Category: media

Disney’s new film version of C.S. Lewis’s classic children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia, comes out next month, and the studio is preparing to ratchet up the PR machine. “But Disney’s tricky marketing strategy for Narnia – which includes aggressively courting Christian fans who can relate to the story’s biblical allegory while trying not to disaffect secular fans – is particularly tricky when it comes to music. The spiritual character of “Narnia” is being reinforced with the debut on the charts last week of a Christian pop album of music inspired by the film. But prospects for a previously announced secular soundtrack now seem cloudy… The Christian-oriented album’s status as the only Narnia musical project in the marketplace, for now at least, could upset the studio’s plan to balance two audiences.”

The BBC is under intense fire from members of the British Parliament over its lobbying to increase the country’s “television license fee” (yes, you have to pay to watch even normal television in the UK) by 2.3% above inflation per year. Some MPs complain that the BBC is trying to “wallow in cash” at a time when commercial broadcasters are struggling to stay in the black. The fee could rise to £200 ($349) per year by 2013 under the proposal, although BBC estimates put that figure considerably lower. The BBC insists that it needs the cash to cover shortfalls – critics say the broadcaster needs to rein itself in.

In the wake of the weeks-long CBC lockout, some bold proposals to reform Canada’s public broadcasting system are being floated by insiders and outsiders alike. Some observers even want to blow up the CBC and start fresh. But such dramatic changes could create as many problems as theyr solve, and when it comes down to it, Canadians are unlikely to embrace a wholesale change to the country’s largest broadcast institution.

Ira Glass’s popular public radio program, This American Life, is getting a tryout as a television show on the cable network Showtime. If it gets picked up, which seems likely, Glass and his crew would produce 10 hourlong episodes while continuing to turn out the radio version, albeit on a reduced schedule.

Gay characters have been prominently featured in Hollywood films for years, of course, but this season, there’s a distinctly different angle being played up. Gone are the gay sidekick, the wingman, the effeminate comic relief, and in their place is a slew of complete dramatic characters whose lives and loves are just as much of interest as any heterosexual protagonist. Oh, and did we mention that they’re all being played by straight people?

The movie business just loves tackling “the big issues,” especially near Oscar time. Nothing gets a green light faster than a mildly controversial storyline captained by a big-name star going out on a limb to shed light on the horrible scourge of, say, sexual harassment. Or war profiteering. Or physical violence. “Because these movies are Hollywood products, though, they need to navigate between inoffensively pleasing a mainstream audience and actually saying something. What results is a genre of timid films with portentous-sounding themes, works that offer prepackaged schoolroom lessons or canned debates. Hollywood may be drawn to Big Ideas, but it is always more comfortable with sound-bite-size thoughts.”

A warehouse fire at Britain’s acclaimed Aardman Studios (the people behind “Wallace & Gromit”) has resulted in the loss of a significant collection of original drawings, sets, and archives relating to some of the UK’s most beloved animated characters. “The firm stored most of its past works in the warehouse and the biggest loss was the original Wallace and Gromit storyboards by creator Nick Park.”

San Francisco’s homeless population has been enjoying a bit of a windfall lately, along with a bit of Hollywood fame and fortune, courtesy of the crew shooting Will Smith’s latest movie. The filmmakers have employed some 200 homeless as paid extras in the film, offering them the official L.A. rate in exchange for an easy afternoon’s work.

California’s new ban on violent video games is a joke. “Bill 1179 targets games in which you ‘virtually inflict serious injury upon images of humans or characters with substantially human characteristics in a manner which is especially heinous, cruel or depraved in that it involves torture or serious physical abuse to the victim.’ Does any of this actually describe what goes on in a violent game?”

“Kissed off by critics as a sad emblem of the state of modern journalism – loud, jaggedly edited amalgams of gossipy supermarket tabloid and studio press release – shows like “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight” have nonetheless never been more important to the marketing of Hollywood, and have never had more competition. At a time when high-profile movies can live or die on the strength of their opening weekend, such shows offer a big potential audience – an average of 3.2 million viewers a night for “Access,” 6.7 million for “E.T.” – as well as a prized commodity in Hollywood: free exposure.”