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The Issue Of Data Privacy, And TikTok, Goes Back To An English Victorian-Era Lawsuit

"The TikTok controversy can’t simply be chalked up to generational differences. ... It’s traceable to a watershed legal decision in 1849, when Prince Albert of England sued a printer for trying to publish a catalog about drawings he and Queen Victoria had made." - Wired

How Brands Like Nike And Pop-Tarts Suddenly Became Movie Stars

Blame Gen-X, sure, but there's more. "These movies have to do something smart: tap our innocent joy around old computer games and junk food, while also letting us feel we are more knowing now." - The Guardian (UK)

Please Please: Are We At The End Of Hollywood’s Superhero Obsession?

So far, this year's two superhero releases, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, have underperformed at the box office and received grudging reviews (47% and 51% on Rotten Tomatoes). Nor did this decline and fall start with them. - BBC

There Was Some Backsliding In Diversity Last Year, Finds UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report

"As Hollywood emerged from the pandemic, its biggest film productions dipped in diversity after years of incremental progress. … Opportunities were notably greater for women and people of color on streaming platforms than in theatrically released films." - AP

The BBC Is About To Cut A Lot Of Programming

"The BBC is set to slash its annual output by 1,000 hours worth of shows to cope with savings requirements that have shot up by some 40 percent to almost half a billion dollars." - The Hollywood Reporter

The Complex. Delicate Task Of Divvying Up The Radio Spectrum

"The airwaves floating across America are sliced up into chunks (some wide, some incredibly narrow) where different services and uses are permitted to broadcast and receive radio signals. It is an incredibly complex system; to explain the importance of managing this invisible resource, the NTIA publishes a wall chart." - Fast Company

He Watched Britain’s Equivalent Of Fox News For 18 Hours So We Don’t Have To

"People say a lot of things about GB News: it's ridden with glitches, it's a hotbed of right-wing conspiracies, nobody watches. But nearly two years on from its launch, some people are definitely watching. … What's attracting people to watch? Has the outlet professionalised? How right-wing is it?" - Press Gazette (UK)

Canadian Actors Union Calls For Boycotts

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists has turned to shaming brands including Rogers and Walmart as it seeks higher pay, protections and benefits amid fractious talks to renew the National Commercial Agreement with the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). - Toronto Star

The Art Of Remaking (Reimagining?) A Classic Video Game

Several developers behind horror games described their task like choreography, requiring precise timing and deft choices to deliver the terrifying experiences that players crave. - The New York Times

A Midwestern Network’s “Pro-Democracy” Alternative To Right-Wing Talk Radio

"With a presence in Milwaukee-Racine, Wausau-Stevens, Green Bay, and Appleton-Oshkosh and recent purchases in LaCrosse and Eau Claire markets, Civic Media's talk-formatted stations are offering an alternative to the conservative right-leaning talk formats that have a much larger presence in the state." - Inside Radio

How Public Radio Could Fill Gaps In Local News

With more staff, local public radio stations could help fill the information gap created by the decline of local newspapers. They could afford to assign a reporter full time to cover local government bodies like city councils and school boards. - The Conversation

Yet Another Prosecution Setback In The Alec Baldwin “Rust” Shooting Case

The special prosecutor originally assigned to the case was legally obliged to withdraw, and now the judge has told Santa Fe's district attorney, whose office is badly understaffed, that she may not appoint another special prosecutor unless the DA's office steps away from the case entirely. - Variety

Disney Will Make Three Rounds Of Layoffs This Year

This week’s initial round comes a few days before the company’s annual shareholder meeting on April 3. Iger had first announced plans for the downsizing in February, describing it as a key to achieving $5.5 billion in cost savings. - Deadline

Tiny Lionsgate Studio Ends Up With A Huge Weekend Of Ticket Sales

"The John Wick franchise, built around a weary assassin played by Keanu Reeves, has now shown dramatic growth with each consecutive sequel, something no action-thriller property has done before." - The New York Times

A Short List Of Times The Screen Adaptation Was Better Than The Book

True, it's not common, but still - this exists, even when the source material itself is quite good (sorry, Susan Orlean, Sarah Waters, et al.). - LitHub

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