Category: media

“The resignation of Director Amanda Bennett and Deputy Director Sandy Sugawara was announced as Michael Pack, a conservative filmmaker and supporter of the president, was set to take over as head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media,” which is the agency overseeing VOA. – NPR

Popular YouTube videos are filled with flashes of memes, zoom-ins, funny voices, gurning faces and whiplash-inducing cultural references. Watching a Pewdiepie video is like having some sort of episode. I thought that my generation of Generation X-ers were knowingly abstract, but this generation is dealing with so many layers of whimsy and reference it’s often disorienting. – Irish Times

“We’re not going to be able to create this perfect simulacra of running around getting drinks with friends and having conversations in line.” But, watching films with hundreds of others, with filmmakers in virtual attendance and an ensuing discussion among viewers online, “is better than consuming something in a vacuum.” – Washington Post

The takeover would have created North America’s largest chain of movie theaters to better compete with AMC Entertainment. It would have added 165 cinemas to Cineworld’s existing 786 sites and 9,500 screens. AMC Entertainment owns or operates about 1,000 theaters around the world. – Washington Post

“The south supposedly lost the civil war. There is an overused cliche which suggests that the winners write history. Is this true? If it is, then why do all these relics of the losing side still circulate in this society so many years after the civil war ended? The point is, films like Gone With the Wind should have been held accountable a long time ago. Further, Hollywood’s role in disseminating such demeaning, dehumanized, stereotypical images can no longer be ignored.” – The Guardian

The episode in question — originally broadcast in 1975 and called The Germans — is renowned for featuring John Cleese’s deeply awkward and rude hotel owner demanding that his staff “don’t mention the war” around German guests, culminating in him doing a goose-stepping impersonation of Adolf Hitler. However, it also features a character, the elderly Major Gowen, using highly-offensive and racist language about the West Indies cricket team. – The Holywood Reporter

Starting with the 94th Oscars ceremony, the Academy will return to a guaranteed 10 best picture nominees, as was the case for the 82nd and 83rd ceremonies, before it shifted to a system that could yield anywhere from five to 10 nominees. This aims to maximize the diversity of the films that are nominated for the Academy’s highest honor. – The Hollywood Reporter

The instructions detail how to deal with a confirmed case of COVID-19 on a set. Anyone in the cast or crew that was within six feet of the infected person for more than 15 minutes may need to be quarantined, potentially bringing a complete halt to filming. The name of the ill employee must not be disclosed, according to the rules. Physical distancing will be required, which will be a challenge for crowded sets. – Los Angeles Times

The streaming platform’s trademark for “Space Force” dates back to January 2019. The US military’s space warfare service of the same name was founded in December, eleven months later, without ever having registered a trademark for its name. – Futurism

The video platform is launching the multi-year initiative to fund content hosted on the site “to center and amplify Black voices and perspectives,” as YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki put it in a statement on the company’s official blog. The first work supported by the new program will be a multi-hour benefit, featuring roundtables and performances, streaming on Saturday (June 13) under the title Bear Witness, Take Action. – Variety