"On the surface, my job was simple: travel around with a producer and cameramen and sell branded merch to the drunken masses at 'parties' we threw at bars and nightclubs. … My job was not, in reality, that simple, … and it didn’t take me long to figure out: the business model was rigged." - Slate
This is far from the first time that the Academy has had to adapt to calamity. The closest analogy may be 1938, when another natural disaster hit L.A. - The New Yorker
History suggests that our collective approach to social media may be approaching a fork in the road. These laws are more like junk-food regulations than cigarette bans. - The New Yorker
The internet is flooded with what some call 'sadbait'. It gets far less attention, but some of today's most successful online content is melancholy and melodramatic. - BBC
"Netflix revealed it has now reached 301.63 million subscribers globally when it reported its fourth-quarter 2024 earnings Tuesday. … (The company) smashed expectations by adding a record-breaking 18.91 million subscribers, a year-over-year increase of 15.9%." - Variety
Col Needham started building the database that later became IMDb in 1990. He remained CEO even after selling the website to Amazon in 1998, overseeing major changes like the rollout of its IMDbPro subscription and an update that lets professionals hide their age. - The Verge
The re-recording mixer for Emilia Pérez said that AI software was used to extend the vocal range of star Karla Sofía Gascón to reach that of her songs, and The Brutalist editor Dávid Jancsó used an AI program to correct the pronunciation in Adrien Brody's and Felicity Jones's Hungarian dialogue. - The Guardian
"The station, which began broadcasting on television in 1960 and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary in radio, is expected to move out of its current building … at the end of February and break ground on a new building … later this year." - KERA (Dallas)
Los Angeles is facing a loss of artists, producers and executives ranging from sound to visual effects. Musicians, and the players behind them, are a vital aspect in that. - The Hollywood Reporter
Is it inherently bad to cater to people who may prefer their viewing on the more casual side? Is it snobbery to believe that TV must demand all of our attention all of the time? - The Guardian
You can praise (or blame) a saleswoman in Kansas City who "built a concession empire in the middle of the Great Depression.” - and changed popcorn’s status from banned in cinemas to practically synonymous. - NPR
Those watching the movie should “expect to see a film that displays the city in a way it has never been seen before — a place where the official languages are Farsi and French ... and the local Tim Hortons serves up its hot beverages in a samovar.” - CBC
Netflix made a deal with Imax to release Greta Gerwig’s Narnia only in those theatres for two weeks before the movie heads to the streamer. That’s a bit delicate for Netflix, as its primary audience is, of course, online. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
TikTok’s rapidly approaching deadline represents the end of an era in online life and a strange moment for many—even those who don’t consider themselves ardent users. - The Atlantic
