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The Internet Memes Defining Kamala Harris

 It helps that the Harris memes booted up shortly after Biden’s disastrous debate. It makes it feel as if the internet manifested her candidacy. Her boosters are now tipsy with their collective power. - The New York Times

Top Editor Quit Struggling LA Magazine

For months, the outlet has faced complaints from freelancers who say that the new owners, prominent L.A.-based trial lawyers Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas, have refused to pay freelance writers, reporters, photographers and graphic artists. - The Wrap

“Barbie” Was Supposed To Change How Hollywood Worked. Why Didn’t It?

In the 12 months since the movie’s release, little has changed in Hollywood. Buffeted by dual labor strikes that went on for months and a general retrenchment by entertainment companies trying to navigate the economics of the streaming era, the industry has retreated to its usual ways of doing business. - The New York Times

South Africa’s Film Industry, Full Of Promise, Struggles With Structural Issues

Says one key player, "If you compare South Africa to a lot of industries with similar GDPs, the difference here is the lack of intentional focus on this industry." In particular, the government rebate system on which many filmmakers rely is, says one filmmaker, "so dysfunctional as to not exist." - Variety

Is This The Way We’ll Watch Movies In The Future?

Some parts involve passive viewing, like a sequence in which the supervillain Thanos is on trial for theft. But there’s also a lot of interactivity: one character explains how to use hand gestures, like making a fist, to defend yourself against enemies and cast magic spells. - NPR

So What Happened To The Racist, But Very Popular, South African Comedy The Gods Must Be Crazy?

The movie played until the film broke at cinemas across the world. “Made by a white director with funding from the apartheid government yet starring an unusually diverse cast, … The Gods Must Be Crazy delivered an idealized, false picture of South Africa into the international marketplace.” - Slate

On TikTok, True Crime Survivors Are Owning Their Stories

“True crime podcasts, movies and investigative TV series are wildly popular, often raking in profits for their producers and platforms. Many, though, are made without the consent or involvement of those most closely affected.” Now, TikTok has changed that. - The New York Times

Los Angeles’s Westwood Is Losing Two Historic Cinemas This Week

One, “the Village Theatre, is expected to close only temporarily, thanks to a high-profile effort by director Jason Reitman and others to save the once stately 170-foot white Spanish Revival-Art Deco ‘wedding cake’ tower that has beckoned Westside moviegoers since 1931.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)

How Do You Make A Movie About Tornadoes Increasing In Intensity But Never Mention The Climate Crisis?

Welcome to a scared Hollywood. “'I just wanted to make sure that with the movie, we don’t ever feel like is putting forward any message,’ director Lee Isaac Chung, who grew up in Oklahoma’s tornado belt, told CNN.” - The Guardian (UK)

Where Will Sundance End Up?

The surprising list includes six cities: “In alphabetical order: Atlanta, GA; Boulder, CO; Cincinnati, OH; Louisville, KY; Park City/Salt Lake City, UT; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.” Wait, Louisville? And … isn’t the festival already in Park City? - IndieWire

Say Goodbye To Basic Ad-Free Netflix

People who had the Basic plan, for $12 a month, will now have to dive into the depths of ads on streaming (not having to see ads used to be one of the entire selling points of streaming, but hey) for $7 a month, or pay a lot more for no ads. - NPR

Béla Tarr Hates It When People Call His Films Pessimistic

Indeed, he says his films are comedies like Chekhov's plays. "If you are really pessimistic, you go up to the roof and hang yourself, not wake up at four in the morning and go into the countryside to film!" - The Guardian

Study: Why You’re More Likely To Believe Fake News From Acquaintances

So why do your weak links matter so much? One big reason is that they’re more likely than your closest friends to possess novel, salient information that you might lack. - NiemanLab

Bankers Suggest Warner/Discovery Should Be Broken Up

The “current composition as a consolidated public company is not working. At current levels, we argue that exploring strategic alternatives such as asset sales, restructuring and/or mergers would create more shareholder value vs. the status quo,” the report, led by BoFA’s Jessica Reif Ehrlich, reads. - The Hollywood Reporter

Is Public Radio Shrinking? Layoffs Continue

Following NPR’s 10% staff cutback last year, 2024 has seen 25 workers pink-slipped at KQED, 15 at WAMU, 31 at Boston’s WGBH along with 14% of WBUR’s workforce, 14 at Chicago Public Radio, and 15 at Colorado Public Radio. - Current

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