Category: media

No one ever seems happy about which movies get nominated for Oscar’s highest honor. “We ask it every year, but here we go again: What the [insert favorite invective here]?! Just what do Academy voters mean by ‘Best Picture’ anyway?”

“the 2006 Oscar race seems to mark an intriguing turning point in recent film history — the year when the industry’s self-regard reached shocking new lows. From The Devil Wears Prada to Dreamgirls to Casino Royale, Oscar voters by and large avoided the most crowd-pleasing, commercially satisfying entertainments this year, in lieu of presumably more “serious” fare that was produced independently or by the studios’ specialty divisions.”

That’s the word Sunday. “Talks in the dispute have repeatedly broken down over actors’ wages for digital new-media productions, ranging from full-length works shown on the Internet, to short films made for cellphones, to one- or two-second voiceovers for novelty ring tones. Because new media is such an open frontier for the industry, this round of labour talks were seen as precedent setting.”

“This year’s lineup is the most ethnically diverse ever, with five blacks, two Hispanics and an Asian among the 20 acting nominees. Best-picture nominee ”Letters From Iwo Jima” is almost entirely in Japanese. Hispanics alone garnered a record 19 nominations, including three Mexican directors contending for some of the biggest prizes of the night.”

A draft FCC report suggests that the government ought to start regulating violence on TV. “In general, what the commission’s report says is that there is strong evidence that shows violent media can have an impact on children’s behaviour and there are some things that can be done about it.”

“MPs are conducting hearings into how to save the television fund, after two cable companies announced abruptly in December they would no longer contribute to it. Cable companies are required by regulation to contribute to the fund, which is then distributed to broadcasters to pay for Canadian productions. The action has created a crisis in the Canadian television production industry, which now employs more than 16,000 people with the help of the CTF.”

” The nominees for best foreign-language film are even more politically charged, and every bit as artistically successful, emotionally touching and accessible as the English-language candidates. Set mostly in the past, these films use a sneaky indirection that allows them to resonate with the most volatile questions of today.”

“As video sites look for ways to attract higher-quality content, they are dangling cash, usually offering to cut creators in on the advertising revenue their work generates.” And some of the more popular performers are making good money.

“It turns out that a lot of people with digital video recorders are not fast-forwarding and time-shifting as much as advertisers feared. According to new data released today by the Nielsen Company, people who own digital video recorders, or DVRs, still watch, on average, two-thirds of the ads.”

Ovation, the arts network has made a satellite TV deal that should boost its reach. “Ovation is reaching 5.3 million customers, and the deal with DirecTV will nearly triple that figure.”