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Lockdowns In China Are Killing Movie Theatre Returns, Again

The Chinese box office absolutely crumbled last week. "The current epicenter is Shanghai, where a megacity of 25 million people has been locked down in two phases for much of the past week." - Variety

It’s Not So Easy To Transform Into Julia Child

Just ask Meryl Streep. But it's probably even harder when you're British. "Before the release of the Meryl Streep–starring film Julie & Julia in 2009, Sarah Lancashire had never heard of Julia Child. 'She had no public persona in the U.K.,'" Lancashire said. Now she is Julia. - Vulture

When British And American Actors Play Australian

Sometimes they get the accents right (Kate Winslet, on her second try), or sort of right (Kate Winslet, on her first try). Sometimes, not so much (Jude Law). - The Guardian (UK)

The Grammys Had A Surprise Guest

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, delivered a pre-recorded message: "Our musicians wear body armour instead of tuxedos. ... They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to those who can't hear them. But the music will break through." - BBC

How Hollywood’s Backlots Stayed Full Even During The First Year Of The Pandemic

How? Safety, actually: "Producers sought out more controlled environments for outdoor shooting. Even with a 87-day shutdown, the number of shoot days on backlots dropped only 15 % from 2019 to 2020." And now studios want more land. - Los Angeles Times

Stephen Sondheim, Movie Artist

The composer changed musicals, yes, and he was generous with his work, allowing others to adapt it to the screen. Sometimes that worked well - Original Cast Album: Company - and sometimes (er, Into the Woods, 2014, anyone), not so much. - The New York Times

This Verified Twitter User’s Name Is Will Smith

But he's not actor Will Smith. After the slap, "Will Smith — a podcaster, gamer and PR guy for indie game studio Stray Bombay who lives in San Francisco — girded for a new tweetstorm of commentary misdirected" at him.- Variety

TikTok Investigates (Or Its Users Do, And It Isn’t Pretty)

In just the past half year, TikTok mobs have dived headlong into engagement-baiting investigations of recent murders, online “pedophile rings,” and the legitimacy of popular creators’ neurological or psychiatric conditions. - The Atlantic

How To Stop DoomScrolling

“Doomscrolling is essentially an avoidance technique used to cope with anxiety, so wherever you are vulnerable to anxiety, doomscrolling can become an unhealthy coping mechanism.” - Wired

Time For Hollywood To Rethink Its China Strategy?

In 2021, just 20 revenue-sharing U.S. titles were released in Chinese cinemas, compared with 31 U.S. tentpole releases before the pandemic, in 2019. - The Hollywood Reporter

Conservative Media Groups Says It Will Spend $100 Million On Kids Programming (To Counter Disney)

“Americans are tired of giving their money to woke corporations who hate them,” said Daily Wire co-CEO Jeremy Boreing in a statement. - Axios

YouTube’s Most Notorious Stars Seem To Be Burning Out Or Growing Up

"Many of them seem tired of the demands of online celebrity and seem to be moving on from pushing for ever more shocking videos. And while it's made them a lot of money, it seems many of YouTube's biggest stars are facing reckonings about whether it's been worth it." - BuzzFeed

Facebook And Instagram Hired Republican Strategy Firm To Trash TikTok In The News Media

Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's umbrella corporation for Facebook and the companies it's bought, has been paying conservative consulting group Targeted Victory to place letters to the editor and op-ed essays portraying TikTok as a danger to American children and teens. - The Guardian

Classical Radio In The US Has Done Astoundingly Well Through The Pandemic

"Stations rose to the occasion to provide refuge from a world that felt scary and uncertain. That has translated into ratings records" — WDAV in Charlotte actually reached no. 1 in its market — "strong fundraising and a reminder of the value of classical stations to local arts organizations." - Current

BBC Says It Will Cut Costs, Hire More “Economically Diverse” Staff

In its annual plan, it also set out a target of 25 percent of staff being “from lower socio-economic backgrounds” by 2027 to “ensure our workforce is more representative of the audiences we serve.” - The Hollywood Reporter

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