fortune--2019-11-09--Gift Guide: Home Entertainment

Gift Guide: Home Entertainment

The Maker of White Claw Is Now a Multibillionaire, Thanks to the Hard Seltzer Craze


fortune--2019-12-30--Hasbro’s Toy Box Is Bigger Than Ever With $3.8 Billion Entertainment One Takeover

Why Your Next Dress Could Be Made of Horseradish


hotair--2019-05-31--Entertainment giant built on audience of children may join Georgia boycott

The irony is rich here. Disney has weighed in on the entertainment business boycott of the State of Georgia over the passage of the fetal heartbeat bill. The CEO of Walt Disney Co., Bob Iger, says it “would be very difficult” for the company to continue filming in Georgia if the new law goes into effect.  Let’s step back and ponder that opinion for a moment. Walt Disney Co. was built around marketing to children. It was at the forefront of the American animation industry. It’s the house Mickey Mouse built, for heaven’s sake. It is not lost on me or anyone else that the current CEO now considers a boycott of the State of Georgia due to a bill that will save the lives of the unborn.  Disney mega money-makers like “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Endgame” were filmed in Georgia. Iger seeks cover behind Disney employees who he claims may feel uncomfortable filming in Georgia if the new law goes into effect.  “I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard. Right now we are watching it very carefully,” Iger told Reuters. The exec added that if the law does come into effect, he didn’t “see how it’s practical for us to continue to shoot there.”  I realize that in today’s woke world, a huge entertainment conglomerate like Disney struggles to remain in step with the times. The Disney brand has expanded to so much in the retail sales world that pandering to special interests is unavoidable. Perhaps Iger is concerned with women consumers since women manage households and make the majority of purchasing decisions for families. Does he really think, though, that before purchasing movie tickets for a popular new Disney film, for example, that an adult is going to check first to see where it was filmed? I can’t imagine any woman multi-tasking her way through her day denying her children a trip to the movie theatre because the movie was filmed in Georgia. Your mileage may vary.  The Disney of my childhood is not today’s Disney. The company has really stepped up its woke game. “Black Panther” was marketed as the first movie based on a black superhero. The Disney Princess franchise has expanded to ethnic princesses, including Princess Tiana, the first black princess in 2009 and Moana, a Polynesian princess in 2016. That’s all fine. But, to deliberately pander to the pro-abortion crowd is a bridge too far. Iger falls into the same trap as the rest of the elites in Hollywood, trying to score points with only part of its viewing audience. This public declaration is a slap in the face to pro-life women and men.  I have to think that Iger is simply following the lead of Netflix, as the streaming company announced Tuesday that it will “rethink their investment in Georgia.” Netflix also stated it will join in the fight against Georgia’s new law with the ACLU. The company is the first true industry heavyweight to weigh in on the subject. Perhaps Iger doesn’t want another heavy-hitter to get ahead of him.  “We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said Tuesday in a statement. “It’s why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there — while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.”  Lesser known production companies have weighed in but Disney and Netflix are the first of the biggies to take a stance. Hollywood actors and directors have made their pro-abortion opinions perfectly clear. Even former child actor and current Hollywood power player Ron Howard said he’ll join in the boycott, though he tempers his pledge by saying he’ll continue plans to film “Hillbilly Elegy” next month. Say it ain’t so, Opie!  Filmmaker Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer have joined the list of Hollywood stars who say they will boycott Georgia after the state’s governor signed the controversial “heartbeat bill” into law. Howard and Grazer, who run Imagine Entertainment, told The Hollywood Reporter in an exclusive statement that although they are continuing with their plans to film the movie “Hillbilly Elegy” in Georgia next month, they will boycott the state as a production center if the law goes into effect in January. “We see Governor Kemp’s bill as a direct attack on women’s rights, and we will be making a donation to the (American Civil Liberties Union) to support their battle against this oppressive legislation,” the statement read.  Yes, even Ron Howard turned into a run-of-the-mill Hollywood elitist years ago. He and his business partner spout the same talking points as the others do. Now we wait for the lawsuits to play out in the court system and see if the Hollywood crowd carries out their threats if the law survives the legal challenges.


hotair--2019-10-12--Blizzard Entertainment reduces punishment for Hong Kong gamer, but more protests are coming

Blizzard Entertainment finally responded to the international controversy that has been swirling since they punished a Hong Kong gamer for shouting “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!” during a live stream. The company responded by banning the player from competition for a year and taking away his prize money. The two “casters” who were hosting the live stream were also banned.  That didn’t sit well with a lot of gamers who responded with memes and a boycott that involved uninstalling the company’s games until the decision had been reversed. Yesterday, Blizzard cracked and partially reversed its decision. From the company’s statement:  Over the weekend, blitzchung used his segment to make a statement about the situation in Hong Kong—in violation of rules he acknowledged and understood, and this is why we took action… In the tournament itself blitzchung *played* fair. We now believe he should receive his prizing… When we think about the suspension, six months for blitzchung is more appropriate, after which time he can compete in the Hearthstone pro circuit again if he so chooses. There is a consequence for taking the conversation away from the purpose of the event and disrupting or derailing the broadcast.  The company claimed Blitzchung’s views and its own relationship with China played no role in his punishment:  The specific views expressed by blitzchung were NOT a factor in the decision we made. I want to be clear: our relationships in China had no influence on our decision. We have these rules to keep the focus on the game and on the tournament to the benefit of a global audience, and that was the only consideration in the actions we took. If this had been the opposing viewpoint delivered in the same divisive and deliberate way, we would have felt and acted the same.  I’m not sure I believe that but even if it’s true, I don’t think showing strict neutrality between western democracy and Chinese communism is really the winning argument Blizzard thinks it is. Blizzard is an American company based in California. It should be a given that freedom and democracy are superior values. The idea that you’d punish proponents of freedom and proponents of communist autocracy equally seems like a very bad idea.  And just like the situation with the NBA, Blizzard’s own hypocrisy is pretty glaring. In the NBA’s case, you have a bunch of woke coaches and players who have suddenly gone silent about Chinese communism because they are worried about their shoe deals and marketing rights. In Blizzard’s case, the crackdown on Blitzchung presents a stark contrast with its own products. This is, after all, a company whose motto is “Every voice matters.” From Kotaku:  As has been stated multiple times by fans, players, and commentators throughout the week, it’s hard to square this kind of faux-neutral political stance with the games Blizzard creates and the values it espouses. This is a company whose games are full of heroes fighting for freedom and equality, and China’s handling of Hong Kong has been anything but. All political statements are not equal—especially where human rights violations are concerned—and it’s disheartening to see a company with Blizzard’s legacy stand behind that kind of false equivalence in a time when games are, more than ever, intertwined with culture. Reducing Blitzchung’s suspension is a step in the right direction, but in the face of all this, it’s still hard for the company’s games and statements not to ring hollow.  Blizzard hosts an annual convention called Blizzcon which brings together about 40,000 players. This year’s Blizzcon takes place in Anaheim, CA three weeks from now, which seems like very unfortunate timing for the company. There are already multiple groups looking to protest outside this year’s convention:  Fight For The Future’s protest will take place outside the Anaheim Convention Center at noon on November 1, the first day of BlizzCon. The organization is asking protesters to bring umbrellas as a sign of solidarity with protesters in Hong Kong—who’ve adopted umbrellas as a symbol—or to cosplay as their favorite Blizzard characters… “What is happening are horrible human rights violations and suppression,” Thompson told Kotaku in an email. “When Blizzard, whose games and mottos support heroes and freedom, and [who] has stated on their company grounds [that] every voice matters, took away Blitzchung for simply saying he supports Hong Kong as the revolution of our times, I was shocked… He never used any foul or extreme language about China. It shows how companies are willing to say they support diversity and heroes until it doesn’t pay.”  I’m sympathetic to the idea that gamers should remain focused on the game. I’m sure a lot of NBA fans don’t enjoy listening to Steve Kerr’s mind-thoughts about gun control. But the NBA Commissioner is right when he says he isn’t going to become a minder of other people’s speech. The problem is that no one in the NBA is actually using that freedom to criticize China or support Hong Kong despite offering opinions on everything else.  As for Blizzard, if they really want people to believe this wasn’t about the content of what Blitzchung said, just about enforcing the rules, they can prove it. All they need to do is issue another statement that would go something like this:  If they can’t say that loudly and clearly, and so far they haven’t, then gamers are right to suspect the company’s financial relationship with China is playing a role in this decision.


lewrockwell--2019-12-21--Clint Eastwood’s ‘Richard Jewell’ Reveals An Appetite For Libertarian Entertainment

I generally resent recommending art for political reasons. I believe art and beauty transcend ideology and should be judged on aesthetic merit first and foremost. In the case of “Richard Jewell,” however, the unusual point of view moves the film in a novel direction and makes it a compelling standout feature.  Director Clint Eastwood is an avowed libertarian, and “Richard Jewell” is probably the single most self-consciously libertarian film he’s ever made.  Of course, I don’t understand everything about Eastwood’s brand of libertarianism. His support of gun control, for instance, is a major departure from libertarianism. It’s also hard to take his 2012 Chrysler Super Bowl commercial as anything other than support for the Obama auto bailout, even if Eastwood claimed that’s not what he intended. Moreover, the actor/director has endorsed an array of big-government politicians in California. Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $25.00  I am going to give Eastwood a pass on all of that, however, because his job isn’t to be consistent. His job is to create compelling cinema, and he delivers that, film after film.  “Richard Jewell” is probably not his strongest work. It leaves little room for suspense and is a bit predictable, in part because we all know the story: Security guard Richard Jewell find a suspicious backpack at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, which turns out to be a bomb that kills two people and injures more than 100. At first heralded as a hero, Jewell soon becomes the FBI’s primary suspect and the target of a media rampage.  It is exquisitely acted, however, with Eastwood’s minimalist directing style shining through. The characters Eastwood introduces are as familiar to the American psyche as they are unusual to meet onscreen: a hard-working and loving, if TV-addicted, single mom; a geeky, libertarian lawyer; an overweight, overzealous copper.  The cop is an interesting stage in the artistic trajectory of the director, whose iconic ’70s role was “Dirty Harry,” the out-of-bounds police officer pursuing rough justice in San Francisco, a city gone awry. My guess is that Eastwood feels more like the libertarian lawyer these days. Nonetheless, the cop he’s created with actor Paul Walter Hauser is highly sympathetic, if flawed.


liveaction--2019-08-05--Abortion in video games The next frontier of entertainment

Abortion in video games: The next frontier of entertainment?

