Although the link between J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic and Italy's far-right is not new, it's a phenomenon that has re-surfaced with new vigor since politician Giorgia Meloni was elected as the country's prime minister. - CBC
"In-flight licensing (is) unique in the licensing business in that it raises questions among everyday consumers — like how titles are chosen, why a given film might be censored, or why a show canceled and removed from, say, HBO Max might still be flying around the world." - Vulture
A ton of journalists on the games beat have suddenly found themselves out of jobs. The field is in the midst of a brutal, paradoxical contraction. The world’s power brokers are investing desperately in the games industry, but games media is another story entirely. - NiemanLab
"Imagine walking into a room to be confronted by Helena Bonham Carter, Meg Ryan, Ashley Judd and Michelle Yeoh. It would be a pretty intimidating prospect. Now imagine that these four world-famous, movie-star actresses were somehow combined into one person." - The New European
“The pendulum is swinging back to some sense of normalcy and balance as market watchers see theatrical box office returns from major releases in the post-pandemic era." - The Wrap
The Flemish half, that is. The Story of Flanders features lavish, unsparing reconstructions of historical scenes interspersed with commentary from scholars. It was funded by the Flemish regional government, led by a separatist party, and Flemings are having a hearty argument over whether the series is propaganda. - The Observer (UK)
The fundamental bet of Vice and its internet-born brethren, that new forms of distribution and content production enabled by the internet would transform media economics in a way that they were uniquely poised to capture, simply didn’t materialize. - The Wrap
"Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit against Paramount Friday, claiming the rival media company breached its half-billion-dollar exclusivity contract with HBO Max by airing South Park on its own streaming platform, Paramount+." - CNN
It’s easy to imagine many productive uses of the metaverse, from educational to virtual meetings to entertainment. And most of these are already underway in some form or another. The consumer opportunities are clear: “Every year, US$54 billion is spent on virtual goods.” - 3 Quarks Daily
And, from the super secret ballots revealed in their entirety here, it sure looks like Todd Field is going to win Best Director for TÁR. - Los Angeles Times
The game won't be ready for years - but by the time it is, players will have watched "content" for it on TikTok, read graphic novels, and more. "What if we try to build this IP slightly in reverse. ... What if we didn’t start with gaming?" - Los Angeles Times
It was a really good night for the cast and crew of Everything Everywhere All at Once, as the cast won four acting awards and the movie took Best Film at the Producers Guild. - The New York Times