MEDIA

Rise Of The Viral Micro-Drama

While the rest of the world was getting hooked on cat videos and bedroom-dance routines, Chinese creators were tinkering with something more ambitious: serialized shows shot vertically, for phones, and packed with racy plots, absurd twists, and great swells of emotion. - The New Yorker

The Obsessive Who’s Rescuing And Preserving Indian Cinema’s Early History

“Seventy per cent of India’s films made before 1950 are gone forever. Film Heritage Foundation founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur is trying to save the rest.” - Variety

The Guys Behind The Onion’s Takeover Of Alex Jones’s Infowars Talk About Just What They’re Up To

“The Onion always makes fun of the big thing in the cultural zeitgeist. We have not made fun of gut-microbiology influencers for far too long, and now they’re running the Department of Health and Human Services; we have to parody these people.” - The Hollywood Reporter

The Vegas Sphere Could Have Been An Epic Disaster. Instead It Sells More Tickets Than Anywhere Else In The World

The venue that created a new type of live entertainment has become the highest-grossing arena in the world, with $379 million on 1.7 million tickets sold last year, according to Pollstar. When it opened three years ago, it had all the signs of an impending disaster. - The Wall Street Journal

When You Want Entertainment, Go To Streaming, Of Course

But for practical knowledge? Your kids and grandkids know: It’s YouTube. - Slate

How The Plan To Kill Coyote V. Acme Blew Up In David Zaslav’s Face

“The initial backlash to Cotoye v. Acme being shelved was clearly getting to WBD by November of 2023 when the studio began offering other production houses like Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount (more on this in a bit) the chance to buy the movie’s distribution rights.” - The Verge

Music Biopics Don’t Have To Suck

No matter how much money it makes, Michael won’t be one of the good ones. - The Guardian (UK)

Sorry, Emmys, ‘Heated Rivalry’ Can’t Make You Popular Again

“Heated Rivalry became a bona fide great TV show, as worthy of Emmy consideration as shows about emergency medicine and international diplomacy and AI. But we’re not having that conversation for the dumbest of all possible reasons: the rules.” - Vulture

The Writers Guild Gives Its New Contract A Green Light

The contract, which is oddly long but helps shore up health care, earned the approval of more than 90 percent of the members who voted. - The Hollywood Reporter

Every Single Fictional Pop Star Feels So Phony

Not to go all Holden Caulfield, but honesty, the fakery - it burns. Yes, including Mother Mary. - Variety

How Long Should Movies Have To Wait In Theatres Before They Go To Streaming?

Maybe the middle ground was 45 days. Because at CinemaCon 2026, every single studio, not just Universal, reiterated its commitment to windows of at least that length. - TheWrap (Yahoo!)

Warner Bros. Shareholders Overwhelmingly Reject CEO’s $800 Million+ Golden Parachute

“Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav‘s compensation tied to the company’s pending merger with Paramount was rejected by an eye-opening 82% of shareholders.” Unfortunately, that vote is non-binding. - Deadline

Arkansas Public Television Gets $3 Million Pledge — If It Stays With PBS

“The ‘challenge grant’ requires $1 million to be used per year for three years, on the condition that the network retains its PBS membership and that the foundation matches every dollar with contributions from other donors.” The state network’s board voted in December to separate from PBS, then backtracked after pushback. - Arkansas Advocate

Warner Shareholders Approve Sale To Paramount

Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery voted to sell the company to David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance for $31 a share in cash at a special virtual meeting Wednesday morning. The approval was a key hurdle in advancing the deal. - Deadline

Layoffs At Artnet And Artsy

Days after layoffs at Artnet and Artsy shook the art world, investor and owner Andrew E. Wolff has offered his clearest explanation yet for the cuts, framing them as part of a broader consolidation strategy already underway at the two companies. - ARTnews

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