Media

“Joseph Epstein once wrote that “Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all.” He must have been talking about the telecom chief executives. Envy is the driving force behind their explorations — and the reason their efforts repeatedly fail. They are almost always envious of the success of Internet-based companies. They hated Google for making money from advertising. They hated Apple for making money from music. They were envious of Netflix making the big dollars from streaming.” Om Malik

“Today’s sex scenes are first and foremost fun — as ideally sex itself should be — and emphasize the truthful over the tasteful. In some cases, you’ll see likable, relatable characters revealing perverse predilections. … Other moments make for embarrassing yet endearing waypoints en route to real intimacy. … Other filmmakers bulldoze the boundaries of which bodies the culture industry deems fit to depict.” – The Conversation

“I see this as a whole new game. Call me a Pollyanna, call me an early Christian, call me a Mormon going to Utah, but I really see the promised land opening up in front of me.” – San Francisco Chronicle

What does it mean to talk about a cultural community when Theatre Rhinoceros Executive Director John Fisher can claim, “My audience now extends from my bedroom to France”? – San Francisco Chronicle

In We Are Lady Parts, “the stakes are high: can an extra guitarist give Lady Parts the edge they need to get out of playing in their bedrooms (and occasionally the halal butcher) and break into the toilet circuit?” (That’s British for the dive bar circuit.) “What follows is an exuberant exploration of female self-expression and sisterhood, complete with slapstick dream sequences, surreal puppet outtakes and tongue-in-cheek earworms performed by the cast.” – The Guardian

How do you get Canadians to care about the homegrown equivalent of the Emmys or Oscars when they seem more interested in American content? – Toronto Star

In film and TV dramatisations of familiar royal tales, the audience is presented with a romanticised and glamorised vision of royal history. Sumptuous silks and gilded homes make up the lush material world on screen. In reality, they are far removed from the bed bugs, tedious political documents and the stench of recently used chamber pots. – The Conversation

“That deal was sold to the Department of Justice and to the public on the basis of an efficiencies claim, which apparently has not panned out,” said Diana Moss, president of the American Antitrust Institute. “Now there’s even more reason to cast a very skeptical eye.” – Variety

Kelly Donohue’s three fingers, Snopes pointed out, symbolize the number “three.” After his first victory, he waved one finger. After his second victory, he raised two. And after his third, he showed three fingers. He awkwardly folded his index and forefingers into something that looks as if it could be some kind of sign, but doesn’t resemble the “OK” signal that white supremacists have sought to appropriate. – The New York Times

The longtime co-anchor was dismissed by New York Public Radio “after two separate investigations found he had violated an anti-bullying policy. … Mr. Garfield said he was not yet able to speak fully about the circumstances surrounding his firing but defended his behavior as yelling.” – The New York Times

“Chatter that Amazon (and other tech giants) have been sniffing around MGM has circulated for some time. But sources indicated that Amazon’s interest in acquiring the studio has taken on a new tenor beyond the usual rumor mill.” – Variety

“Under the terms of the deal, AT&T will spin off entertainment arm WarnerMedia and combine it with Discovery, creating a TV, film and streaming powerhouse. AT&T’s WarnerMedia owns the likes of the Warner Bros. studio, HBO and streaming service HBO Max, as well as the Turner cable networks, including CNN, TNT and TBS. Discovery’s reality TV-heavy properties include Discovery Channel, HGTV, TLC, Food Network, OWN and Animal Planet.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“The association has long been considered corrupt by critics and other members of the press, but that’s not what people are really mad about. The HFPA now faces the most serious crisis in its 77-year history because a bunch of separate Hollywood factions led by a lightning brigade of entertainment publicists finally decided to call out the organization they’ve grimly tolerated and secretly hated for so many years under the guise of pushing for more progressive politics.” – New York Magazine

It’s rare – incredibly rare – for a Hollywood actor to turn down Marvel or DC. But Blunt said recently, “I don’t know if superheroes are for me. They’re not up my alley. I think it’s been exhausted. We are inundated. It’s not that it’s only the movies, it’s all the TV shows as well.” It’s possible that she speaks for many of us (only without as much income on the line). – The Guardian (UK)

They evaporated in the span of three years. One of those was an extremely weird year, to be sure, but three years. “AT&T found itself stretched financially as it simultaneously tried to build a nationwide 5G telephone network while ramping up spending for its year-old streaming service, HBO Max. The proposed deal with Discovery comes just three months after AT&T spun off another troubled asset, El Segundo-based DirecTV.” (But, says the LA Times, the deal will “reshape Hollywood,” again.) – Los Angeles Times

Well, it has issues with women, aging women, of any type, but nevertheless: “40-something actresses rarely lead action films—even though Jolie is 13 years younger than Tom Cruise, and 23 years younger than Liam Neeson. She is also the same age as Charlize Theron, one of the few female A-listers who’s managed to maintain a steady presence in the genre, yet who still got replaced in her career-defining role as Furiosa in the upcoming Mad Max prequel. (De-aging technology, it seems, is available only for the likes of Will Smith.)” – The Atlantic

The company – which was one of the first to jump on the podcasting train, providing podcast sourcing through iTunes in 2005 – is now figuring out how to get podcast creators paid, which could be a game-changer for podcasters. – Fast Company

It’s not great, as we all know. Here’s the detailed story of Samantha Ofole-Prince, who was invited in 2013 to become a member, sponsored by several other members – and then had her application tanked, apparently because some other members (all white at the time) were worried about “territorial competition.” Now, Ofole-Prince says, “They’ve had decades to address the diversity issues. Unfortunately, they’ve chosen not to … I don’t think it’s salvageable.” – Variety

Some of the show, though it does depict the violence of enslavement and other forms of anti-Black oppression, draws on an almost spiritual connection to the land through which the refugees are running (and taking the train). – The Atlantic

Though she handled the end of the talk show far worse than anyone thought she could, even given the circumstances, she had to get free of that grind. “DeGenenres’ career before Ellen was unique. As a stand-up and then a sitcom star, she elevated LGBTQ rights in this country — courageously, tenaciously and at great personal cost. The sitcom Ellen was terrific, and not just because it gave us the “toaster oven” joke or even because it featured both DeGeneres and her character coming out, a multilayered first for American television. It was just a very good show and DeGeneres was very good in it. That it ended, and that her next show foundered, and she subsequently struggled to find work, had nothing to do with her talent and everything to do with homophobia, sexism and a culture that did not appreciate a lesbian standing up for herself in an authentic way.” – Los Angeles Times

“From 2014 to 2018, the Chinese app Musical.ly was where kids — as in, literal children and very young teenagers — would lip-sync to 15-second clips of Shawn Mendes and Bebe Rexha songs, or maybe an audio track of a funny Vine. The music played as you recorded; you could slow it down and speed it up and make cuts while filming. That was pretty much the extent of its technical features, and if it sounds like TikTok, that’s because it eventually became TikTok, after it was acquired by another Chinese tech company. But if TikTok is where all the cool kids hang out now, Musical.ly was, well, not.” – Vulture

“Our research has highlighted how important it is for audience members to be able to communicate with, and feel connected to, each other and the musicians performing,” said Co-author Sam Leak, lecturer in Popular Music at Middlesex. “As a performer, this finding is interesting to me not only because it impacts my livestreaming practice, but also because it could well enhance the experience of my audiences in physical venues.” – Ludwig Van