Category: media

People. Last week, Netflix asked us all – begged us, really – not to take the “Bird Box Challenge” – but someone wasn’t listening. “A teenager with her hat over her eyes drove into oncoming traffic in the city of Layton while taking part in the so-called ‘Bird Box Challenge.'” (No one was injured.) – BBC

Dear deities of entertainment, why in the world do we have awkward, clunky live-action movies strewn with CGI when animation exists? (Guess why. P r o f i t.) – BuzzFeed

When you let someone who’s not Michael Bay direct a Transformers movie, sometimes you get a rather pleasant surprise – and serious animation artists at work for emotional scenes, as well. – The New York Times

You know, it’s hard to understand the word “mamá,” better put “madre” in there. Wait. What? “Netflix is essentially sending a message that the way we speak is not better than the way we write, and that’s a very old-fashioned idea,” said a linguistics professor. – The New York Times

Because early motion pictures were released on nitrate film, which is dangerously flammable and susceptible to decay—only to become even more flammable as it deteriorates—the majority of these films are no longer with us today. While the exact number of lost films is unknown, a study commissioned by the Library of Congress ballparks the surviving number at a scant 14 percent. – Smithsonian

“Horror movies tend to imaginatively transport consumers into fictional universes that brim with dangers,” the researchers write. “Through such imaginative absorption, people get to experience strong, predominantly negative emotions within a safe context. This experience serves as a way of preparing for real-world threat situations.” – Pacific Standard

“If James Graham has learned one thing from writing his latest political drama, it is this: ‘Brexit sends reasonable people mad,’ he said. ‘You are stepping into an arena where normal rules don’t apply.'” — The New York Times

“As it stands, no new offers are out, nor are any expected to be made to a single potential host to fill the void left by [the] Kevin Hart [debacle]. … [Instead,] producers will select a crop of A-listers to introduce various segments instead of relying on one marquee name to kick things off in a monologue filled with Trump zingers, said the insiders.” — Variety

Bohemian Rhapsody, picked apart by cultural commentators for its divergences from the real story of Queen’s rise, is great for its realness? A band that campily reimagined rock and roll as opera, that played with baby talk and disco beats, whose lead singer paraded about in royal finery, is the ensurer of authenticity? – The Atlantic

Older users skewed the findings: 11 percent of users older than 65 shared a hoax, while just 3 percent of users 18 to 29 did. Facebook users ages 65 and older shared more than twice as many fake news articles than the next-oldest age group of 45 to 65, and nearly seven times as many fake news articles as the youngest age group (18 to 29). – The Verge