I had noticed how quiet it disappeared. As for the curated list, there are just too many variables of concern. I think by the time something could be imagined, WordPress will be a completely different product.

On a side note, if we can now get rid of the controversial profit-laden "Popular List", then that just leaves the theme directory without ways of being gamed. The top tier of the popular list is owned by big names and sites with huge traffic resources that seem to live there year-after-year. Big traffic and big sales.