When it comes to culture, abortion advocates have some big goals. They want to see abortion positively portrayed in movies and television shows, and already, they’re getting their wish. Abortion is, indeed, being shown positively in media, but movies and television aren’t enough. Now, abortion advocates want video games to reflect a pro-abortion agenda.  Newsbusters reports on a recent episode of the tech-oriented “Chips with Everything” podcast, which featured feminist tech writer Laura Hudson and game developer Mary Flanagan of Tiltfactor as guests. They discussed their desire to insert pro-abortion storylines into video games, and gave a Polish game called “Fantastic Fetus” as an example.  Created after protests formed in Poland against stricter abortion laws, “Fantastic Fetus” is a Tamagotchi-style game in which players can choose a character and then walk them through nine months of a pregnancy. The characters need to be fed, kept happy and clean, given medicine when they’re ill, and even pray.  As the characters move throughout the pregnancy, players also create their own “fantastic” baby. But if anything goes wrong — gaining too much weight, becoming too afraid or too sick — the mother will die. And then, at the end of the pregnancy, regardless of how well the mother is taken care of, her baby will end up with a life-threatening birth defect, like hydrocephaly or twin reversed arterial perfusion.  Afterwards, players are shown a series of messages about the need for abortion to remain legal. The insinuation is clear: women need to have abortions, because pregnancy is hard, and you could end up with a defective baby.  To tech writer Hudson, this kind of game is ideal, because it could help change people’s minds on abortion. “I think when you look at what tends to change people’s hearts around politics it’s not usually because somebody made a really good argument, y’know,” she said. “As much as I’d love to believe in the pure power of debate to change minds, I don’t often think that that’s the case. I think a lot of what changes people’s hearts, particularly around divisive issues, is knowing someone or meeting someone who is personally affected by it.”  Video games, then, can be another way to make people look at abortion more positively, without getting into any actual facts. Game developer Flanagan explained, “What we try to do is put people in situations where they’re open and can explore a world or they can play a game that is like a trivia game,” with the goal of “shifting attitudes, mindsets, and possibly behaviors.” And she doesn’t want to make abortion-specific games, either; instead, she wants existing games to have pro-abortion messages inserted.  “Fantastic Fetus” is not the first video game created by abortion activists. After Texas banned late-term abortions, a game was created called “Choice: Texas” that purported to show how difficult it was for women in the state to undergo an abortion. Another offering was billed as a “choose-your-own-adventure” style game, where you choose what kinds of decisions a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy makes. However, the game stacks the choices against life, with a hasty abortion presented as the best choice — and choosing life ends up with the woman ultimately needing a late-term abortion anyway, or sick, in premature labor, and with crushing debt.  The idea of changing people’s minds on abortion through video games is an odd one, especially considering that people are not especially fond of abortion. Even when Americans want it to be legal, they want it to be heavily restricted — and a video game is not going to manipulate people into changing their minds.  “Like” Live Action News on Facebook for more pro-life news and commentary!


mail--2019-02-20--Billionaire Icahn wants Caesars Entertainment to sell itself

Caesars' stock is undervalued and the best way to boost it would be to sell the company, Icahn's filing states. Shares of the Las Vegas-based company jumped more than 5 percent Tuesday. "We believe that our brand of activism is well suited to the situation at Caesars, which requires new thought, new leadership and new strategies," the filing adds.  Icahn intends to continue talks with Caesar's board of directors and management, and if necessary, he may nominate a slate of directors at the company's annual shareholders meeting, according to the filing. He also wants CEO Mark Frissora out.  Frissora, who joined Caesars in 2015 and guided it through bankruptcy reorganization, was scheduled to leave his role Feb. 8, but his departure was pushed back to the end of April. Icahn does not want Frissora's tenure to be extended again, according to the filing, and expects the company to not appoint a new leader until after he and the board have engaged "meaningfully."  Caesars emerged from an $18 billion bankruptcy in late 2017. Icahn's move comes after the casino operator was approached by at least two companies. Caesars in November confirmed that it had received a proposal from casino operator Golden Nugget LLC, owned by Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta. The proposal called for Caesars to "acquire substantially all of Golden Nugget's restaurant, hospitality, entertainment and gaming businesses in exchange for a significant minority of Caesars' common shares."  Caesars at the time said its board rejected the proposal, but "continues to be open to reasonable alternatives to enhance long-term shareholder value." The Wall Street Journal last week reported an official with Eldorado Resorts Inc. also "made a preliminary approach" over the past several months.  Caesars did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing. It is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter results Thursday. Its stock ended up 47 cents to $9.62 on Tuesday and is up almost 42 percent so far this year. But it's still down 27 percent in past 12 months.  Analysts at J.P.Morgan in a note to investors said they do not see an obvious suitor that could or would take Caesars' entire portfolio of assets, including the nine properties on the Las Vegas Strip. They pointed to MGM Resorts International as the "most obvious potential acquirer," but said that company has been clear about giving priority to its current projects.  Alex Bumazhny, gambling analyst with Fitch Ratings, told The Associated Press Icahn "has a good track record" in the gambling sector. "When news breaks of (a merger and acquisition) transaction, the target's stock will gravitate towards the premium price being offered by the acquirer," he said. "Seeing that Caesars has potential suitors it's possible Icahn is simply banking he could push Caesars to accept an offer and bank the (merger and acquisition) premium."  Icahn last year sold his Tropicana Entertainment casino company for $1.85 billion. David Katz, equity analyst at Jefferies, said there are things Caesars could do to capture a better value for its stock that do not involve selling itself, including sharing expectations more effectively. He said Caesars' "value story" has not been told effectively since the company emerged from bankruptcy.  "That story is about the brand and the loyalty program that they have," he said. "We know that that brand has value because when you visit their properties, whether or not they are the nicest, they are consistently the busiest, and that's because of the loyalty program they have."


mercurynews--2019-01-20--50 moments from 1969 that shaped entertainment and pop culture

