Category: media

The Academy is notoriously secretive, but its decisions have major ramifications. “The Academy’s members are not part of a private club; they’re part of a global electorate, their elections scrutinized on an international stage. And because of that, those elections should be ruled by the principles we apply to all such plebiscites.”

The late night political hosts have the most to thank the Orange One In Chief for. “Colbert and other late-night talk show hosts are being lifted by the wave of TV viewers turning to late-night comedy to cope with their angst over the new administration.”

As the series reboot approaches, cast and crew talk about David Lynch’s unconventional working methods, the odd casting decisions that resulted (the guy who played Bob was the set dresser), and their delighted astonishment when the show became a hit. They also explain why the show took such a bad turn after Laura Palmer’s killer was revealed.

“According to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, between 2009 and 2015, the number of American households without a single television doubled, from 1.3 percent to 2.6 percent. And even houses that still have televisions appear to be paring down: In 2009, 44 percent of households had three or more televisions, falling to 39 percent in 2015. The number of homes with one or two television rose 4 points in the same period, from 54 percent to 58 percent.”

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Agit Pai said that it has become “evident that the FCC made a mistake” in its passage of net neutrality rules in 2015, in which the agency reclassified internet service as a common carrier. Pai, along with other critics of the move, consider the approach “last-century, utility-style regulation to today’s broadband networks. Our new approach injected tremendous uncertainty into the broadband market. And uncertainty is the enemy of growth. After the FCC embraced utility-style regulation, the United States experienced the first-ever decline in broadband investment outside of a recession.”

“The subject matter in games has become quite diverse, and rather than compelling you to carry out acts of aggression, many games now ask you to consider the decisions behind them.”

“There was a time when in-flight entertainment was better than anything you could actually bring onto a plane.” (And that time goes back, believe it or not, back to the 1920s.) “That time has long passed, and some airlines are looking to get rid of seat-back screens, in favor of letting you use whatever screen you have with you … But, nonetheless, it got [Ernie Smith] thinking – about the technology that allows you to entertain yourself on a plane.”

From the Central Board of Film Certification’s letter denying permission to screen Lipstick Under My Burkha in India: “The story is lady oriented, their fantasy above life. There are contanious [sic] sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of society.” Naturally, director Alankrita Shrivastava had some choice words about the decision, as did the Twitterverse.

“In the 56 overnight markets, the Oscars show averaged a 22.4 rating, just below last year’s figure of 22.5. Each rating point represents the percentage of households tuned in.”