🎭 Culture & Entertainment
April 22nd, 2026
Today's top 5 stories, curated by Daily Direct.
Variety
Dave Mason, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Who Co-Founded Traffic and Sang ‘Feelin’ Alright’ and ‘We Just Disagree,’ Dies at 79
Dave Mason, the British rock guitarist and singer who co-founded Traffic in the 1960s and wrote the enduring classic "Feelin' Alright," died Sunday at his home in Gardnerville, Nevada. He was 79. Mason's solo career extended his influence well into the 1970s, yielding the hit "We Just Disagree" and cementing his place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. No cause of death was disclosed.
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Variety
Kelly Reichardt on Power, Hierarchy and Hubris in the U.S.: ‘The American Story Keeps Repeating Itself’
Kelly Reichardt used a masterclass at Switzerland's Visions du Réel festival to reflect on cycles of power and failure embedded in American history, arguing that the nation's defining myths continue to replay themselves. The filmmaker, receiving a broader tribute at the documentary festival, addressed how her work interrogates rather than celebrates the American narrative. Her comments position her as one of contemporary cinema's sharpest critics of U.S. mythology.
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Variety
Leonardo DiCaprio Urges Fans to Call U.S. Representatives and Fight Against Bill to Dismantle the Endangered Species Act: ‘Reject This Existential Threat’
Congress is considering legislation that would dismantle the Endangered Species Act, the landmark 1973 conservation law that has protected thousands of plant and animal species from extinction. Actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio used Earth Day to mobilize his 60 million Instagram followers, urging them to contact their House representatives and vote down the bill. The ESA has long been considered one of the most consequential environmental laws in U.S. history, making its potential repeal a flashpoint in the broader debate over federal conservation policy.
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Variety
‘The Balusters’ Broadway Review: Anika Noni Rose, Richard Thomas Star in Brilliant and Brutally Funny Look at a Dysfunctional Neighborhood Association
A sharp new Broadway comedy, "The Balusters," uses the microcosm of a fractious neighborhood association to skewer the pettiness and prejudice that define politics at every level. Starring Anika Noni Rose and Richard Thomas, the production earns its "brilliant and brutally funny" billing by finding universal truths in very local grievances. It's a timely reminder that the ugliest instincts in public life don't require a national stage to thrive.
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How Dave Matthews Crushed the Blueprint for Green Touring
Dave Matthews Band has spent two decades quietly building one of the most rigorous sustainability programs in live music, long before green touring became an industry talking point. Matthews speaks candidly about the influences — from Jane Goodall's conservation work to a complicated relationship with Elon Musk's clean energy vision — that shaped the band's environmental philosophy. The result is a road map that has forced the concert industry to reckon with what responsible touring actually looks like at scale.
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