Time was, that was a low-stakes category for obscure indie directors. Ten years ago, HBO was the only major competitor. Now several legacy media institutions, most notably The New York Times and The New Yorker, are livening up the field and actively pursuing the statuette. - The Hollywood Reporter
Deepfakes, for better or worse, are here to stay: apps that make use of this technology are widely available, and will only become more so. That means it is incumbent upon us to think through our moral intuitions about this new and dangerous technology. - Psyche
The effect that actors have — the source of their power and fascination — is more than just subjective. It’s interpersonal. Watching them act, we don’t simply appreciate their discipline or admire their craft. They offer the potent, sometimes uncomfortable possibility of intimacy. - The New York Times
“Diversity” may have become an even more popular buzzword in show business circles since the summer of 2020, but the goal of attaining full and meaningful multicultural representation remains elusive. - Los Angeles Times
Better, perhaps, to say that the Korean hit marks a transformation that has been happening for several years now: the gradual acceptance by anglophone audiences of what Parasite director Bong Joon-ho called "the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles." - BBC
There are four major actresses in contention for an Oscar this year for biopics. While the Academy likes to reward such work, the denizens of social media often don't — especially when the character lived during the TV era and comparison clips can be posted. - The Hollywood Reporter
The catch-all description for black, Asian and minority ethnic people will be ditched in favour of the use of more specific terms to describe ethnicity. - BBC
Americana. American traditions. Safe storytelling. It’s the coded language the network uses about its content, as much as the content itself, that reveals its underlying message, one echoed across conservative media and politics: The “real” America is suburban or rural, predominantly white, heterosexual and Christian. - Los Angeles Times
The conflict is with the rights agency Spoken Giants, which is trying to get Spotify to pay comics for their writing the same way it pays songwriters for songs. The affected artists include such powerhouses as John Mulaney, Tiffany Haddish, and even Robin Williams. - CNN
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait wouldn't clear the film for release at all; Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the UAE demanded cuts Disney refused to make. The objections are reportedly to the character Anybodys, the young tomboy in the original film, this time more explicitly transgender. - The Hollywood Reporter
As in: What is Europe? Cue faintly hand-wavey snow, hunting lodges, Christmassy scenes, maybe cheese and art themes ... but no actual Europe. - The Guardian (UK)
At least, some of the Democratic members aren't into it. "In a letter Monday to U.S. Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland and Assistant Atty. Gen. Jonathan Kanter, the lawmakers said the proposed consolidation 'raises significant antitrust concerns.'" - Los Angeles Times
Yvonne Orji, who played Molly: "I want to believe that there are now more Black creators and creatives in spaces of power to greenlight shows, to work behind the scenes and in front of the scenes to create the same environment ... but what we had was special." - FastCompany
Being an intimacy director involves so much behind the scenes comes - helping actors resist producers who put "pressure on actors reluctant to shoot a scene, using the oldest trick in the book: if you don’t do it, there are plenty of others who will." - El Pais