It was the last year of the ’60s, and the last year for Boris Karloff, Judy Garland and the Beatles, too. But it was also the first year for Led Zeppelin, Jennifer Aniston, “Easy Rider” and Jay-Z, too.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent part of it in bed in public. The Doors’ Jim Morrison spent part of it in jail. Moviegoers spent time watching “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” while at home they watched a brand-new show called “The Brady Bunch” about a brand-new kind of blended family, the youngest ones in curls.  There were also other big moments outside the bounds of entertainment — a moon landing, a war that rolled on despite rising protests against it — but those too had implications for pop culture in decades to come.  This is 1969 from 50 years on, the good, the bad, the ugly and the odd.  1) British rock band Led Zeppelin releases its self-titled debut on Jan. 12, and if you started with the opening track your introduction to the band was the song “Good Times Bad Times.” By the end of the year, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham would return with “Led Zeppelin II,” their first No. 1 album in the United States.  2) “Portnoy’s Complaint,” published on Jan. 12, was Philip Roth’s fourth book, but it’s the one that made him a literary star, in part because of the candid way he wrote about sex. It quickly became iconic, a book used as a reference in TV shows from “Get Smart” to “Bojack Horseman.” You can also draw a straight line from Portnoy’s liver to the titular baked good in “American Pie,” but of that we’ll say no more.  3) Musician Dave Grohl and actor Jason Bateman both are born on Jan. 14 and fans of Nirvana, Foo Fighters and “Arrested Development” should retroactively thank their parents.  4) Richard M. Nixon sworn in as president on Jan. 20. A few months earlier he’d gone on “Laugh-In” and awkwardly asked viewers to “Sock it to me.” Congress and the Watergate investigation eventually complied.  5) Elvis Presley enters American Sound Studios in Memphis on Jan. 26 for the comeback sessions that result in the album “From Elvis in Memphis” as well as such classic singles as “In The Ghetto,” “Kentucky Rain,” and “Suspicious Minds.”  6) The Beatles head to the roof of Apple Records on Jan. 30 to play live versions of songs such as “Get Back” and “I’ve Got A Feeling,” the police-shortened set ending up as their final public performance and the highlight of the film “Let It Be.”  7) Actor Boris Karloff, who starred as the monster in “Frankenstein”  and as the title character in “The Mummy,” dies on Feb. 2 at the age of 81. He is cremated and as far as anyone knows has not returned to haunt our cinemas and dreams in any form or fashion.  8) Jennifer Aniston is born on Feb. 11. Twenty-five years later hair stylists will be grateful for her “Rachel” hairstyle. Thirty-five years later they’ll be cursing her for it.  9) Jim Morrison of the Doors nearly sparks a riot on March 1 during a concert in Miami where police alleged he exposed himself, though it seems likely he only simulated the dirty deed.  10) The supersonic jet the Concorde gets its first test flight on March 2, though passenger service does not begin until 1976, possibly to give jet-setters time to save up for the pricey fare. The jet, which was immortalized in the not-beloved film “The Concorde: Airport ’79,” also made it possible in 1985 for Phil Collins to perform at both London and Philadelphia Live Aid concerts — on the same day.  11) “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo is published on March 10. It’s unclear whether G.P. Putnam’s Sons made him an offer he couldn’t refuse but it goes on to create a pair of classic films.  12) At San Francisco State University, the longest student strike in U.S. history ends on March 20. Pressure by protesters including members of the Black Student Union and the multi-ethnic Third World Liberation front had gone on strike on Nov. 6 in pursuit increasing the diversity of the student body, faculty, courses and departments. One major result of the strike was the university’s agreement to create the first College of Ethnic Studies in the world as well as the first Black Studies Department in the country.  13) John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold their first Bed-In for Peace starting March 25 at the Hilton in Amsterdam. This is their honeymoon after they wed on March 20. During a second Bed-In in Montreal in May, Lennon writes the anti-war anthem “Give Peace A Chance,” which folk singer Pete Seeger will sing for a huge crowd outside the White House on Nov. 15 during the Moratorium March, which with as many as half a million demonstrating against the war in Vietnam is said to be the largest anti-war protest in U.S. history.  14) The Allman Brothers Band make their live debut with a concert in Jacksonville, Florida, on March 30 and the Southern rock that will dominate much of the following decade takes off.  15) “Midnight Cowboy” starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight is released on May 25 and goes on to become the first X-rated movie to win the Oscar for best picture.  16) “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by illustrator and writer Eric Carle is published on June 3. It’s an instant success both critically and commercially and 50 years and 30 million copies later parents still read it to their toddlers.  17) “Game of Thrones” actor Peter Dinklage is born on June 11. Little does anyone suspect that years later he’s gonna be big in Westeros.  18) The Winstons record “Amen, Brother” on June 13. Six or seven seconds of a drum solo from that obscure B-side, the so-called Amen break, will become the most-sampled piece of music in history, showing up on as many as 3,000 tracks from Salt-N-Pepa’s “I Desire” and N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” to Oasis’ “D’You Know What I Mean” and  the Prodigy’s “Firestarter.” Even the theme to the TV series “Futurama” uses it.  19) Rapper Ice Cube is born on June 15. MC Ren is born one day later, and with Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Arabian Prince and DJ Yella already toddling around, the entire future membership of N.W.A. is now on the planet.  20) The badly polluted Cuyahoga River near Cleveland catches fire on June 22 eventually inspiring bad jokes by late-night TV hosts, environmental action that led to the Clean Water Act and Environmental Protection Agency, and eventually a pair of fine songs, “Burn On” by Randy Newman and “Cayahoga” by REM.  21) Actress Judy Garland is found dead on the floor of her London bathroom on June 22. Cause of death is ruled an accidental overdose of barbiturates. She is 47.  22) A police raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village on June 28 that targets its gay clientele sparks rioting that kickstarts the modern-day gay rights movement. A year later, marches were held on the anniversary in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, establishing the end of June as the time when gay pride parades and celebrations are held everywhere today. In 2016, seven acres around the still-operating inn were designated a national monument.  23) Brian Jones, a founding member of the Rolling Stones who had just left the group, is found dead in his swimming pool in Sussex, England on July 3. Two days later the Rolling Stones play a concert in Hyde Park before which singer Mick Jagger reads from “Adonais,” a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley about the death of his close friend John Keats, and scores of white butterflies are released in his honor.  24) David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” single is released on July 11, five days before Apollo 11 lifted off for a trip to the moon.  25) “Easy Rider,” starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, is released on July 14, a landmark counterculture film that sparked new wave of storytelling in film in the decade that followed.  26) Sen. Ted Kennedy drives off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island on July 18 and Mary Jo Kopechne, a former campaign worker for his brother Robert Kennedy, drowns in the car. As well as the tragedy of Kopechne’s death, the scandal sticks to Kennedy for the rest of his career in public life. It was fictionalized by Joyce Carol Oates in the novella “Black Water” in 1992 and later inspired the 2017 feature film “Chappaquiddick.”  27) The Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle lands on the moon on July 20. Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the moon with Buzz Aldrin right behind him. The solar system suddenly felt much larger, not only for the possibilities that opened up for science and humanity but for entertainment, too, inspiring space films almost from Apollo 11’s splashdown all the way to 2018’s dramatization of the landing, “First Man.”  .  28) Jennifer Lopez is born in the Bronx on July 24. Don’t be fooled by the rocks that she got, she’s still, she’s still Jenny from the block.  29) Members of the so-called Manson Family break into the home of actress Sharon Tate and her husband Roman Polanski on Aug. 9 and kill Tate, who was 8 months pregnant, and four others. They next night they kill Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. The crimes shock the nation and fascination with the murders continues over the years with books such as “Helter Skelter,” the non-fiction account of the case by its prosecutor Vincent Buglioisi, to Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming movie “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” in which Manson and the murders are woven into the plot.  30) The Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland opens on Aug. 9, six years after its original target date and three years after the death of Walt Disney.  31) The Woodstock Festival is held in New York from Aug. 15-18 and the culture of music festivals is born amid the mud, naked hippies and rock acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Who and the Grateful Dead. Coming in the summer when the soundtrack to “Hair” held the top spot on the charts for several months, this might be the peak of counterculture entertainment.  32) The first Gap store opens on Aug. 21 in San Francisco, only selling Levi’s products and LP records for the first few years.  33) The first ATM machine in the United States debuts on Sept. 2 at a Chemical Bank branch in Rockville Centre, New York. The bank boasted in advertisements, “On Sept. 2 our bank will open at 9 a.m. and never close again.”  34) Lieutenant William Calley is charged on Sept. 5 with six counts of murder for the 1968 My Lai Massacre in Vietnam in which 109 Vietnamese civilians were killed by U.S. troops. News of the atrocities remained under wraps until Nov. 12 when reporter Seymour Hersh broke the story.  35) Those pesky kids and their dog arrive on CBS when “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” debuts on Sept. 13. Several decades later someone will think it a good idea to make a live-action version. It will not be.  36) Tyler Perry is born on Sept. 13. His family has no idea their darling boy will one day gain fame and fortune as a Big Momma.  37) “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” opens on Sept. 23, the teaming up of Paul Newman and Robert Redford making for an iconic screen duo.  38) The Chicago 8 trial of anti-war protesters such as Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale begins on Sept. 24 in Chicago.  39) The Beatles album “Abbey Road” is released on Sept. 26 and like the self-titled so-called White Album earlier in the year it goes to No. 1 on the charts. Two months earlier, John Lennon had told Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr he was leaving the band.  40) “The Brady Bunch” debuts on ABC on Sept. 26 with a story — stop me if you heard this — of a lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely girls. Oh you have? OK then.  41) Singer Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and solo fame is born on Oct. 3. At the time she’s just a girl, she’s just a girl in the world.  42) “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” premieres on the BBC on Oct. 5. It will be five more years before a PBS station in Dallas starts to air the series and Americans are finally able to debate whether that parrot is dead or just sleeping, knowwhatahmean, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more?  43) Writer Jack Kerouac dies at the age of 47 on Oct. 21, though he lives forever for “the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!’ “  44) The first message is sent between computers at UCLA to Stanford over ARPANET, the network that is the foundation on which the internet was built, on Oct. 29. A permanent link is established on Nov. 21. UC Santa Barbara and the University of Utah join the network on Dec. 5. As for Facebook, porn, selfie addiction, the breakdown of interpersonal relations, the destruction of brick-and-mortar retail, the decline of print media and allegations of Russian interference in our presidential elections, those take a little more time.  45) The now-iconic Adidas Superstar sneaker debuts in 1969, exact release unknown so we’ll call it Nov. 3, the birthday of Adi Dassler, Adidas’ founder. It’s not that wild of a leap to call this one of the cornerstones of the sneaker culture to come. Quoth Run-DMC in the 1986 song “My Adidas,” “Now the Adidas I possess for one man is rare / Myself homeboy got fifty pair.”  46) Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and Matthew McConaughey are born on Nov. 4. The first says he wants to be called Puff Daddy, no, P. Diddy, well maybe just Diddy, wait, Puffy? Brother Love? The second says alright, alright, alright and goes back to playing his bongos naked and unafraid.  47) “Sesame Street” premieres on Nov. 10. Sunny day, sweepin’ the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet. Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?  48) The first Wendy’s hamburger restaurant opens on Nov. 15 in Columbus, Ohio. The hamburgers are square, the Frosty is chocolate only, it will be 15 years before the name of the fast-food chain becomes the understood answer to a little old lady’s question: “Where’s the beef?” It’s 50 years before the Wendy burger is served at an official White House dinner for college football players.  49) Jay-Z is born on Dec. 4 though technically he’s still Shawn Carter. A few decades later he’s a millionaire mogul in hip-hop and other ventures including a high-profile marriage to the queen Beyoncé.  50) The Altamont Free Concert is held on Dec. 6 at the Altamont Speedway with the Rolling Stones headlining a day after they release “Let It Bleed.” It bled. One concertgoer was fatally stabbed after he brandished a revolver near the stage, three others died in accidents, and the vibe all day was so ominous the Grateful Dead decided not to play their set. in an article on the festival Rolling Stone magazine called it “rock and roll’s all-time worst day, December 6th, a day when everything went perfectly wrong.”


mercurynews--2019-02-01--Theater review Sweeney Todd offers bloody good entertainment

