Your ultimate guide for staying in the know and getting inspired. An essential wrap-up of arts news and the best interviews, brought to you by the Arts team at ...
Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively and the court of public opinion
Last year, the actor Blake Lively accused her co-star Justin Baldoni of inappropriate conduct on the set of their film, It Ends With Us. That's led to lawsuits and counter-lawsuits, but it's also created an industry of influencers with very strong opinions about the cases, and particularly about Blake Lively. Kat Tenbarge explains how celebrities are using social media to shape public opinions — and why women tend to get caught in the crosshairs.Our track of the week is Wrong by Annie & The Caldwells.Stories mentioned in the headlines:Creative Australia releases the terms of reference for the review into the Venice Biennale decision.Initial hearings begin in the court case between Jayson Gillham and the MSOPresident Trump and Vice President Vance receive very different receptions at the Kennedy Center
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28:34
Another music festival cancelled as the live music inquiry hands down its recommendations
The parliamentary inquiry into the live music industry has been handed down with a range of recommendations. But at the same time, another music festival has been cancelled: Esoteric is the latest to join the ranks, only one day before it was due to begin. Dr Ben Green explains what’s going on with live music in Australia and what it will mean for fans. Claire Nichols explores her new series on the Book Show, My Biggest Book.Plus, the track of the week, Oblivion by Al Di Meola
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32:36
More voices call for change in the leadership of Creative Australia
An exclusive conversation with the gallerist Josh Milani, who represents Khaled Sabsabi, the artist at the heart of the controversy engulfing Creative Australia. Milani explains how he believes the crisis can be mitigated, shares the importance of events like the Venice Biennale on the commercial art sector, and talks about the personal impact of Creative Australia's decision on Sabsabi and his team.Senator Sarah Hanson-Young joins us to explore the fallout from a fiery senate estimate involving Creative Australia's leadership. And with the federal election approaching, the Greens have launched their arts policy — the senator talks content quotas for the streaming platforms, a living wage for artists, and whether obtaining the balance of power would allow them to implement their policies.Plus the track of the week, Emmanuele by Abel Selaocoe.
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Creative Australia's leadership faces questioning at Senate estimates
The fallout over Creative Australia's decision to drop Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino as Australia's representatives to the 2026 Venice Biennale has continued over the last week. A tense meeting between the CEO of Creative Australia, Adrian Collette, the chair of the board, Robert Morgan, and senators during an estimates hearing on Tuesday marked the first public comment by the leadership of that organisation since the decision to remove Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino as the Australian representatives to the 2026 Venice Biennale.Richard Bell, a friend of Sabsabi, adds his voice to calls for Sabsabi's reinstatement.And Emma Maye Gibson, aka Betty Grumble, takes us to the Sydney Mardi Gras to explore how the festival helps to build community and whether those communities are colliding with corporate interests.
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Resignations and condemnation in the wake of Creative Australia's Venice Biennale decision
The decision by Creative Australia to cancel their own selection for Australia's representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale has led to shock and condemnation across the arts industry, with several high profile resignations.The announcement came less than a week after Khaled Sabsabi was originally picked, and followed a question by the Shadow Minister for the Arts in Parliament about Sabsabi's work from the mid-2000s.With Associate Professor Tully Barnett, Emeritus Professor John Clark and Penelope Benton, the Executive Director of NAVA, we explore whether there is a precedent for the decision, consider the art itself, and hear why NAVA has described the situation as "a devastating and terrifying moment for artistic freedom in Australia."
Your ultimate guide for staying in the know and getting inspired. An essential wrap-up of arts news and the best interviews, brought to you by the Arts team at ABC Radio National.
Australia