Category: media

The American broadcasting regulator issued a fiine for “obscene” language to a TV station in St. Louis. But the FCC failed to respond in time to an appeal of the fine before it expired…

“Perhaps we’ve reached the point at which there are no good titles left to copy, when networks are so starved for inspiration they’re even naming comedies after programs that failed. More likely it has something to do with the first two letters: “Un-,” it bears pointing out, is the most powerful prefix in pop culture. Everybody uses it.”

Marketing your film to the American public is hard enough under the best of circumstances. But how do you sell your lighthearted comedy when your star is known to have attempted suicide recently? Keep him away from the cameras, apparently…

When Hollywood shows up in your town to film a movie, it’s hard not to get excited about it. Moreover, once the film crews and megastars have left, it’s hard not to miss the excitement. “Hollywood loves the heartland, but only to a point.”

The Indian entertainment industry grew 17% in 2007 — faster than the predicted 15% — reaching $12.82 billion, up from $10.95 billion in 2006. By 2012 media should generate $29 billion in income.

“U.S. video game sales – including hardware and software – jumped 34 percent in February to hit $1.33 billion, even with two top-selling consoles in short supply.”

“Though the American film industry was founded largely by enterprising immigrants and has been fed by successive streams of talented émigrés, Hollywood has generally preferred to depict an idealized, homogeneous America, where the nonwhite and the nonnative linger in the margins and the shadows.”

“As a consequence of the booming demand for alternative fuels — with farmers replanting acres of popcorn with more profitable crops that can be converted into ethanol and other biofuels — the sellers of the nation’s favorite movie snack say the salty tub will soon take a bigger bite out of your wallet when you’re at the multiplex.”

“Predicting the death of network television is a popular pastime in Hollywood… But it’s still not time to count the Big Five networks out yet, say media watchers. They may have stumbled in the transition to the world of digital entertainment, underestimating audience appetite for consumption in new media beyond traditional TV, but they’re rapidly trying to adapt.”

Leonard Cohen’s hauntingly beautiful song, “Hallelujah,” seems to get rediscovered every decade or so, and jammed into every available space in film and TV soundtracks. Now, it’s come to the attention of the online generation, with the strange result that a 73-year-old songwriter now has one of the top downloads on iTunes.