speaks with Jamie Matthias, a father who has raked in thousands of dollars from his hilariously bad "dad paintings." This article was originally published on…...
How Americans used to get their weather from the post office
1+ week, 3+ day ago (89+ words) WVTF How Americans used to get their weather from the post office Farmers" Bulletins were national weather reports compiled each evening in Washington, D. C. , and sent to thousands of communities. It was an information lifeline for rural America in the late…...
Dark wedding comedy 'The Drama' has a provocative premise " but it never commits
4+ week, 1+ day ago (329+ words) This review contains major spoilers. No matter how real and genuinely in love a couple may be, there's no getting around an essential truth: weddings are an act of performance. Whatever variations there may be in the details of that…...
VMFA highlights works of Mary Lovelace O'Neal before embarking on major renovation
2+ week, 1+ day ago (497+ words) A final show in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts" 21st-Century Art Gallery is set to open Saturday, before the space is closed as part of the facility"s $261 million renovation. "Blacker Than a Hundred Midnights Down in a Cypress…...
Jury finds that Live Nation acted as a monopoly and overcharged ticket buyers
2+ week, 3+ day ago (534+ words) Updated April 15, 2026 at 8: 32 PM EDT On Wednesday, a federal jury in Manhattan found that Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, operated as a monopoly that harmed consumers and overcharged ticket buyers. The decision came after four days of deliberations. The…...