ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

MEDIA

Disney, Slightly Chastened, Has Restored A Queer Kiss To An Upcoming Movie

"In Pixar’s next film, Lightyear, a queer character named Hawthorne, voiced by Uzo Aduba, was originally depicted kissing a woman, according to a source close to production." The kiss was axed - until Pixar and other Disney employee revolted. - Vulture

Vimeo Walks Back Its Policy Shift That Suddenly Charged Indie Creators Thousands Of Dollars

Good apology, but "it’s worth noting that these changes won’t necessarily make Vimeo a better option for the creators that were hit with high prices by the legacy policy." - The Verge

UK Revokes RT/Russia Today’s Broadcast License

The media regulator Ofcom's announcement said, "Following an independent regulatory process, we have found that RT is not fit and proper to hold a licence in the UK." Ofcom currently has 29 investigations into the "due impartiality" of the news channel's coverage. - BBC

Study: Listeners Wearing Headphones Are More “Persuadable” Than Those Listening Through Speakers

The driver of this greater bond with listeners is the idea that headphones make it sound like the voices are inside one's head, meaning they “trigger a feeling of greater closeness to the person speaking to you.” - Inside Radio

Embattled Nielsen Ratings Company For Sale?

Nielsen is in the midst of a months-long joust with some of its biggest clients, the nation’s TV networks. The networks and their owners have grown disenchanted with Nielsen’s ability to count viewers who may watch their favorite programs via digital means, on mobile screens on through streaming video. - Variety

Strike At Chicago’s PBS Station

"Broadcast technicians and other employees at WTTW-Channel 11 went on strike Wednesday at the ... public television station shortly before the start of the nightly news program Chicago Tonight. - Robert Feder

EU Approves Amazon Acquisition Of MGM

The European Commission, which reviewed the merger, said it would not significantly reduce competition. - Axios

Philosophers On TikTok (Yes, It’s A Thing)

Search the hashtag #Philosophy and you could find a tenured professor discussing Aristotle or Hannah Arendt, Plato or Peter Singer. If you're lucky, you could come across a couple of philosophy teachers rapping about the theory of utilitarianism. - Slate

American Public Media, Split Off Years Ago From Minnesota Public Radio, Is Being Reunited With It

While both networks have long been subsidiaries of American Public Media Group (headquartered in St. Paul), they had been separate divisions, with MPR focusing on instate operations and APM on national distribution of shows such as Marketplace, On Point, and Performance Today (and, formerly, A Prairie Home Companion). - Inside Radio

U.S. Congress Increases Public TV And Radio Funding By $50 Million

"Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, the Corporation (for Public Broadcasting) will receive $525 million in federal funds in FY24, up from $475 million approved last year for FY23." - Current

How “The Godfather” Changed The Movie Business 50 Years Ago

It earned $100 million faster than any film before it. And having cost less than $7 million to make, it was so profitable that the L.A. Times reported the stock price of Gulf & Western, the huge conglomerate that owned Paramount, more than quadrupled from 77 cents a share to $3.30 a share. - NPR

What If We Gave Specific Oscars For Portraying Real People?

Adding an Oscar for best adapted performance would acknowledge that "impersonating a famous person employs a completely different skill set than fleshing out a new character, and it frequently involves a generous assist from the makeup-and-hairstyling department." - NPR

Will The Critics Choice Awards Clear Up Some Oscars Categories?

The big ceremony is two weeks away, and questions linger: "Will Jessica Chastain or Penélope Cruz rise to the top of the best actress pool? Can Troy Kotsur continue building Oscar momentum by notching a win in the best supporting actor category?" - The New York Times

The Discovery And WarnerMedia Merger Is One Step Closer To Giant Corporate Reality

The shareholders approved the merger, so perhaps DiscoverWarner will actually get off the ground. That means AT&T gets out of the entertainment biz, and HBO, Animal Planet, CNN, and HGTV (among others) will be under the same general control. - Los Angeles Times

How To Form A Band Inside A Pixar Movie

"The stakes of the movie, the goal of the movie, is not to save the world. It’s not to save the princess. It’s to get to their first boy band concert and collectively become women together as they watch it." - Slate

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');