Category: media

Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s VP of global content, painted a picture of myriad channels tailored to narrow interests. Noting there are 17 million yoga enthusiasts in the U.S. and twice that worldwide, he said, “I guarantee within a year or two you will find a wonderful yoga channel on YouTube delighting viewers on a global basis and providing smart, innovative brandholders the reach of an audience that is incredibly targeted and incredibly passionate.”

“Is internet access a utility our local government should be providing to us for free? We’ll soon be paying for the water that comes out of the taps in our homes, so why should a public body provide something for free that is already widely available commercially?”

“Yes, Sundance has always reflected contemporary society, but the view is usually blurrier than people (especially reporters looking for trends) want to admit, or at least more outdated. Historically, because Sundance films have roughly had a gestation time of three to five years, chances were high that the cultural moment they were examining had already faded. That has now changed. Because of advances in digital moviemaking, a notable number of this year’s selections took less than a year and a half to come together.”

“In the minds of Communist Party functionaries, these shows are corrupted irredeemably by their Western origins. A few shows, like Super Girls, have incorporated audience voting, a daring concept for a dictatorial state. Moreover, this “vulgar” programming has been growing so fast that it is crowding out more ideologically inspiring fare. But Beijing authorities put an end to that. Among other changes earlier this month, dating show Take Me Out was replaced by Ordinary Hero, which promotes socialist virtues.”

WG Faulkner of the London Evening News, in the first regular film review column, on 17 January 1912: “The picture theatre has taken a firm place in the social enjoyment of the people. It is no longer a matter of wonder; it has become an everyday part of the national life.”

“The game by online matchmaker shaadi.com … sees players attack grooms greedy for dowry with a variety of weapons, from a brick-red stiletto to a broomstick. The three grooms – an engineer, a doctor and a pilot – dodge the attacks while demanding dowries starting at 1.5 million rupees ($30,000).”

“The proposed merger plan comes after nearly two years of negotiations between leaders of both groups to join forces in a bid to gain more leverage in contract negotiations with employers and to end a long history of feuding over bargaining strategy and other matters.”

“Under new proposals, children would be schooled in the history of British film and be taught about the mechanics of film-making in order to encourage a new generation of scriptwriters, directors and behind-the-camera technicians.”

“A 24-hour strike by members of BECTU working at BBC Birmingham is … a response to plans outlined by the BBC in its Delivering Quality First initiative to move production of factual programming for both television and radio out of Birmingham … to Cardiff and Bristol.”

“Think about what happens on your cable dial around Christmas. It starts getting clogged with the classics like A Christmas Story, It’s A Wonderful Life, and yes, in recent years, Love, Actually, all beamed into millions of homes. … Nobody actually pays attention to them any more. But their producers still get the same size residual checks every time they air.” Why should Hollywood stop at Christmas?