Theater review: ‘Sweeney Todd’ offers bloody good entertainment

Who doesn’t love those cute little meat pies called pasties that British pubs sell? Certainly the townspeople who chow down on them with fervor love them in Stephen Sondheim’s macabre musical masterpiece, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” now doing its bloody thing at Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City through Feb. 10.  That scene induced an audible “ughhhh” from many in the audience, but just about everything else in this weirdly fascinating show was greeted with laughter and appreciation.  No one deserves these accolades more than Keith Pinto, a pint-sized Sweeney who delivers a riveting, wild-eyed and wily performance. Pinto inhabits the crazed, vindictive title character as if he had been through the same horrible life events (losing his wife and child and going to prison for 15 long years) that Sweeney did. He’s absolutely compelling.  Since it slashed its way onto Broadway in 1979 (winning a slew of Tonys that year), Sweeney and his conniving, flirtatious sidekick, meat-pie goddess Mrs. Lovett (a no-holds-barred Heather Orth) are a maniacal match.  Orth’s heartfelt portrayal of Mrs. Lovett lingers long after the curtain call because she’s, by turn, flirty, dirty, chatty, sassy, and all-around terrific. When she serves up her version of “A Little Priest” — a droll musical dissertation about those special meat pies she makes and what, or who, is in them — it’s deliciously divine. A sample lyric: “If it’s stringy, it’s a fiddle player.”  It’s obvious from all the little touches in most of the actors’ characters that director Joshua Marx wanted to make this production a memorable one. And, happily, Rick Reynolds’ offstage 14-piece orchestra never drowns out any singing voices.  That may also be because the voices in this “Sweeney Todd” are strong and vibrant.  Ting Na Wang’s scenic design is straightforward enough, though there’s precious little room for Mrs. Lovett’s living room to hold her miniature piano. It’s definitely not simple to put together all the contraptions needed for the demon barber to do his dirty work. On opening night, the barber’s chair that slides directly into a furnace works fine most of the time, although on one occasion audience members see a victim fall below when the furnace door flies open and a black curtain falls off to one side.  Pinto and Orth are buffeted by a talented cast of rascals: a hapless Chris Vettel as Judge Turpin, who lusts after Sweeney’s daughter Johanna, now his ward; Samuel Nachison as the comical Beadle, the judge’s associate; and Jesse Cortez as Pirelli, who sells useless bottles of liquid he guarantees will grow hair.  These scoundrels are somewhat offset by the gentle lovebirds Anthony Hope (Jaron Vesely with his strong, sonorous vocals) and the beauteous Johanna (golden-throated Jennifer Mitchell). They are joined by sweet, baby-faced Tobias (nicely performed by Ross Briscoe).  These three are just about the only characters in “Sweeney” who exemplify the positive virtues of compassion, honesty and tenderness. It must say something about Sondheim’s faith in goodness because they’re also the only ones walking off into the sunset at play’s end.  Juliet Green’s Beggar Woman is a whirlwind of bitterness and bombastic rhetoric who flies up and down the theater’s stairways, brown rags flying every which way, as she begs sweetly for a few pence, then suddenly pulls up her skirts and screeches at men who she thinks will pay money to ravish her wasted body. Beggar Woman is a sad, wrenching role for anyone, but Green is up to the task. Her voice is one of the best in a cast that has a number of excellent singers.  Some of the ensemble members also demonstrate their singing chops, in particular Molly Thornton, Elana Ron and the three men who make up (but are not identified in the program) the trio singing “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd.”  Obviously, there are many pleasures to enjoy here — even the ones that involve innocent men sitting in the barber chair, having their throats slit and sliding down into the flames below.  “Sweeney Todd,” of course, has impeccable credentials. Besides Sondheim’s music and lyrics, there’s Hugh Wheeler’s book. And, while some Sondheim musicals produce more hit songs, audiences will likely recognize a few in this production. There’s the sweetly ironic “Pretty Women” which Todd sings while preparing to slit a man’s throat, the appealing “Kiss Me” duet and the melodic, lilting “Johanna.”  As grisly as this production gets (despite Marx downplaying that side most of the time), it’s surprisingly disarming. “Kiss Me” has an operatic rhythm to it, and Orth’s tenderness to a fearful Tobias, “Not While I’m Around,” is perfection. She also brings her special blend of tart and longing to “By the Sea” where she dreams of living with “Mr. T” by the sea, while Sweeney boringly nods and responds “Anything You Say.”  But sound difficulties sometimes garble the British dialects and leave the audience wondering who a character is or how he/she fits into the storyline. Toward play’s end, it’s downright disconcerting to see the now-deceased Sweeney Todd and the beggar woman he has killed just get up and walk offstage. There has to be a better way to stage that!  Another nit: The two center aisles are used a lot throughout “Sweeney,” and while this is fine when it’s done sparingly, in this production audience members have to twist their necks too often to see what’s happening on the stairways.  Costume designer Yichuan Sharon Peng creates magic here by making all the Londoners look appropriately upscale or down-on-their-heels as their roles demand, and her wigs and make-up are spot on (especially the ones worn by Orth).  Overall, there are so many devilishly good moments to this interpretation of the demon barber’s tale that it makes sense to sit back and enjoy Sondheim’s incredible score and unmatchable lyrics. Just don’t eat the pasties.  Joanne is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and Theatre Bay Area. Email her at joanneengelhardt@comcast.net.


mercurynews--2019-02-06--Disneylands new Mickeys Mix Magic light projection show reflects a trend in entertainment

Disneyland’s new ‘Mickey’s Mix Magic’ light projection show reflects a trend in entertainment

Mickey Mouse glows as he dances across the storefronts on Main Street at Disneyland.  Speakers blare out dance tunes seemingly from from thin air. This same fantastic scene is occurring elsewhere in the park, where entranced people gather to watch the enormous, colorful light show created by hidden projectors that give the impression of a magical transformation.  This is “Mickey’s Mix Magic” — the latest show at Disneyland that premiered in January. It’s the latest example of the types of state-of-the-art light shows that are providing a new type of entertainment at Disneyland and other theme parks around the world.  “I decided to do something crazy this time and surprise people,” said Steven Davison, the Disney creative executive for parades and spectaculars. He was referring to the lively Mickey Mouse animated dance party that is showing nightly, but he might as well have been talking about the state-of-the-art technology of projection mapping, which allows companies to create elaborate light shows in places that were formerly considered off-limits.  It’s a special challenge to create colorful and recognizable images on other surfaces such as castles, theater fronts, storefronts and even water. Not only must the images be easy to recognize, but they must also be able to tell a story seamlessly, over a large area, with visual, music and other special effects.  Outdoor spaces create even more challenges, such as the level of darkness and rain, for example. A large surface requiring multiple projectors means there has to be a way to blend the images so that viewers don’t see any seams, and so that, if one projector goes down, there’s a fail-safe system in place to keep the show going.  To create the types of large-scale projection shows that have been running at Disneyland, Disney took elaborate measures to map the park, including flying drones with infrared sensors over key elements in order to scan in and create a virtual model, Davison said.  Developing a show across a three-dimensional space, such as buildings, requires a special kind of complicated computer modeling. The good news is — once the modeling is completed — the scan can be reused when the current show is replaced or rejuvenated.  “It’s a very inexpensive way to create a big effect,” said Brent Young, president of Silver Lake’s Super 78, which specializes in creating immersive entertainment. “You don’t have to do a lot of sets, painting or lighting and, other than regular maintenance. All the updating can be done in the computer.”  As technology grows more sophisticated and accessible, many entertainment companies have been jumping on board. Even classical music venues like the Hollywood Bowl and organizations such as the LA Opera are using it to enhance their live performances. In 2016, for example, the LA Opera mounted a groundbreaking production from Berlin of the Magic Flute that used humorous animation, together with live performers, to update Mozart’s 1791 opera into the 1920s era. And the Hollywood Bowl’s 2018 concerts of “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” both used projections to augment the music.  Meanwhile, theme parks have been using projection mapping for some time, creating elaborate sound-and-light shows to supplement their brick-and-mortar fantasies after dark.  At Universal Studios Hollywood, for example, “The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle,” which shows seasonally, uses projections and surround sound to show the four student houses of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin onto the sides of the brick-and-mortar castle.  Building a show with the depth and sophistication of Mickey’s Mix Magic takes a huge investment in technology, requiring 28 laser projectors that can easily cost $100,000 or more each, 100 special rooftop lighting fixtures, elaborate surround sound systems, special computer servers and highly specialized technicians to create and run them.  The good news for theme park executives? “These shows can cost millions of dollars, but updating costs far less than a fraction of that cost,” Young said.  The Walt Disney Co. is in a unique position to create animated light shows, with its ownership of Pixar Studios, Star Wars and also the rights to Marvel properties. Similar shows have been mounted at other Disney parks around the world.  “Disney has the cash to spend on whatever they want to, but they also have the discipline to ask, ‘What can we get done in five months, what can we create, get tested and execute and what is it going to cost?’” said Marty Shindler, a technology entertainment business consultant.  Unlike a live show that could require hundreds of people dancing, twirling, riding, building sets and floats, making costumes and putting on makeup, a projection light show can wow visitors, while being operated by a comparative handful of people who quietly operate powerful computers stationed around the park. These computers drive the projectors and sound system that put on the show, which are hidden in places such as windows, flower boxes, lamp posts and towers. Theme parks take pains to ensure that their guests don’t peek behind the curtain.  “I never want people to see the technology,” Disney’s Davison said. “When you’re watching a show, it’s better to just let the magic happen.”  Industry expert Ron Martin agreed, saying that “the whole basis of the industry is illusion.”  “It takes people aback because it really is like magic,” said Martin, who is senior vice-president of research and development for industry leader Panasonic North America. “The last thing you want is for a guest to say, ‘Oh, look, there’s the projector.’”  Martin, who has worked on theme park projects all over the world, recalled that for Disneyland’s 60th anniversary show in 2015, hundreds of hidden projectors “lit up the entire park from one end to another.”  The new technology has enabled theme parks around the world to more easily create new shows that can rotate with the seasons, expanding their entertainment offerings. As new theme parks are built, projection mapping is built into the architecture. Experts said they expect that Disney is installing such effects into the new Star Wars land that’s under construction now.  One of the most pressing questions that Disneyland fans want answered is whether the nightly projection shows will lead to the phasing out of the live fireworks spectaculars that guests have come to expect. Currently, the park shuts down Toontown and part of Fantasyland in order to run the fireworks shows, because the two areas are located close to the backstage launching pad.  People are braving long lines right now at Disneyland — for a popcorn bucket, not a ride Disneyland’s Space Mountain reopens after state investigation into man who climbed out of moving ride Disneyland’s Space Mountain remains closed after visitor climbs off ride in motion You can have breakfast with a Disney princess — for only $125 per person Disneyland has a new popcorn bucket, but only some people can buy it Observers speculate whether, since Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land is equally close, it would also have to be shut down during fireworks —certainly an unhappy choice considering the expected crowds when the new land opens in June 2019.  “Star Wars land is right in the middle of where the fallout zone is right now,” said Todd Regan, who runs the MiceChat.com fan site under the pen name Dusty Sage.  Currently, fireworks are only launched on what Disneyland is calling “selected dates,” which tends to mean weekends and holidays. Davison said there is no current plan to do away with fireworks in favor of projections.  “We are not doing projections just to get rid of fireworks,” Davison said. “There’s a lot of stuff we can do to mitigate the (problems). Our launchers can send shells anywhere we want.”  Disney has yet to reveal what the future holds for pyrotechnics, though the projection shows are probably here to stay.  “I wouldn’t say we are going to get rid of fireworks for Star Wars land. In fact, it will be a great place to watch them,” Davison said.


