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Why Is Amazon’s Science Fiction So Toxic?

Amazon has shat out science-fiction programming for years, and it ranges, on the smell-o-meter, from the merely obnoxious to the just plain noxious—a flatulence that fluctuates. - Wired

#IALivingWage: Hollywood’s Writers’ Assistants Fight For More Money And Less Misery

Despite the famously long hours and low pay, aspiring TV writers compete madly for these jobs, hoping to get a foot in the door and onto the career ladder. But, as one assistant puts it, "the ladder has been disappearing." - Fast Company

Netflix And (Ugh) ‘365 Days’ Have Made Poland Into A Hotbed Of Video Production

The industry that produced Andrzej Wajda and Agnieszka Holland never anticipated that a trashy softcore flick would become its most-watched product, the world's lockdown guilty pleasure. Fortunately, Netflix has been putting a lot of resources into more (and more respectable) projects in Poland. - The Hollywood Reporter

People Are Returning To Movie Theatres. Just Not Enough Of Them

With pandemic limitations in mind, as of early July, the overall domestic box office has reached $1.05 billion in ticket sales, down 42.3% from 2020 and down 81.3% from 2019. - Variety

Signs Netflix Is In Decline?

Netflix is the Kleenex of streaming, a brand so dominant it can stand for the whole of the market. (It’s not “Hulu and chill,” after all.) There are signs that this synecdochal power is waning, though. - Wired

How The LA Times Brought Down The Golden Globes

“When we were working on the story, it didn’t occur to us in our wildest dreams that not only would NBC pull the show, but Tom Cruise would return his Golden Globes.” - The Postscript

Bury Old Movies & Shows That Now Seem Offensive? This TV Network Has A Better Idea

" 'Can We Talk About This?' video initiative … is designed to acknowledge what may have been acceptable at one point in history is not now and perhaps never should have been. … This way, the networks don't lose programming, but rather get a chance to recontextualize it." - Variety

As It Said It Would, Academy Of Motion Pictures Expands And Diversifies Its Membership

Statistically, the 2021 class is comprised of 46 percent women, 39 percent underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 53 international members from 49 countries outside of the United States. - IndieWire

This Pair Returned MGM To Glory. Then Amazon Gobbled It Up. What Happens Now?

Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy "have compiled a heady mix of A-list directors and compelling material they hope hearkens back to the days when Fred Astaire and Judy Garland roamed the . The next six months will show if their strategy pays off." - The New York Times

Richard Donner, Who Directed Some Of The Late 20th Century’s Biggest Blockbusters, Dead At 91

Early in his career, he helmed episodes of many of the most iconic TV series of the '60s, then he went on to direct The Omen, Superman, The Goonies, Scrooged, and the Lethal Weapon franchise. - Variety

Tik Tok – Now Three Times As Long?

Rather than 60-second video limit, TikTokkers will have three minutes. Will that make them more or less creative? - The Hollywood Reporter

Hollywood Battles With Insurers Over COVID Claims

Fireman’s Fund gives the example of a nonessential crewmember having face-to-face contact with a movie director and then reporting infection, requiring a costly shutdown for 14 days. Who pays? - The Hollywood Reporter

Bollywood Isn’t Nimble Enough To Have Made COVID Films Already, But This Indian Film Industry Is

The Malayalam-language cinema, based in India's best-educated state, Kerala, has managed to produce compelling dramas dealing with the pandemic — from a two-hander shot entirely inside a car to a loose adaptation of Macbeth set on a rubber plantation — despite lockdowns and cash crunches. - The Guardian

Let’s Talk About Green Things In Movies (Fascinating)

What makes a good greensperson? The best of them know how and where to get things, no matter how rare or obscure or out of season. - The New York Times

No Surprise: European Movie Box Office Down 70 Percent Last Year

The European box office plunged 70.4 percent last year, down $6.04 billion (5.1 billion euro) from $8.5 billion (7.2 billion euro) in 2019 to $2.5 billion (2.1 billion euro). - The Hollywood Reporter

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