They did what? Yes. They digitally blurred the photo before it went on display in the nation’s capital. To quote one strong tweet about it, “This is some weird Soviet shit right here.” And to quote the Post itself, after the Archives apologized and took down the image: “In their initial weak defense, Archives officials noted that they had not altered articles they preserve for safekeeping, only a photograph for a temporary exhibit. We did not find that reassuring, as we said in the first published version of this editorial. Photo alteration long has been the preserve of authoritarian governments, most famously Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, who erased comrades from historical photographs one by one as he had them executed.” – The Washington Post
Category: AUDIENCE
Today’s Theme Parks Are More Immersive, Interactive
Say goodbye, at least for the foreseeable future, to the topic-focused lands of yore such as Adventureland or Fantasyland, and think instead of story- and plot-driven lands that will place guests in the midst of an ongoing narrative, which bring with it new opportunities and challenges. They are, in essence, to quote the narration of the recent Disney+ docu-series “The Imagineering Story,” lands that represent a “living theater” where the guest can “play make-believe.” – Los Angeles Times
Hollywood Is Turning To AI To Decide What Movies To Make
No, machines aren’t writing usable scripts. (Yet.) But we all know about projects that seemed terrific on paper but turned out to be disastrous bombs — and about sleeper hits that seemed very niche but caught on. Now companies like Cinelytic and ScriptBook say that their AI software can analyze the qualities of a script and cast, compare them with large quantities of data on what films have and haven’t attracted a sizable audience, and predict how well a given project will do. And these companies claim far higher accuracy rates than those of human studio execs. Journalist Steve Rise investigates. – The Guardian
Podcasts Are Getting Book-Group-Like Fan Clubs — And, Like Book Groups, They’re About More Than Just The Material
“Though they are ostensibly meant for conversation about the shows themselves, actual episodes are seldom discussed. Instead, members get sidetracked and end up on tangents, talking about their failed marriages, sharing parenting advice and helping each other pick outfits for first dates.” – The New York Times
Public Library Systems Are Beginning To Lend Musical Instruments
From some of North America’s largest cities to a roving truck in rural California, instrument-lending programs are proving so popular that the biggest challenge is meeting demand. Reporter Julia Hotz writes about the programs in Brooklyn, Toronto and Philadelphia. – Next City
Book Print Sales Were Down 1.3 Percent In 2019
The decline was not unexpected, as sales in 2018 were driven by strong performances of a plethora of political books and the blockbuster success of Michelle Obama’s Becoming, which was the top seller that year with more than three million copies sold. In 2019, Becoming was the #1 title in adult nonfiction, selling about 1.2 million copies. – Publishers Weekly
How Are We Deciding Which Movies Are Actually Any Good?
There’s always been a divide between what the critical culture celebrates and what audience members actually want to see. “This three-and-a-half-hour Turkish film about the struggle between a boy and his father is a heartrending exploration of generational divides among a swiftly changing world …” “I don’t know, does anything blow up?” But that divide seems to be growing, with almost no living critic able to wield the kind of power figures like Siskel and Ebert used to have to get butts in seats, even so-called difficult films or subtitled films or art films. – The Guardian
Why Do The ‘Star Wars’ Films Keep Bombing In The World’s Second-Biggest Movie Market?
“One after another, Star Wars movies have flopped in China, defying efforts to bring one of the most successful franchises in history into a market that has printed money for the heroes, monsters and robots of other films. … Avengers: Endgame made more in its 2019 opening weekend in China than all the Star Wars premieres combined.” Why? You could think of it as an accident of history. – The New York Times
Regal, AMC Theatre Chains Say They Won’t Show Netflix Oscar-Nominated Movies
After Netflix received 24 Oscar nominations on Monday — the most of any studio and the highest level to date for the streaming giant — both chains said that they wouldn’t screen its movies. They’re protesting the streamer’s distribution policies. – Los Angeles Times
The Future Of Entertainment: 10-Minute Shows On Your Phone?
Yup. A startup called Quibi has raised $1 billion in investment capital from every major Hollywood studio and most of the major tech companies. It has corralled an A-list tsunami to make programs—Steven Spielberg, Steven Soderbergh, Guillermo del Toro, Anna Kendrick, Zac Efron, Chrissy Teigen, Jennifer Lopez, Antoine Fuqua, Sam Raimi, Catherine Hardwicke, Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Lena Waithe, NBC News, ESPN, BBC. The whole thing launches in April with a year of advertisements already sold. – Wired