mintpressnews--2019-02-07--US Army Documents Reveal Massive Support for Long Road Home Miniseries Possible Fraud at Military

US Army Documents Reveal Massive Support for ‘Long Road Home’ Miniseries, Possible Fraud at Military’s Entertainment Liaison Office

The National Geographic drama series, “The Long Road Home,” tells a version of the story of the battle for Sadr City in 2004, a key moment in Iraq War, and newly-released emails and other documents from the United States Army detail the extensive military support for the TV series and how the Pentagon repeatedly bent its own rules on providing assistance to entertainment productions.  Until April 2004, Sadr City was one of the quietest areas of Baghdad and coalition troops stationed there saw little action. That all changed on the night of April 4, known as ‘Black Sunday.’ Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of a prominent Shia militia, had his newspaper shut down by Paul Bremer, leader of the Coalition Provisional Authority.  A few days later, one of al-Sadr’s top lieutenants was arrested. This sparked a vicious retaliation from the Sadrist movement, which ambushed a routine U.S. Army patrol in Sadr City and then attacked the forces sent in to retrieve them. It was a harbinger of what was to come, as the multi-form insurgency against the Western occupation of Iraq rapidly grew in size and violence in the following years.  The unanticipated siege of Sadr City was writ large across much of the country, with coalition forces frequently struck by attacks from unexpected sources. Back home in the U.S., the death of Army Specialist Casey Sheehan in the Sadr City battle saw his mother, Cindy, become one of the foremost anti-war voices in the country.  “The Long Road Home,” based on the book of the same name, portrays the Pentagon-approved version of this story.  Emails released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) show that the Army considered refusing the producers’ requests for assistance but felt that this would risk “loss of ability to shape the Army portrayal and inclusion of Army messaging.”  One example of this “messaging” is that the series omits the context involving al-Sadr’s newspaper and opens with the attack on the patrol. Chris Henrikson, a veteran and outspoken critic of the Iraq War, highlighted this omission, commenting, “Much easier to hate the enemy when they attack for no reason.”  US Army emails on The Long … by on Scribd  Ultimately, the Army provided such extensive support that the drama probably could not have been made without Pentagon approval.  The show was mostly filmed via months of shooting on Fort Hood, home to the 1st Cavalry Division, who were attacked on Black Sunday. Much of this filming made use of Fort Hood’s “Iraqi village” training set, which doubled for Sadr City.  Cindy Sheehan commented on the production. “To use the set that my own son trained on to go and be killed is appalling.”  Asked if she was contacted by the producers or had any input on the show, which briefly portrays her in two episodes, Sheehan replied, “Not at all, as a matter of fact.”  Sheehan was interviewed by Martha Raddatz, author of the original book, but according to Sheehan, Raddataz “didn’t really include anything that I said.” She has never seen the series.  “How could I?” she said. Many of the families of the ones who died that day were very upset about the show.”  “My other son watched it, and it was very traumatizing for him,” Sheehan shared. “I was trying to watch the World Series the year the film came out because the Dodgers were playing, and there were so many ads for it. It was hard for me to watch.”  She added, “I don’t think it was right that they made this movie without getting any input or at least waivers from the families of those that were killed that day.”  This insensitive approach by the producers was echoed by the military, who realized that one of the men portrayed as dying in the battle, Sgt. Mitchell, “didn’t die in that mission, but in a different mission later.”  The email additionally noted, “If the change in fact was intentional for story purposes, understandable.”  The finished series not only contains dialogue referring to Mitchell’s death but also scenes of Lt. Col. Gary Volesky (the commander on the ground) asking for details about Mitchell and praying that he and another soldier are the last men to be killed in the operation.  Henrikson said, “It is a callous choice for a film to change the date and time of a soldier’s death.” He speculated as to why this inaccuracy was included, suggesting it “allowed the emphasis from the Colonel on the ‘last ones to die today.’ Maybe the writers felt it would help viewers trust the Lt. Colonel more, because he said those men would be the last two and they were, at least to the viewers.”  “Filmmakers always want military battles to be linear, for ease of storytelling, but reality seldom agrees,” Henrikson suggested.  Despite the callous nature of these inaccuracies, the military made no objections.  Army entertainment liaison Lt. Col. Timothy reviewed a rough cut of the first episode and commented, “No real issues. I can’t believe we missed the chin strap not being right on one of the actors’ helmet, but that’s pretty much it so far.”  This is not only misleading but also a flagrant violation of Defense Department instruction 5410.16, which says that, ‘DOD assistance may be provided to an entertainment media production…based on whether the production presents a reasonably realistic depiction of the Military Services and the DOD, including Service members, civilian personnel, events, missions, assets, and policies.’  It was not only the rules on accuracy that the Army broke in their eagerness to support “The Long Road Home.” The emails, along with reports from the Army’s entertainment liaison office, show that the production company started building on Fort Hood before the contract between the military and the producers was completed.  Instruction 5410.16 makes clear that the Pentagon needs to “ensure that no material assistance is provided before a Production Assistance Agreement is signed.”  When it came to the company reimbursing the Pentagon’s costs, the producers balked at the initial estimate of $500,000.  For decades, the military has only been allowed to provide production assistance on a no-cost basis to the taxpayer so the production company has to pay for the fuel, vehicle maintenance, staffing hours, and so on. But the military broke the rules in order to reduce the amount of money the producers would have to pay, by “removing the cost to convoy to the set; calling all of it training, and some other variable that an inventive G3/S3 or G8/S4 invents to reduce the cost.”  In the same email, the Army noted that they could not redefine much of the ground action as STX (situational training exercise) because ‘it is COIN [counter-insurgency] based and does not support our current DATE [Decisive Action Training Environment] mission.’ But if ‘staged shots, where a driver is told to drive to a spot and stop and the gunner told to slew a certain direction’ cannot be called training, then how can driving a vehicle out to a movie set be called training?  This is potentially fraudulent activity by the Army’s Hollywood office, resulting in the Pentagon subsidizing a TV film series in exchange for it including what the Army emails called “strategic messaging.”  One example of this is especially galling. Army Specialist Tomas Young was shot during the fighting in Sadr City and paralyzed from the waist down. He had been in Iraq for only five days, having signed up just after the 9/11 attacks.  Young became an anti-war campaigner, one of the first Iraq war veterans to do so, and he met Sheehan at Camp Casey, the long-term protest outside President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. (Young was later profiled in the documentary, “Body of War,” before he tragically died from his injuries.)  “The Long Road Home” depicts this meeting between Tomas and Cindy, but in a move Sheehan described as ‘cowardly’, the producers asked the military’s permission to include banners and t-shirts in this scene bearing the names and logos of various peace and anti-war organizations. The Army’s assessment was that they were “not using overtly political signs” and so there were “no red flags.”  Henrikson offered the opinion that “the signs, from the standpoint of the military, allow mentions of these anti-war orgs without diving too deeply into what they truly stand for.”  “Each one will have a specific philosophy on why they believe war is wrong, but if you’re trying to tacitly include groups with which you fundamentally disagree and whose views may upset your more neoconservative viewers, showing signs without talking philosophies allows them to make both sides happy or at least content.”  He went on, “And who is the dumb ass at the Army who decided their signs weren’t overtly political? Most of these groups are anti-war, anti-interventionists types; to say their signage wasn’t overtly political is to completely miss the point.”  The film does not reference Camp Casey or even identify it in a subtitle. While Tomas, Cindy, and others are shown attending an event, there is no dialogue. None of them articulate to the audience why they became peace activists or how they went from signing up for the war to protesting the war.  Over 8 hours, it devotes much of its time to glamorizing the war, and never allows 30 seconds for a main character to explain why they changed their mind.  As Sheehan put it, ‘The military [was] involved to make war look heroic and glamorous. It’s almost as bad as the overt propaganda films of World War II.”  ”The fact that it doesn’t let Tomas or Cindy voice their strong views against war and simply shows signs demonstrates their desire to push the real notion of anti-war belief away from those who it might offend,” Henrikson concluded.  Top Photo | A screenshot from the National Geographic’s, The Long Road Home. Screenshot | YouTube  Tom Secker is a British-based writer who covers the security services, Hollywood and the history of terrorism. He runs the SpyCulture blog which can be supported via Patreon.com. His work has been covered by The Mirror, The Express, Salon, TechDirt and elsewhere.


