Category: media

Trow argued that the rise of television decimated the elite American intellectual community to which he had belonged as the far descendant of printing magnates, a Harvard graduate, and a magazine writer. It cut out what he posed as society’s heart: the reading, debating, literary demographic that consumed his work. – The Nation

Yes, they tried it once, back in 1977. And not on Saturday night at 11:30, but on Sunday evening at 8:30. “Vulture recently spoke to many of those involved, including Lorne Michaels, Randy Newman, Anne Beatts, and Paul Shaffer,” about this utterly doomed endeavor. – Vulture

“On Tuesday morning, the estate and family of Tolkien issued a terse statement in which they announced their ‘wish to make clear that they did not approve of, authorise or participate in the making of this film'” — titled Tolkien and starring Nicholas Hoult and Lily collins as Prof. and Mrs. T. — “and that ‘they do not endorse it or its content in any way’.” – The Guardian

Paula Kerger: Some in urban centers like New York and Washington, DC, might be able to get by with the money they get from other sources, including corporate underwriters and individual donations. But the threat is a more “existential” threat for stations in rural areas that “are not going to make it … unless there is some federal support.” – recode

Sure, Netflix is developing more interactive content, but Netflix is far from alone. A new game, or perhaps it’s an “interactive media experience,” aspires to do something slightly different. “The nine or so hours of intimately shot footage — all the filmed scenes are framed to look as if people are talking via a smartphone or a webcam — span two years in the characters’ lives, and viewers jump in and out by acting as something akin to a researcher.” – Los Angeles Times

Florence and the Machine sang a haunting song over the end credits of the second episode of the final season of Game of Thrones, and they’re one of a very few groups who have gotten that opportunity. The band’s singer and leader wasn’t a fan when the showrunners first asked the band to sing, eons ago in Season 2, but now she is – and that helped win the band over. – The New York Times

Southern California may seem dry and image-obsessed, but its Instagram garden stars – plantfluencers, perhaps – find not only fame but also community, and acolytes. “Influencers like Christine Kelso, Jennifer Tao, Brandon Jeon, Darlene Zavala and Danae Horst are easily approachable. Have spider mites on your alocasia? Struggling with root rot? Simply reach out to one of them on Instagram and you just might receive a response.” – Los Angeles Times

Well, they do, of course, but Nintendo Game Boys don’t. The man who invented the Game Boy had a philosophy called “Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology.” And the Game Boy has had music, art, and photography uses for years. One artist: “It’s a piece of retro technology that just really makes people freak out.” – Los Angeles Times

Sure, the conflict is about packaging and digital rights – but it’s older than that, dating back to Robert Kennedy’s Department of Justice and a deal brokered in 1962. Now, “the two sides seem locked in a standoff with no end in sight, in a battle that could ultimately upend television and movie production and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of people.” – The Atlantic

Unlike English-language stories created for the U.S. market, narco novelas offer “a compelling complexity in the face of the simplistic story lines that emerge out of Hollywood. Narco novelas generally dispense with the black and white in order to look at the world in shades of gray.” – Los Angeles Times