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Stories

Why Are Oscar Voters About To Award The Wrong Song From Barbie?

"Only one song from Barbie was a cultural sensation, a TikTok masterpiece, a showstopping earworm—and it’s the other nominated song, the one that’s probably going to lose on Oscar night: 'I’m Just Ken.’” Why are Oscars voters intent on making bad choices? - Slate

After The Activision Blizzard’s Merger With Microsoft, Workers Form Gaming’s Largest-Yet Union

Quality assurance workers for Activision, who play games constantly to find and report bugs, or problems, say they’re often the lowest-paid workers in the company even while "our work is integral to the success of the companies we work for and the titles we make." - The Verge

In Florida, Two Young Boys Are Arrested For Creating Deepfake Nudes Of Classmates

To blame? AI (and some very poor teenage decision-making). "As AI image-making tools have become more widely available, there have been several high-profile incidents in which minors allegedly created AI-generated nude images of classmates and shared them without consent." - Wired

The ‘Invisible’ Art Of Film Editing, And The Women Who Have Long Ruled That World

In the early days of Hollywood, “because many people saw film editing – or cutting, as it was called then – as unglamorous, secretarial work, it proved to be an easier entry point for women in the industry. And it gave them a lot of creative control." - NPR

Akira Toriyama, Creator Of The Hugely Popular Comic And Anime Dragon Ball, Has Died At 68

Dragon Ball got its start in 1984, and “to many fans, Son Goku's journey from a kid who fumbles his martial arts training to a high-flying hero who can shoot bolts of electricity from his hands mirrors their own struggles against self-doubt as they grew into adulthood.” - BBC

Artist Ricky Sencion Celebrates The Pink Sheep Of Los Angeles

Sencion "posted his first sheep on the streets of L.A. in March 2013. , the artist has amassed an inventory of thousands of his signature pink sheep, from palm-sized stickers slapped on lamp posts on Melrose Avenue to wheat pastings on walls along Hollywood Boulevard." - Los Angeles Times

Performance Space New York Goes With A Triple-Leader Model

In a performance arts space, why not have three women with an equal vote making major decisions - and figuring out how to fund performance art in a challenging time? - The New York Times

The Year In Movies Was Surprising, Tough, And Unpredictable; Long May That Last

However … "The movie industry is notorious for learning precisely the wrong lesson from its successes, not to mention failures." - Washington Post

Radio Hosts Are Another Profession On The Brink

As if radio work isn’t troubled enough, here comes artificial intelligence. - CBC

Writers Stuck In A Rut Should Go Pick Up A Camera

What kind of camera doesn’t matter, but thinking about everything from framing devices to length of exposure surely can kick the writing gears back into motion. - LitHub

The Oscars Weren’t Always About Fashion

As a matter of fact, the whole fashion discussion was cooked up by Hollywood’s PR people to get television on board - and hiring Edith Head, Hollywood’s most famous costume designer, didn’t hurt. - The Conversation

The Frida Kahlo Corporation Has Sued Amazon Kahlo Kitsch Sellers

Apparently, third-party sellers have sold everything "including prints, cosmetics, beverages, smoking accessories, toys, accessories, cooking ware, cameras, and face masks. These objects reportedly depicted trademarked visuals of Kahlo featuring watermelons, a green ring, palm fronds, and pink and blue flowers. “ - Hyperallergic

Da’Vine Joy Randolph On Getting Her Day At The Oscars

"Randolph doesn’t really speak Awards Season — not like the shiny glittery things who seem to have it down. Ask her how she fee-eels and the 37-year-old Oscar nominee will answer for real." - Washington Post

Did Online Trolls From Saudi Arabia Manipulate Opinions About Amber Heard?

Pretty much, yes - and that may have implications for elections in the U.S. and other democracies. - CBC

Petra Mathers, Author And Illustrator Of Many Children’s Books, Has Died At 78

"Mathers’s stories — whose subjects included a soulful museum guard (an alligator) who falls in love with the subject in a painting (another alligator) and a warmhearted chicken named Lottie and her best friend, Herbie, a duck — were … imbued with sly humor and wit.” - The New York Times

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