newsbusters--2019-05-31--Entertainment Media Hail Groundbreaking First Sexually Fluid Dating Show

Entertainment Media Hail 'Groundbreaking' First ‘Sexually Fluid’ Dating Show

From Flavor of Love to Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?, there have been some pretty crazy dating shows during the reality TV era. Some of them have included LGBTQ contestants but never before has the entire cast been “sexually fluid." MTV to the rescue!  The eighth season of MTV’s Are You the One? (AYTO?) will rectify the grievous wrong of the sexually fluid, which pretty much means bisexual, being unrepresented on TV, it was announced on Thursday.  Hailing the series as “groundbreaking,” The Hollywood Reporter raved, “For the first time ever on a dating competition show in the U.S., there will be no gender limitations, as each castmember identifies as sexually fluid.”  AYTO?, which premieres on June 26, promises to share “powerful stories about what it means to find love as a sexually fluid individual” - “from coming-out moments to exploring the intricacies of sexual and gender identity.” Yippie! Sounds more like a gender studies class than entertainment television.  The basic premise of AYTO? is for singles to attempt to figure out their perfect match among the other contestants, as defined by a dating compatibility algorithm beforehand. If the whole group guesses their matches correctly, they split $1 million. Presumably, having everyone be sexually fluid will add a new level of difficulty to the game; instead of half the cast being one’s potential “perfect match,” it could be any one of them. As if dating isn’t hard enough already.  People called the new sexuality gimmick an “epic twist” while E! News proclaimed, “There still hasn't been a gay Bachelor or Bachelorette, but MTV is coming for those barriers.”  Of course, MTV has produced shows that featured LGBTQ couplings before. As Entertainment Weekly noted:  MTV may no longer play music videos, but one thing hasn’t changed since its founding, they’re still on the front lines of the culture wars.


newsbusters--2019-06-18--Entertainments Winners Losers Summer Edition

Entertainment’s Winners & Losers: Summer Edition

There are plenty of winners & losers this summer when it comes to the entertainment industry. But only two winners and two losers make the cut when it comes to columns like this. And the following list features the topics that have made the cut so far this summer.  There’s no doubt that the American entertainment industry has followed its news media peers in going further and further to the left. But in a refreshing twist, Warner Bros. has decided not to go this route with their revival of the iconic cartoon franchise Looney Tunes. Instead of doing a politically correct retooling of pander to millennial progressives who get offended at everything as Warners’ Cartoon Network brand did recently, the studio decided to go back to what made characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig so beloved in the first place as seen from this sneak peek:  This is the kind of humor America needs, now more than ever. And it’s good to know that the people behind these new shorts understand that changing a familiar franchise to suit the needs of the far-left is not the way to go. This revival definitely has a lot of potential, and Warner Bros. is a Winner as a result.  The 1997 Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones sci-fi comedy movie Men in Black was one of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s most successful releases of the year at the time of its debut, and led to the creation of a multimillion dollar franchise which includes an animated TV series and two sequels. But unfortunately, the spinoff film Men in Black International, starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, decided to go woke on its audience and bombed at the box office as a result.  Critics were brutal when writing about the film. Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal referenced the classic 90’s sitcom Seinfeld and called the film a ‘movie about nothing:  If Seinfeld was a show about nothing, this sorry contrivance is less than a nullity, with an off-putting plot—there’s a mole in the Men in Black organization, but so what, since all the suspects look ready to be stuffed to begin with—and no one to care about for a single moment. That’s a shame—not a crying shame, because it’s only a movie, but no laughing shame either, since the talented stars, Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth, have basically been given babble for dialogue; it’s painful to watch them failing to be funny.  As a result of those brutal reviews and said propaganda, the movie ended up bombing at the box office by earning just $28 million. Social justice pandering doesn’t do any good for an established franchise, does it?  The director of Men in Black International, F. Gary Gray, is a Loser.  Disney and its Pixar Animation Studios subsidiary are very consistent when it comes to the critical and financial success of the Toy Story franchise. Its apolitical stance always makes the entire family and people from both sides of the political spectrum go see every installment in droves. Not to mention it’s one of the few film franchises where the elites and the general public agree on something. And as seen in this trailer, the fourth installment seems to follow that tradition:  The film is set for release this weekend. Of course, judgement should be reserved for when the film is released. But rest assured, the movie will continue to consistently entertain young and old alike. As always, Disney is a Winner.  There’s a lot of nostalgia lately for classic movies and TV shows, hence one of the reasons why Warner Bros. has decided to jump into the bandwagon with their Looney Tunes revival. Unfortunately, the people behind Warners’ revival of The Banana Splits, which is being produced by NBCUniversal’s Syfy channel, has decided to make it an R-rated horror movie rather than an all-out revival of the classic series that captures the essence of what made it so beloved:  The Los Angeles Times reports the that the synopsis is similar to the popular survival horror video game Five Nights at Freddy’s. A young boy named Harley is spending his birthday with his family at a taping of the Banana Splits TV show. The trip soon involves a rising number of brutal deaths after learning that the series is canceled, resulting in the characters – who are actually robots in this movie – taking on lives of their own. What a way to continue to dishonor the legacy of feel-good kids’ TV from William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.  Warners’ direct-to-video division has been struggling due to the decline of home video sales, and they should know better than to do something like this. So they’re Losers, and they need to wise up fast.


newsbusters--2019-11-06--CBS Anchor Advertises Televised Impeachment Hearings Like Fight Entertainment

By her excitement and choice of words, one could easily think failing-CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell was promoting a pay-per-view boxing or pro-wrestling match during Wednesday’s newscast. But no, she was hyping the televised impeachment hearings that would start next week. In addition to that, NBC Nightly News chided Republicans were wanted the public to know the identity of the infamous anti-Trump whistleblower who helped to start the investigation.  “Tonight, lights, cameras, testimony. The stage is set for the first televised hearings of the impeachment inquiry,” O’Donnell excitedly proclaimed during the program’s opening tease. “We now know when they will happen and who may be the Democrats’ star witness.”  Once they were finished with the teases, O’Donnell could barely contain her glee as she sprinted to call them “historic,” adding, “televised impeachment hearings begin a week from today, and it promises to be must-see TV.”  “It promises to be must-see TV,” really?! She was acting more like a fight promoter for a UFC match than a journalist. She even touted the combatants for the Democrats:  Later in the segment, chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes pooh-poohed House Republicans for insisting the public listen to the special envoy to Ukraine, Ambassador Kurt Volker, who says there was no “quid-pro-quo.”  “House Democrats say that's just the beginning,” O’Donnell continued to hype and praised Democrats for releasing more deposition transcripts, “and Nancy Cordes says they offer a preview of what's expected to be bombshell testimony.”  The only thing missing from O’Donnell’s broadcast was a microphone hanging from the ceiling and her going: “Let’s get ready to rumbllleee!”  Meanwhile, on NBC Nightly News, White House correspondent Kristen Welker was critical of Republicans who wanted America to know who the whistleblower was. “Also tonight, Republicans taking aim at the whistleblower who first raised alarms about that call,” she huffed. “Donald Trump Jr. retweeting a report with a possible name, Senator Rand Paul calling for the whistleblower to be outed.”  Trump Jr. retweeted a Breitbart News report. But the original reporting came from RealClearInvestigations reporter Paul Sperry, who details how all the evidence allegedly points to one man: Eric Ciaramella. The report also alleges that nearly every major news outlet already had his identity.  According to the investigation, Ciaramella was “a registered Democrat held over from the Obama White House, previously worked with former Vice President Joe Biden and former CIA Director John Brennan, a vocal critic of Trump who helped initiate the Russia ‘collusion’ investigation of the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.”  NBC may be refusing to tell their viewers the identity of the whistleblower, but they had no qualms and even bragged about outing a CIA asset pulled out of Russia and relocated to the U.S., putting he and his family’s lives at risk.  >>Help fight against the liberal media’s impeachment crusade<<  The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:  NORAH O’DONNELL: Tonight, lights, cameras, testimony. The stage is set for the first televised hearings of the impeachment inquiry. We now know when they will happen and who may be the Democrats’ star witness. O’DONNELL: Good evening and thank you for joining us. It's official. Historic, televised impeachment hearings begin a week from today, and it promises to be must-see TV. The Democrats plan the start with their star witness: a west point grad with 50 years of public service, acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor will testify Wednesday alongside Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent. Then on Friday, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch will testify. House Democrats say that's just the beginning. Today more Democrats -- I should say more of the Democrats released more transcripts from those closed-door depositions, and Nancy Cordes says they offer a preview of what's expected to be bombshell testimony.


newsweek--2019-02-05--Will BTS Be at the 2019 Grammys Big Hit Entertainment Confirms Appearance

