“With his insistence on seeing only god’s will in the Catholic vs. Protestant religious wars of his Europe, Luther reminds me of nothing so much as the character Beverly Keane (played by Samantha Sloyan) in the 2021 Netflix horror series Midnight Mass.” - The Flytrap
Eight in ten listeners say the host is one of the main reasons they listen to their favorite show, and more than half would stop listening if the host left. - InsideRadio
By playing with metaphor, imagery and narrative, horror has always addressed hard truths about death, decay and the human condition that mainstream productions tend to shy away from as too disgusting, embarrassing or distressing. - The Guardian
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos told Wall Street analysts the company is excited “to leverage new technical capabilities as they come online” in advertising and product but also “content production.” Then he backtracked a bit: “We’re not chasing novelty for novelty’s sake. … It takes a great artist to make something great.” - The Hollywood Reporter
The acquisition reinforces consolidation trends across the creative sector, mirroring similar deals in music, film and television. Creative and cultural industries have a “tendency for bigness,” and this is certainly a big deal. - The Conversation
Palmer divides editors at her unnamed magazine into two categories: “the privileged (Workhorses) and the super-privileged (Show Horses).” Not since the 1980 publication of “The Official Preppy Handbook” has an author summed up an elite subset so deftly. - The New York Times
Approximately one billion-with-a-b was the figure reported when longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson decided to sell and basically retire from the 007 business. However, a recent earnings report for Wilson and Broccoli’s company Eon Productions revealed a purchase price which was nowhere close to ten figures. - Variety
As one producer said about the mandatory location inspection by a fire marshal, "As a resident, I understand the need for fire protection and to preserve our parks, especially now. But ... I'm paying almost $1,500 a day for a guy to sit in his car for most of the time." - TheWrap (MSN)
“In just four years since the launch of these vertical dramas, the genre’s market has surpassed $8 billion globally. ... Once dismissed as a niche Chinese trend, short dramas are now one of the fastest-growing scripted formats — and Hollywood’s studios, producers and investors are finally catching on.” - TheWrap (Yahoo!)
More than elsewhere, New York “is a city premised on destruction,” said Dana Polan, the Martin Scorsese Professor of Cinema Studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. “You walk through the city and you’re endlessly seeing new buildings going up where there were previous buildings.” - The New York Times
The latest round of layoffs at the station includes several of its most popular music hosts. KCRW let go of 20% of its staff during a COVID-related budget crisis in 2020, and it had a big round of voluntary buyouts early last year. - Variety
As big money has rolled into the sector, so too has a desire from companies to rely on solid gold intellectual property to bring in the crowds – with mixed results. - The Guardian
The cinema, which is a charity, has a bustling roster of volunteers to help keep it running. They have eight paid staff and 60-70 volunteers whose ages range from 14 to 80. - The Guardian
“The Palestinian-Israeli collective behind the film rejected a deal from Mubi, the company behind hits such as The Substance, after controversy over ties to an investment firm linked to the Israeli military.” - The Guardian (UK)
“Amid swirling reports of bidding interest by Paramount Global, the WBD board of directors says is it ‘has initiated a review of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value.’” (That’s finance-bro-euphemism for “We’re for sale for the right price.”) The board’s statement added that there is “unsolicited interest” from “multiple parties.” - The Hollywood Reporter
