Shane Dawson is a capricious conspiracist. In the middle of his paranoid rant about the moon, he places his hands sincerely over his chest and says: “Once again, it’s a theory. I don’t want to get sued, or put in jail.” Then he narrows his eyes, as if to size up the whole field of space science, and scoffs, “But I mean, the evidence is not looking good.” – The New York Times
Category: media
Female Video Game Designers Take On The Debate Over Abortion Rights
“As Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio work to reverse hard-won reproductive rights with ‘fetal heartbeat’ bills and potential 99-year sentences for performing abortions, game designers in the United States – and around the world – are creating interactive experiences that challenge the simplistic ways that many people think about abortion, and the blunt … laws that politicians have drafted around their constituents’ bodies.” – The Guardian
Pakistan Would Love To Restrict Bollywood Movies, But Its People Just Can’t Quit Them
After brief military hostilities between India and Pakistan in 2016, Pakistani cinema owners boycotted Indian movies; attendance promptly fell to 11 percent, and the boycott was over within a few months. Something similar has happened each time there’s a crisis between the two countries. Pakistani audiences’ addiction to Bollywood has withstood every attempt to introduce movies from other Muslim countries — and has kept the country’s own film industry from growing. – The New York Times
The Irish Film Industry Has Grown Up. So What Does It Mean To Be An “Irish” Film?
“To resist globalisation, we need to insist on the importance of the local, whether that’s local food, local dialects, local industries. At its most successful, Irish cinema tells local stories that resonate as much abroad as they do at home.” – Irish Times
Is Facebook’s First ‘Civil Rights Audit’ Actually Going To Change Anything?
Well … it’s a first step. A big first step. “When you scale a sizable part of Mount Everest, are you making progress? Yes, but have you reached the summit? No. So we haven’t reached the summit by any means, but we have really put a few stakes in the ground.” – Vice
This Man Started An Online LGBT Magazine That’s Blocked In His Own Country
As The Atlantic runs a story for the end of Pride Month with the headline claim that “The Struggle for Gay Rights Is Over,” perhaps the author needs to chat with Khalid Abdel-Hadi, a Jordanian whose magazine, created in a place where only 7 percent think LGBT people should have equal rights, is blocked in his own country. (video) – BBC
AMC Theatres Says It Wants To Make Sure Franchises Don’t Entirely Consume The Theatre Experience
Yes, yes, AMC has done plenty of gobbling of arts theatres, or so say the (former) owners of those theatres, but now they’re concerned about the films. Well, not just now: “This is not the first time AMC has sought to showcase its indie film bona fides, however. The company in 2010 launched something called AMC Independent in an effort to dedicate more screens to arty movies. That followed a similar 2006 initiative, AMC Select.” – Los Angeles Times
An Oral History Of The Orgy Scene In Kubrick’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (It Was Supposed To Be A Lot Better Than It Came Out)
Turns out Stanley Kubrick and colleagues worked on and rehearsed the scene for weeks, and it was highly (if not always clearly) thought out. Then Kubrick died, and the rest of the team had to figure out how to avoid an NC-17 rating without him. Journalist Bilge Ebiri talks to Kubrick’s assistant director and personal assistant, the choreographer (yes, there was one), composer, dancers, and actors involved (though not Tom Cruise or Nicole Kidman). – New York Magazine
Novelist Michael Chabon Will Be Showrunner Of Next ‘Star Trek’ Series
The Pulitzer-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Moonglow, Wonder Boys and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union will be in charge of Star Trek: Picard, the upcoming CBS All Access series that will revisit Patrick Stewart’s character from The Next Generation. – Deadline
Actors’ Unions Push IMDb Not To Publish Birth Names Of Trans Actors
The online database says that it’s not outing anyone; it’s simply listing the names of actors as they were at the time they appeared in a given production. SAG-AFTRA, joined by a number of LGBTQ advocacy organizations, calls the practice an invasion of privacy that can put the named actor at risk. – The New York Times