Category: media

Asian TV Removes ‘Gay,’ ‘Lesbian’ From Oscar Speeches

“Gay Asians voiced indignation Wednesday after television broadcasts of the Academy Awards in their region censored the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ in speeches that called for equal rights for homosexuals.” The censorship did not occur in the live broadcast. “But viewers who caught recorded telecasts in the evening on STAR, an Asian satellite TV service that says it reaches more than 300 million viewers in 53 countries, noticed that the sound was removed whenever both men mentioned ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian.'”

Scientist: Social-Networking Sites Jeopardize Young Brains

“Social network sites risk infantilising the mid-21st century mind, leaving it characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity, according to a leading neuroscientist.” Oxford professor Lady Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution, “told the House of Lords that children’s experiences on social networking sites ‘are devoid of cohesive narrative and long-term significance.'”

Americans Watch More TV Than Ever, And Not Just On TVs

“If you’ve seen that Hulu commercial starring Alec Baldwin, you surely know that TV is a plot devised by aliens to turn our brains into mush so they can scoop them out and eat them. … The human race seems to be falling for this devious scheme, and aliens must be readying their sporks and knives.” That’s right: American TV viewing is at “an all-time high,” and people are watching even more hours of TV online and on cell phones.

Film Library Pledged As Collateral, Distributor Goes Under

“New Yorker Films, the distributor that helped introduce American moviegoers to the works of Bernardo Bertolucci, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Ousmane Sembène, announced on Monday that it was going out of business after 44 years.” Founder Dan Talbot, 82, “said in a telephone interview that the company was going out of business because its library was being sold. It had been pledged as collateral on a loan taken out by its former owner, Madstone Films, which bought New Yorker Films in 2002.”

With Shades of Bentham, David Rockwell Redesigns Oscars

“The slim credit that flashed by at the end of the broadcast — ‘Production Designer: David Rockwell’ — hardly hinted at the deep, sometimes very odd architectural symbolism that piled up during Sunday night’s Academy Awards. … Complicating matters was the fact that Rockwell designed the existing stage setup — and the rest of the Kodak Theatre.”