On that day, the heads of the major studios, with a few notable exceptions, agreed after a contentious two-day conference at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City to ban the Hollywood Ten and to not “knowingly” employ Communists. - Deadline
The change in leadership gives Iger the opportunity to swerve away from Chapek’s fixation on Disney+. A similar redirection occurred this year at Warner Bros., where the CEO, Jason Kilar, who pushed the studio’s 2021 films to streaming, was replaced by David Zaslav. - The Atlantic
The video, which now has some 4.6 billion views, was so culturally pervasive in 2012 that Barack Obama was asked about it on Election Day. NASA astronauts recorded a parody, and a North Korean state propaganda site evoked the dance move to mock a South Korean politician. - The New York Times
In previous years, participating Academy members would rate the films they saw on a point scale ranging from 7 to 10. Now they'll rank their preferences from 1st down to 15th. It's expected that this change will lead to some surprises when the five nominees are revealed on December 21. - Variety
Everything Everywhere All at Once received eight nods: best feature, director, screenplay, and editing, as well as four acting nominations. Tár garnered seven nominations: two for acting (Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss), plus cinematography, editing, screenplay, editing, and best feature. - The Hollywood Reporter
The problem with this—on top of the hope that each of these studios could replicate Netflix’s first-mover advantage—is that streaming never ever made sense as a one-stop replacement for every source of revenue, Covid or no. - The Bulwark
In this corner of the Chinese internet, octogenarians croon, septuagenarians tango and gray-haired fashionistas strut down catwalks and offer makeup tips to millions of fans. There’s even an 86-year-old man who just sits and plays video games like Call of Duty. - The New York Times
Martz Communications was operating WAMO (660 AM and 107.3 FM) as a hip-hop station until the company sold to the radio conglomerate Audacy, which bought all of WAMO's intellectual property but not the frequencies. So Martz is donating those to PPM, which operates "The Pittsburgh Jazz Channel." - Inside Radio
"Sources with ties to the company say discontent among some board members had been building (and) there was discussion about replacing Chapek as far back as the directors' late June meeting. ... As for current and even former Disney insiders, the change did feel insane, though welcome." - The Hollywood Reporter
All of these products are unprofitable and have lost $5 billion annually in the past few years. Most of these devices are loss leaders because Amazon normally subsidizes the cost to get more market share. - GoodReader
Look, The Great British Baking Show's issues go far beyond the cringe-inducing racism of Mexican Week. "These issues have reached a tipping point in this season, ... and they’re undermining the aspect of the show that’s always made it worth watching: the bakers themselves." - HuffPost
Prestige TV was already happening, but fantasy TV was new - and The Walking Dead was perfectly timed for "the convergence of television and fandom, all those recapping blogs," not to mention social media. - Los Angeles Times
When two Pixar art directors worked together on an independent short, they decided to found their own company. "We had a very similar ambitions and, you know, sort of hunger to grow and just wanted to be a better storytellers." - Slate
“I am deeply honored to be asked to again lead this remarkable team, with a clear mission focused on creative excellence to inspire generations through unrivaled, bold storytelling,” said Iger tonight. - Deadline
