Category: media

“Researchers found that each hour a day spent watching TV was linked with an 18% greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, an 11% greater risk of all causes of death, and a 9% increased risk of death from cancer.” The risks, which are “irrespective of a person’s exercise level,” have implications for computer use as well.

“[I]f aliens landed tomorrow and analyzed the writing staffs of late-night comedy shows — Earth’s daily dose of mainstream humor — they might draw the conclusion that laughter is almost exclusively the domain of the human male.” What’s up with that?

“NBC paid $820 million for the rights to televise the Winter Games. That compares to the $613 million paid for the rights to televise the Olympics in Turin, Italy, in 2006. Ebersol said it will be the first time NBC has lost money on the games since he began producing the telecasts from Barcelona in 1992.”

“Some veteran TV executives believe the Leno imbroglio could ultimately cost more than $200 million, including the damage inflicted on stations’ local newscasts, their ad rates and NBC programs, such as “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which lost millions of viewers when its time period was changed. They predicted that it could take years for NBC to rebuild.”

“For several years the industry has talked up the arrival of 3D TV in the home to little effect. Many however believe 2010 really is the breakthrough year for the technology, helped in large party by the growing number of 3D movies at the theatre and the success of James Cameron’s sci-fi epic Avatar.”

“Box office revenue rose to 6.2 billion yuan (about $902 million Cdn), said Weng Li, a spokesman for the state-run China Film Group. Weng added that Chinese box office revenue has grown by an average of 30 per cent annually for the past six years.”

“[W]hy does the world’s most popular cinema, accounting for well over 2bn ticket sales a year – that’s two-thirds of global sales – fail to capture the mainstream western imagination?” There seem to be several reasons …

“Glaxo, the pharmaceutical giant behind Alli, an over-the-counter weight-loss product, has decided that a good way to educate Americans about obesity — and increase sales of Alli — is to finance a ‘hard-hitting’ documentary about eating. … [A]n Academy Award-winning director will be named on Jan. 25 at the Sundance Film Festival….”

“Warner Bros. has struck a deal with Netflix Inc. whereby the fast-growing DVD subscription firm won’t offer the studio’s movies until 28 days after they go on sale. … It’s part of a strategy by several studios to create staggered releases of DVDs so that the most profitable transactions are available first and cheaper rental options take effect further down the road.”

“Two Chinese movies have been pulled out of the Palm Springs International Film Festival in the United States in protest at the inclusion of a film about Tibet, state-run media reported Wednesday.”