Will BTS Be at the 2019 Grammys? Big Hit Entertainment Confirms Appearance

Months after becoming the first Kpop act nominated for a Grammy, Big Hit Entertainment confirmed that BTS will present an award at the 61 st Grammys on Feb. 10.  Though reports haven’t revealed which award the group is set present, RM, Suga, Jimin, J-Hope, V, Jin and Jungkook’s first Grammy appearance came after their album, Love Yourself: Tear, and its art director, Doohee Lee, has been nominated for Best Recording Package. The album is up against Mitski’s Be the Cowboy, St. Vincent’s Masseduction, the Chairman’s The Offering, and Foxhole’s Well Kept Thing.  Love Yourself: Tear debuted at No.1 on Billboard’s top 200 albums chart last year, which included their second collaboration with Steve Aoki.  Suga (Min Yoongi), a member of the group’s rap line, expressed interest in appearing on the event multiple times. When the group sat down with Jimmy Fallon, the host asked the group about their next goal. Suga responded, “Go to Grammys.”  Alicia Keys will be hosting the Grammy awards on Sunday. Cardi B, Camila Cabello, Dan + Shay, H.E.R., Miley Cyrus, Brandi Carlile, Post Malone with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kacey Musgraves, Janelle Mon áe and Shawn Mendez are confirmed to perform live from Staples Center in Los Angeles to be aired on CBS.  The seven-member South Korean boy group made their first American TV appearance at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards and has appeared in shows like The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Graham Norton Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Late Show.  Burn the Stage:The Movie, a documentary featuring the lives of BTS members behind the scenes, made $2.4 million in the US during opening its weekend in November according to Forbes.  #BTSXGrammys recently trended in reaction to the news.  @Choi_bts2 tweeted, “K media said @BTS_twt broke ‘impregnable fortress’, Grammy awards which is known as such conservative & prejudiced. Their entry into Grammy castle is more meaning than just K-pop’s first. It’s remarkable that as Korean artist and boy band."  @MicheBangtan tweeted, “ Every time Yoongi brought up the Grammys to a western host he and all of BTS giggled like it was a crazy dream. But Liam and Jimmy Fallon and others all said ‘just watch, it’s gonna happen’ and here we are. We believe in you @BTS_twt. # BTSxGrammys.”  @valliyrien tweeted, “ like namjoon said, "its 2019, its gonna be bts' year one more time" and armys we better work our ass off to make it come true. # BTSxGrammys pic.twitter.com/euW9mrBKJj.”


newyorker--2019-05-30--When They See Us Is Both Memorable Political Art and Misfired Entertainment

“When They See Us” Is Both Memorable Political Art and Misfired Entertainment

“When They See Us” is a four-episode dramatized Netflix series, directed and co-written by Ava DuVernay, about the Central Park Five. That byname, by the nature of DuVernay’s project, almost immediately comes to seem not merely inadequate but unjust. The phrase presses five teen-age boys into a faceless gang, or a multiheaded monster, and the miniseries insists that we state their names: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise. The boys, four of whom were black and one of whom was Latino, were in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was Central Park on the night of April 19, 1989, when a female jogger named Trisha Meili was beaten, raped, and left for dead—and it is also the United States of America anytime since its founding.  In revisiting this infamous miscarriage of justice, the miniseries presents an odd compound of memorable political art and misfired entertainment. Like “13th,” DuVernay’s excellent documentary about the legacies of slavery, “When They See Us” is guided by a strong historical analysis. But unlike “Selma,” her drama about Martin Luther King, Jr., it can seem awkwardly sermonic, relaying its ideas by way of familiar tropes. It unsteadily treads the line between the effectively excruciating and the plainly tedious. Viewers with a lick of conscience will know what to think, but the score keeps swelling to tell them how to feel. Its bluntest images—a rat in a prison cell, for instance—do a disservice to its many graceful characterizations.  The series is lyrical in its fleeting visions of the children’s shattered lives and deadeningly prosaic in its deconstruction of how those lives were shattered. The first five minutes sketch the boys’ personalities as they enjoy moments of teen freedom on the eve of spring break: a burger with a father, a stroll with a sibling, a bit of banter with a witty girl. A gorgeous green dusk falls as they swell the ranks of a group of thirty or forty kids who enter the park to make a ruckus, which a blurry selection of them escalate into a small rampage of hassling bicyclists and mugging pedestrians. Kevin, the most tender of the five boys, watches, appalled, as roughnecks in the group beat a passerby; then a cop clobbers him in the head and calls him an animal.  Around the same time as these boys were witnessing the criminal misdeeds of their peers and scurrying away from trouble, Meili suffered a vicious attack—very approximately around the same time. The prosecutor in charge of the sex-crimes unit—Linda Fairstein, played by Felicity Huffman—massages the police department’s time line of events to resolve a forty-five-minute discrepancy and place the teen mob at the site of the attack. One of the series’ nice notes of ambiguity concerns whether Fairstein’s drive to convict these kids, despite copious evidence calling for their exoneration, is strictly a matter of careerism or of sincere beliefs, suggested by her avid megaphoning of the “animals” refrain. Either way, the authorities intend to quickly author a story of order restored and vengeance achieved. The boys’ fate as fall guys is sealed when a local-TV-news van pulls in among the cruisers parked outside of the precinct house. “When They See Us” is rich in such moments of quiet juxtaposition, with, say, the matter-of-fact set dressing of a DARE poster in the background, gesturing beyond the story to the drug war. It’s also compelling as a meta-narrative about the control of story lines, as when the chatter of talk radio sounds like a chorus calling for the blood sacrifice of scapegoats.  If this were not based on a true story, you could call the motion of it schematic: it is a procedural of injustice. In the first episode, with its depiction the coerced confessions, good-cop-bad-cop routines come to seem routine quite quickly. The second episode, in which the defense lawyers, with their cheap suits and high ideals, are outmatched by the connivances of the district-attorney’s office, moves all too easily from the poignant specifics of each boy’s feelings, and of Meili’s halting turn at the witness stand, to the generic territory of courtroom drama. The third episode features many reprises of the opening sequence. Initially, it’s poignant to see these flashbacks to the unspoiled boyhoods of incarcerated men (and, later, frustrated parolees)—a welcome jolt of warm humanity amid scenes featuring sadistic inmates. But, by the fourth episode, when a memory of an innocent dalliance with a girlfriend flowers into a fantasy sequence set among the amusements of Coney Island, it’s cheap.  When the narrative arc has bent toward justice, with the confession, in 2002, by the actual rapist and the vacating of the convictions, and the present-day faces of the five real men appear onscreen, you may feel that a more satisfying miniseries would have focussed closely on any one of them. As it is, the many excellent small performances in “When They See Us” feel especially small because of the series’ ambitious sweep. There are a lot of full characters here, but we only get partial views of them, and the interplay between the poetic evocations of these individual souls and the grand indictment of the criminal-justice system is rarely as compelling as one might like.  Maybe it’s asking a lot, these days, to expect one’s preferences in social-justice essayism and narrative art to be satisfied by the same story. The series represents an important act of witness—strange to say, considering the fame of the case and its rehashing in memoirs, popular histories, and a Ken Burns documentary. Significantly, we’ve been forced to revisit it on account of the rise of Donald Trump. In May of 1989, in an early phase of his eruption from local nuisance to global menace, Trump took out a full-page newspaper ad agitating for the execution of these five children. This incident takes up a lot of oxygen in the second episode. “They need to keep that bigot off TV,” one character says. It is relevant to the plot and necessary to the atmosphere that this “real-estate hustler” should rear his head. But, seeing the series in the cold shadow of Trump’s Presidency, we find ourselves doubly fatigued, watching a nightmare still going on, at a larger scale, while the need for urgent action overwhelms the desire for subtlety.


newyorkpost--2019-03-20--Disney closes 71B deal for Fox entertainment assets

Disney closes $71B deal for Fox entertainment assets

Disney has closed its $71 billion acquisition of Fox’s entertainment business, putting “Cinderella,” ”The Simpsons,” ”Star Wars” and “Dr. Strange” under one corporate roof.  The deal is likely to shake up the media landscape. Among other things, it paves the way for Disney to launch its streaming service, Disney Plus, due out later this year. It will also likely lead to layoffs in the thousands, thanks to duplication in Fox and Disney film-production staff.  By buying the studios behind “The Simpsons” and X-Men, Disney aims to better compete with technology companies such as Amazon and Netflix for viewers’ attention – and dollars.  Disney needs compelling TV shows and movies to persuade viewers to sign up and pay for yet another streaming service. It already has classic Disney cartoons, “Star Wars,” Pixar, the Muppets and some of the Marvel characters. With Fox, Disney could add Marvel’s X-Men and Deadpool, along with programs shown on such Fox channels as FX Networks and National Geographic. Fox’s productions also include “The Americans,” ”This Is Us” and “Modern Family.”  The deal helps Disney further control TV shows and movies from start to finish – from creating the programs to distributing them though television channels, movie theaters, streaming services and other ways people watch entertainment. Disney would get valuable data on customers and their entertainment-viewing habits, which it can then use to sell advertising.  Disney CEO Bob Iger said in an earnings call in February that Disney Plus and other direct-to-consumer businesses are Disney’s “No. 1 priority.”  Cable and telecom companies have been buying the companies that make TV shows and movies to compete in a changing media landscape. Although internet providers like AT&T and Comcast directly control their customers’ access to the internet in a way that Amazon, YouTube and Netflix do not, they still face threats as those streaming services gain in popularity.  AT&T bought Time Warner last year for $81 billion and has already launched its own streaming service, Watch TV, with Time Warner channels such as TBS and TNT, among other networks, for $15 a month.  In addition to boosting the Disney streaming service, expected to debut next year, the deal paves the way for Marvel’s X-Men and the Avengers to reunite in future movies. Though Disney owns Marvel Studios, some characters including the X-Men had already been licensed to Fox.  Disney also gets a controlling stake in the existing streaming service Hulu, which it plans to keep operating as a home for more general programming. Family-friendly shows and movies will head to Disney Plus.  No pricing has been disclosed for Disney Plus. The streaming service will feature five categories of material: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. Disney charges $5 a month for ESPN Plus, a service that offers programming distinct from the ESPN cable channel.  Meanwhile, Fox Corp. — the parts of 21st Century Fox that are not part of the deal, including Fox News, Fox Sports and Fox Broadcasting — started trading on the Nasdaq under the “FOX” and “FOXA” tickers on Tuesday.


newyorkpost--2019-04-09--Hedgie to pitch Sony on selling off entertainment division

