The Hollow Allure of Spotify Wrapped - This year’s recap, with A.I. bots and uninspired presentation, revealed a company that seems chiefly concerned with profit margins and squashing its competition. (www.newyorker.com)
“Let’s Open It Up to Questions from the Audience” at Every Author Interview Ever - “Hello, I have one question that’s really five questions packed into a single, rambling monologue.” (www.newyorker.com)
Kendrick Lamar’s Year on Top - What has made Lamar both fascinating and a bit dangerous, for those, such as Drake, who chose to cross him this year, is the fact that he doesn’t seem to desire anything that his peers have. (www.newyorker.com)
How Bashar al-Assad’s Regime Crumbled - Iran’s weakness, a faltering economy, and new political fissures led to the stunning end of a dynasty. (www.newyorker.com)
Daniel Penny Is Found Not Guilty in the Subway Death of Jordan Neely - The trial over the death of Jordan Neely, which made Penny a right-wing cause célèbre, became a flash point in the debate over crime and vigilantism in big cities. (www.newyorker.com)
The Director Behind Nicole Kidman’s Erotic Thriller “Babygirl” - Halina Reijn has always loved the genre—and revelled in creating a steamy melodrama for Nicole Kidman in which the protagonist is “greedy,” “dark,” and “wrong.” (www.newyorker.com)
How Long Will the Trump Crypto Boom Last? - As a pro-crypto Administration prepares to take power and crypto investors cheer, there are some parallels with the dot-com boom of the late nineties. (www.newyorker.com)
The Best Performances of 2024 - A middle-aged, murderous Tom Ripley; a boozy, stagestruck Mary Todd Lincoln; an unlikely pair of singers at the Grammys—these were the acts that broke through the noise of this fractious, tumultuous year. (www.newyorker.com)
Book a Stress-Free Getaway - Need to forget the state of the world? Escape to this city hideaway, complete with non-leaky air mattresses and easy access to the fire escape through a hidden kitchen nook! (www.newyorker.com)
The Berlin Philharmonic Doesn’t Need a Star Conductor - The musicians possess a powerful collective personality, creating an organic mass of sound. (www.newyorker.com)
The Confident Anxiety of Rashid Johnson, by Calvin Tomkins - Rashid Johnson, who is preparing for a major mid-career show at the Guggenheim, explores depths of masculine vulnerability that few of his contemporaries have touched. (www.newyorker.com)
Gift Ideas from the Rudy Giuliani Collection! - In need of stocking stuffers? How about a Rolex Datejust, owned by the former mayor and put up for auction after he was found liable for defaming two poll workers? (www.newyorker.com)
Monopoly: A.I. Edition! - You are awarded a military contract; collect 100 billion and nuclear codes. And other Community Chest and Chance cards for the new monopolists. (www.newyorker.com)
Can You Write It Better Than Taylor Swift? - An appreciator of “Speak Now” and “Folklore” joins a roomful of young writers at the Thurber House, a literary center in Ohio, for a class inspired by the pop star. (www.newyorker.com)
The Cast of “The Blood Quilt” Learn Their Stitches - A master quilter holds a lesson for the director Lileana Blain-Cruz and five actors before the opening of the play at Lincoln Center. (www.newyorker.com)