Category: media

“Sources say the site’s negotiations with the networks and studios that own the shows are preliminary. … The biggest stumbling block may be consumers,” because YouTube would be streaming the shows “instead of letting consumers download them to their computers.”

“Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting, a BBC Two auction series produced by Reef Television, featured numerous episodes of staff from the independent production company participating in the show while pretending to be members of the public.”

“Maybe it’s time networks investigate the idea of creating positions for reality TV ombudsmen — executives whose sole job would be to keep track of reality show ideas and rules, and to speak up if any lines were crossed.” That way, “at least the process would include a somewhat objective third party.”

“How much latitude do movie studios have in writing blurbs? A fair amount. There’s no official check on running a misleading movie blurb, aside from the usual laws against false advertising.”

“Entertainment technology has been moving beyond television lately, leading some to suggest TV is in decline. Not true. TV screens live all around us now, on the walls, on our desks, in our cars, and, increasingly, in our pockets.”

He said there would be “reductions in some kinds of programmes and content”, including web services. However, he promised more money would be spent on original British content.

“Long before reality television came along, fame turned some people crazy and some crazy people sought fame. The insane sometimes do horrible things to get attention…”

“There is a lot of very adult material on television all the time, and mostly it flows unchecked and unpunished, except when it comes as a surprise and hits a nerve. Community standards are mutable and vague; lots of people don’t know obscenity until someone else sees it.”

“Thank you, network people, for those useful, informative announcements that block what I’m watching to tell me what I’m watching, or tell me what I could be watching next, which will then be blocked by reminders of what I could be watching after that.”

“‘The Princess and the Frog,’ Disney’s first hand-drawn animated feature in five years,” is opening in limited release with an “experience” that pairs the movie with “games, actresses dressed as Disney princesses, props, costumes and other activities.” With ticket prices in the $30-to-$50 range ($20 per person for groups), the box office is looking rather fat.