Category: media

“[U]nlike the great majority of best picture nominees, the ‘Avatar’ actors have not nabbed a single major critic’s award, or guild prize. The snubs reflect the apparent ambivalence of the film community — especially actors — to ‘Avatar’ and its revolutionary use of ‘performance capture’….”

“Halfway through the castings of broadcast drama pilots this season, the top-billed actors on four pilots are non-Caucasian. What’s more, the four projects are among the highest-profile drama pilots this year.”

New headphones that respond to eye movements “look much like regular earbuds, connected by a cable to a phone. They sense the movements of the eyeballs by measuring tiny changes in electric charge.”

“Yet the extensive survey by the Nielsen Co. research firm found online consumers may be more willing to pay for certain categories, such as movies, games, TV shows and music, and less likely to pay for news, blogs and user-created videos.”

“Disney said it intended to release the ‘Alice [in Wonderland]’ DVD about three months after the movie appears in theaters…. Theater owners, especially in Europe, fear that will discourage consumers from going to theaters amid a period of record revenue.” So, after spending millions on 3-D upgrades, they’re threatening not to show the movie.

“[It] ain’t the young’uns having notable trouble setting barriers and using technology with any level of discretion, reserve, or common sense. Rather, every time you turn around, an ostensible grown-up has done something monumentally stupid like sexting his mistress, sending filthy instant messages to strapping young House pages, or tweeting about his congressional delegation’s classified landing in Iraq.”

“The toy industry is increasingly reliant upon Hollywood for characters and stories that kids will want to reenact in their homes. … [T]oys based on characters found in movies, TV shows or books accounted for $5.4 billion, or 25% of all U.S. toy sales, last year, research firm NPD estimates.”

“Berlin is sometimes accused of being low-key compared with Cannes and Venice – but there are some powerful, valuable films.”

“It’s a condition as old as the talkies, but, according to many practitioners interviewed for this report, it’s growing more prevalent in the age of reality TV and “American Idol,” when stardom appears more accessible than ever and a sense of entitlement seems rampant among younger generations.”