The stereotype of country music lovers being only Southern and Midwestern conservatives isn't really true — yet. As some industry stars take controversial stands on some issues (e.g., vaccines) and keep silent on others (George Floyd and BLM), some fans are turning away. - MSN (The Washington Post)
"How is it that a quintessentially democratic cultural activity — buying a ticket and some popcorn and finding a seat in the dark — has been reclassified as a snobbish, specialized fetish?" A.O. Scott has an answer to that question. - The New York Times
"Research has found that 56% of publicly subsidised theatres that had at least one online performance during the first 18 months of the pandemic have none scheduled for the autumn season." - The Guardian
"After months of struggling with an income from 50% houses the Council of Ministers has decided that theatres, cinemas, and cultural venues in the white zones (and currently all of Italy is in that category), can augment their capacity to 100%." - Gramilano (Milan)
European movie theaters suffered a 70.4% year-on-year drop to €2.6 billion ($3 billion) in box office revenue in 2020. In terms of admissions, there was an annual drop of 68.4% to 430 million tickets sold. - Variety
Out of almost a thousand 18-70 year olds who watch at least 5 hours of television per week, more are watching via streaming platforms than traditional pay-TV services, according to research conducted by the National Research Group. - Variety
The interconnected world can be a real pain when TV subtitles and audio transcriptions just disappear into the smoke - and Deaf and blind audience members aren't happy. - BBC
The prize was supposed to be populist, but now, and for the past few years, it seems to be idealist instead. " The traditional criteria for judging the prize... seem to be out of the window. - The Guardian (UK)
Not only because Greg Gutfeld has no conservative competition in his time slot. "Right-wing comedy has become both a viable business strategy and a crucial element of conservative politics. … Whether or not this comedy is to your taste, it's working for Gutfeld and his audience." - The Conversation
State-of-the-art filterless air purifiers and an "ionisation curtain" (a row of snake plants with ionisers attached to draw in aerosols) at the front of the stage are among the measures being taken to reassure live audiences. - The Straits Times (Singapore)
"I couldn’t help but think about how the approaching opening of the Academy Museum — a space that will celebrate the work of these below-the-line craftspeople — is set against the backdrop of Hollywood’s labor strife with the union that represents these same artisans." - Hyperallergic
Mark Pullinger finds that, while venues' staff may be masked themselves, they're not requiring patrons to have face coverings or proof of vaccination (to be clear, they're following the lead of Boris Johnson's government), and he looks with envy at safety measures in Europe and New York. - Bachtrack
