"The name of this monstrosity, which was released earlier this month, is Stimulation Clicker, and it is more than a game. It is a reenactment of the evolution of the internet, a loving parody of its contents, and a pointed commentary on how our online life went wrong." - The Atlantic (MSN)
The New York Times is a competitor to all local newspapers. For the cost, you get much more value with a subscription to NYT than you would with a local newspaper, except for local. Subscribers would get local news from their local newspaper but national/international news from the Times. - A Media Operator
"(Their) weepy confessions are, ostensibly, gestures toward intimacy. They’re meant to inspire empathy, to reassure viewers that influencers are just like them. But in fact, they’re exercises in what I call 'McVulnerability,' a synthetic version of vulnerability akin to fast food: mass-produced, easily accessible, sometimes tasty, lacking in sustenance." - The Atlantic (MSN)
The Batman (176 minutes). Oppenheimer (180 minutes). Avengers: Endgame (182 minutes!). The Irishman (a whopping 209 minutes!). Do Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan want us to develop urinary tract infections? It's time, argues Travis Andrews, to follow the example of The Brutalist. - The Washington Post (Yahoo!)
“One of the prevailing narratives of this year’s awards season leading up to the Oscars has been that of the return to the limelight of beloved veteran actors who the public thought had disappeared for good.” - El País
“At stake is the future of a defining industry that helps make Los Angeles a vibrant creative capital, employing tens of thousands of workers in a wide variety of fields.” - The New York Times
Did Nick Ut take the famous photo Napalm Girl? "Ten days before the premiere of the documentary The Stringer at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday night, the Associated Press published an extraordinary 23-page report of a six-month investigation rebutting the movie’s premise.” - Washington Post
“‘It's incredible because somehow the film has united Mexico — everyone hates it,’ explained Mexican film critic Ricardo Gallegos Ramos. ‘Everyone is inviting you to not go to the movie theatre: Please, don't support this movie.’” - CBC
"When they did the premiere of Twin Peaks: The Return, the executives had not seen it, and they said: 'Mr. Lynch, would you say a few words?' And he comes out; he goes: 'This project has a lot of wood in it. I like wood.'" - The Guardian
"Struggling with declining revenue in its groundbreaking nonprofit radio/newspaper model, Chicago Public Media is offering voluntary buyouts for Chicago Sun-Times journalists and business employees at WBEZ. The WBEZ newsroom will not be affected by the buyout announcement Wednesday, but more cuts could be on the way." - Chicago Tribune (MSN)
The hare-brained Online News Act has only been in effect for a few months, but already it has proved a disaster for small and emerging news media in Canada, with the country’s Indigenous media perhaps the hardest hit. - Canadian Dimension
Over time, digested in larger quantities, this entertainment sands away the distinctions between this and that until context collapses into a river of color and sound. - The New York Times
"Paramount must face some claims in a lawsuit from Warner Bros. Discovery accusing it of setting in motion a breach of a $500 million licensing deal for the exclusive rights to South Park, a court has ruled." - The Hollywood Reporter
Execs said the March ceremony will "celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires." For this year, the proceedings will "move away" from live performances of the Best Song nominees in favor of celebrating the nominated songwriters. - The Guardian
