Category: media

After an on-air joke by Conan O’Brien, it was fear of the fine-wielding FCC that prompted NBC to buy the domain name “hornymanatee.com.” “By yesterday afternoon hornymanatee.com — created by Mr. O’Brien’s staff and featuring images of such supposedly forbidden acts as ‘Manatee-on-Manatee’ sex … — had received approximately 3 million hits, according to NBC.” And the site’s content is coming from both the show and its viewers. ” ‘We couldn’t have done this two years ago, three years ago,’ Mr. O’Brien said. ‘It’s sort of this weird comedy dialogue with the audience.’ “

“BBC Scotland has been accused by an influential culture watchdog of dumbing down, with too much football, listener phone-ins and poor presenters high on the list of complaints about its £180m a year output. In an unprecedented move which is certain to embarrass corporation bosses, members of the Saltire Society are to debate the state of the national broadcaster this week.” The society “was established in the 1930s to safeguard Scotland’s arts, literature, music, history and environment.”

“In the past two years, black actors have been making bold artistic strides. Not since the ’70s, when actors like Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty took a hands-on interest in filmmaking, has such a talented bunch of performers delivered such varied, impressive work in a range of movies.”

“Ever since ‘The Passion of the Christ’ grossed $371 million in 2004, Hollywood has been dreaming of capturing the Christian dollar. Only recently, New Line’s ‘Nativity Story,’ the latest in a series of religious-themed films from mainstream studios, had its premiere at the Vatican and took in a modest $8 million at the domestic box office on its opening weekend. But until now the studios have been largely unsuccessful with Christian films because, as David Kirkpatrick sees it, most executives do not know very much about Christianity.”

In what will likely signal an ignominious end for classical radio in Washington, D.C., Daniel Snyder, the notoriously inept (but charismatic) owner of the Washington Redskins football team is buying classical station WGMS, with plans to convert it to sports talk. Washington’s two public radio stations air no classical music (WETA phased it out in favor of news/talk nearly two years ago; WAMU never had it), and WGMS has been the subject of complaints from listeners concerning its weak signal.

“Clint Eastwood’s Japanese-language film Letters from Iwo Jima has won the first major prize of the film award season. The film topped the US National Board of Review (NBR) list for best film. Helen Mirren was named best actress for The Queen, while Forest Whitaker won best actor for his portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.”

“Australia’s first ever indigenous language feature film has been awarded the country’s top movie honour. Billed as an Aboriginal comedy, Ten Canoes tonight won the best film category at the 48th annual Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards in Melbourne.”

Television doesn’t often go in for retro. Everything in the TV business seems to be contractually required to scream “new and different,” even when the program in question is a pale imitation of dozens of others. So it’s notable that, every Christmas season, TV is suddenly awash in ultra-low tech, decidedly old-school holiday specials. It’s even more notable that viewers can’t seem to get enough of them. “It’s about the shared experience, the childhood memories that powerfully linger and the new memories adults are so desperate to create with their kids… Make no mistake, it’s the parents driving this train.”

“Paul McCartney, U2 and Eric Clapton joined thousands of other musicians Thursday in an appeal to the government to extend the British copyright protection on their recordings… in response to a report recommending that the government maintain its current laws granting copyrights on sound recordings and performers’ rights for 50 years. That falls well short of the 95-year copyright protection that exists in the United States, and the recording industry fears that British artists could see their work exploited in their lifetimes.”