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8-Year-Old Complains About NPR’s Lack Of Dinosaur Coverage

"My name is Leo and I am 8 years old. I listen to All Things Considered in the car with mom. I listen a lot. I never hear much about nature or dinosaurs or things like that. Maybe you should call your show Newsy things Considered, since I don't get to hear about all the things. Or please talk...

Paramount Battles Truman Capote Estate For Right To Remake ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’

"Paramount has a screenplay for a new movie, according to court papers. But Alan Schwartz, Trustee of the Truman Capote Literary Trust, has been shopping a television series, and has gotten seven-figure offers from multiple interested buyers. Early last year, both sides pursued settlement with the idea that Paramount would be involved in the TV production, but in May,...

Fox News’s Response To Smartmatic’s $2.7 Billion Lawsuit: Don’t Blame Us, Blame Trump’s Lawyers (And Besides, First Amendment)

In the network's motion to dismiss the voting company's defamation lawsuit — which alleges that Fox News and three of its hosts knowingly spread a false conspiracy theory that Smartmatic's tabulation software (with the help of the late Hugo Chávez) changed vote totals — Fox's attorneys argue that any allegation, no matter how bizarre, by a President or his...

The Action Star Revival Had Largely Left Black Actresses Behind

Nothing against the (many) kick-ass, and asskicking, Black actresses of the science fiction universes, but for something closer to reality? Enter Queen Latifah. - Los Angeles Times

Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, And Nomadland Emerge As Frontrunners

Nomadland took top honors at the London Film Critics Circle on Sunday night. Zhao won for screenwriting, though; Steve McQueen took home Best Director honors for Small Axe, his anthology series of five films on Amazon Prime. - The Guardian (UK)

The Coronavirus Is Devastating Film And TV Careers

Yes, it's devastating all kinds of careers in the arts. One TV director: "The big question is ‘will I ever work again?’ And if not, how can I best say goodbye to an industry I have been part of for all my working life?" - The Guardian (UK)

The Last Agency Holdout Agrees To A Deal With Writers Guild In Hollywood

Nearly two years after screenwriters fired their agents in a fight against agency actions that were costing TV writers quite a bit of money, the Writers' Guild Union approved a new deal with WME. - Los Angeles Times

Sundance Went Virtual This Year, And That Worked OK

The last big film festival from 2020 had its virtual tryout this year. It wasn't terrible, but, says one critic: "I’m usually whiny and cranky about Sundance. Why are we in the snow? Why January? I could see all you people in Los Angeles. But this year, I was so nostalgic for every bit of the experience. I wanted...

Director Kelly Reichardt On The Commitment To A Daily Process Of Making Art

The director of Meek's Cutoff and First Cow is also feeling, well, a bit cynical. "There’s so much celebration of women and people of color this year and I’m thinking ‘that’s great,’ but a cynical part of me is thinking ‘Is this just Covid?’ Are they just thinking ‘Let’s just let women in and give them the awards this...

While Bela Lugosi Slept, They Made A Whole Other ‘Dracula’ On The Set — And It’s Better

"Shot in half the time the Lugosi vehicle was allotted, and on a much smaller budget, Drácula" — yes, it's the Spanish version — "contains revealing differences. It's 29 minutes longer than the Browning film, with more dialogue – we see more of Dracula's castle; and the framing of shots are arguably superior – thanks to Melford's...

All The Work Went Away: TV People Talk About Careers During COVID

“At the start of the pandemic, no one had any work, so it wasn’t so much of a problem. At times it was even nice not to be working. But when you’re freelance, you wonder whose doing what and doubt yourself, and when shoots opened up again, it was difficult not being out and about and having a purpose.”...

Intimacy Coordinator Says She Gets More Resistance From Female Actors And Directors

"'My hunch is that, for some women, having me present means they have to examine their past experiences on set without an intimacy coordinator,' said Mia Schachter, intimacy coordinator on ABC's Grey's Anatomy and HBO shows such as Insecure and Euphoria." - The Guardian

Binging Or Drip Drip Drip? The Pros And Cons Of Streaming

Are we really just pleasure-seeking audiences looking for that instant hit of media indulgence? As the effects of lockdown and zoom fatigue have exposed, society seems to be increasingly experiencing media fatigue. - The Conversation

Should Prime-Time TV Series Work In COVID Storylines? Or Is That The Last Thing The Audience Wants?

"In rooms all over the internet, hospital dramas, first-responder shows, situation comedies and courtroom procedurals were having similar debates. To ignore the events of the spring and summer — the pandemic, America's belated racial reckoning — meant placing prime-time series outside (well, even more outside) observable reality. But to include them meant potentially exhausting already exhausted viewers and...

Despite Pandemic, UK TV And Film Production Only Down 21 Percent In 2020

As per fresh stats from the British Film Institute, film and TV spend on Brit shores was £2.84B for the year, down a surprisingly slim 21% on the year before. Film bore the brunt of that decline – 31% down for the year in comparison with 11% for high-end TV. - Deadline

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