He claims that Sony Music Entertainment hasn’t made good on...


newyorkpost--2019-06-19--Women slowly taking on more leading roles in entertainment

Female filmmakers are seeing more representation in Hollywood’s less mainstream corners.  Women are writing, directing and producing more independent films than ever, but they’re still getting less work than their male counterparts.  Women are making strides as directors (they directed 33 percent of independent films between 2018 and 2019, up from 29 percent); writers (32 percent, up from 26 percent); producers (37 percent up from 36 percent); executive producers (32 percent up from 26 percent); and editors (29 percent up from 27 percent), according to the latest study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.  The survey looked at over 10,700 credits on more than 970 independent films in 2018 to 2019 and over 80,000 credits on more than 8,000 films over 2008 to 2019.  “After many years of tracking stubbornly stagnant numbers, this year women achieved healthy gains in a number of key behind-the-scenes roles,” said Martha M. Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, in an interview with Variety. “Despite these increases, it is important to note that women remain dramatically underrepresented, with independent films employing more than twice as many men as women in these roles.”  Indeed, men made up 68 percent of indepedent filmmaking jobs overall, compared to just 32 percent of women in roles like directors, producers and writers, the survey found. Independent films generally refer to smaller-budget movies made by production companies that aren’t major Hollywood studios.  How can this disparity be addressed? The report offered a simple solution: put more women in charge of movies. Women-led films bring forth more jobs for other women, disrupting male-dominated hiring patterns, the report found. On films with at least one female director, 72 percent of the writers were women, compared to 11 percent on male-directed films. On movies with at least one woman director, women made up 45 percent of editors compared to 21 percent of male-led movies.  In the past 11 years, just 4 percent of the top-grossing films have been directed by women. To combat this disparity, filmmakers and Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the founder and director of media, diversity and social change at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California, launched the 4 Percent Challenge at the Sundance Film Festival this year, asking production companies and studios to hire a female director in the next 18 months.  It’s even worse for women, particularly women of color, in animated films. Just 2.5 percent of directors on the top 120 top-grossing animated films released between 2007 and 2018 had a female director, a study from earlier this month by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative with nonprofit Women in Animation found.  On average, US women make about 80 cents to a man’s dollar and the gap is even wider for women of color: Black women who work full-time make 63 cents to a white man’s dollar. The gender pay gap for women in entertainment has also been an ongoing issue. Actress Michelle Williams revealed she was paid $1,000 for reshoots of her film “All the Money in the World” to Mark Wahlberg’s $1.5 million in 2017. (Wahlberg donated his salary to the Time’s Up Fund after the news broke.) And actress Octavia Spencer has talked about being paid less than her costars, revealing that her colleague Jessica Chastain helped her get paid five times more than her original salary offer.  There’s plenty of evidence that women-led films become box office blockbusters. Take Patty Jenkin’s “Wonder Woman,” in 2017, which raked in more than $103 million on its opening weekend, the highest-grossing superhero origin story, outranking 2002’s “Spider-Man,” and making Jenkins the highest paid women director of all time.  And as of late, women have been dominating the big and small screens. Mindy Kaling wrote, produced and starred in “Late Night,” a workplace comedy about a female talk show host (Emma Thompson) who hires a female writer (Kaling). It’s based on her own experience being the only female minority on the writing staff of NBC’s “The Office.” Amazon bought the film at the Sundance Film Festival for $13 million and it raked in $5.1 million during its limited release at the box office. Netflix released Ali Wong’s romantic comedy “Always Be My Maybe,” earlier this month and HBO unleashed the second season of its powerhouse female-led “Big Little Lies” series. The cast includes Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman.


npr--2019-10-08--Blizzard Entertainment Bans Esports Player After Pro-Hong Kong Comments

Blizzard Entertainment, the game developer behind hugely popular titles such as World of Warcraft and Overwatch, has banned a professional esports player from competing and taken away his prize money after he expressed support for Hong Kong's protest movement.  Ng Wai Chung, who lives in Hong Kong and plays under the name Blitzchung, is one of the top players in the Asia-Pacific region for the online card deck game Hearthstone.  Blitzchung made the comment on an official Hearthstone broadcast on Twitch, the video streaming platform, after his last game in the 2019 Hearthstone Asia-Pacific Grandmasters Tournament.  Blitzchung wore a gas mask and dark goggles during that interview last Sunday, evoking the gear activists have worn during months of street protests. Toward the end of the segment, he shouted the popular protest chant, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times!"  In an announcement released Tuesday, Blizzard Entertainment said the player's statement violated a tournament rule that prohibits any acts that "brings you into public disrepute, offends a portion or group of the public, or otherwise damages Blizzard image [sic]."  Blitzchung, a Hong Kong native who started playing Hearthstone in 2015, was banned from participating in Blizzard esports for a year. He told several media outlets that his tournament winnings, said to be $10,000, have been rescinded. Blizzard also announced they will no longer work with the two Taiwanese streamers who interviewed the esports player on Twitch.  After his punishment was announced, Blitzchung spoke to his fans on his personal Twitch account.  "Today I lost Hearthstone, it's only a matter of four years," he said, referring to his years playing the game. "But if Hong Kong lost, it's a matter of a lifetime."  The gaming community has largely denounced Blizzard's actions, accusing the California company of caving in to China. Some of them also note that Tencent Holdings Limited, a Chinese conglomerate, owns a 5% stake in Blizzard's parent company.  Hearthstone is not the only piece of pop culture embroiled in Chinese political controversy. Yesterday, South Park was scrubbed clean from Chinese internet after the episode "Band In China" criticized the communist government's censors.  Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the animated show, responded to the ban with a faux apology.  "Like the NBA, we welcome Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts. We too love money more than freedom and democracy," Parker and Stone wrote. "Xi doesn't look just like Winnie the Pooh at all. Tune into our 300th episode this Wednesday. Long live the Great Communist Party of China! May this autumn's sorghum harvest be bountiful."  Parker and Stone's comment referred to yet another Hong Kong-related controversy, which surrounds Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets' general manager. Morey posted and quickly deleted a tweet supporting Hong Kong protesters, prompting the Chinese Basketball Association to announce it will suspend cooperation with the Rockets.  After the team's owner and an NBA spokesman denounced Morey's statement — prompting a separate backlash in the U.S. — the league's commissioner clarified Tuesday that the NBA supports free speech.  As part of the fallout of that controversy, Tencent — which is a media partner of the NBA in China with a deal worth $1.5 billion — said they won't be airing Rockets games.  NPR's Jingnan Huo contributed to this report. Paolo Zialcita is an intern on NPR's News Desk.


npr--2019-10-11--Blizzard Entertainment Faces Public Backlash Following Esports Player Ban

After Blizzard Entertainment banned professional esports player Blitzchung from competitions for 12 months over his support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, there is a growing movement in the gaming community to boycott the company's decision.  Last Sunday, Blitzchung, whose real name is Ng Wai Chung, appeared on a Twitch broadcast after playing in a Hearthstone tournament. Blitzchung ended his remarks by reciting the popular Hong Kong protest slogan, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times." At the time, he was wearing a gas mask and dark goggles, evoking the gear activists have worn during months of street protests.  For his actions, Blitzchung, who lives in Hong Kong, was handed a one-year ban from Blizzard's tournaments. The company also rescinded his 2019 winnings, said to be $10,000.  Nathan "Admirable" Zamora, a commentator for the Hearthstone Grandmasters tournament, announced Thursday that he was stepping down from his role as a "caster" on the Hearthstone broadcast team.  "In Hearthstone, good strategic play involves making the right choice, even if that choice will sometimes cost you. You think about the range of possibilities from the other side," Zamora said in a tweet. "With the hand you're dealt, you make the best choice you can, even if the foreseeable outcomes hurt. That doesn't mean you should make worse choices — it means do the right thing, even if you pay the price."  Zamora is the second esports caster to step down from his position. Brian Kibler also announced his departure, saying he "will not be a smiling face on camera that tacitly endorses this decision." Two of their colleagues released statements denouncing Blizzard's action, but it seems they will continue to cast the Grandmasters tournament.  In another act of solidarity with Blitzchung, a user claiming to be a Blizzard employee posted a photo to Reddit showing people holding umbrellas — a reference to 2014's Hong Kong Umbrella Movement — as they congregated around an orc statue on the campus at Blizzard's headquarters in California.  Players are also finding ways to protest Blizzard. During a Hearthstone Collegiate Champs match, which was organized by esports company Tespa in partnership with Blizzard, players from American University held up a sign that read "Free Hong Kong, boycott Blizz."  Casey Chambers, one of the players on the team, said that they, at minimum, expected a ban in retaliation for their actions — but they were not given one by Tespa officials. The team was scheduled to compete in another game next week, but Chambers told NPR they intend to forfeit the tournament in solidarity with Blitzchung.  "This shows Blizzard's hypocrisy in how it treats different regions," the team said in a statement. "They are hesitant to suppress free speech when it happens in America, on an English language stream, but will throw casters' and players' livelihoods under the bus if they are from Hong Kong or Taiwan."  Over the past week, gaming fans have found creative ways to show their support for Blitzchung and Hong Kong. Some have created pro-Hong Kong fan art of Mei, a Chinese character in the Blizzard game Overwatch, in an attempt to have Blizzard ban the game in China. And a look at the official Hearthstone Twitch stream shows users have been spamming a ping pong paddle in the chat box accompanied by the sentence, "Spam this pong to free Hong Kong."  Gamers aren't the only ones incensed by Blitzchung's ban. U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., tweeted statements denouncing Blizzard's action, saying it had given in to capital influence from China. As we reported earlier this week, Tencent Holdings Limited, a Chinese conglomerate, owns a 5% stake in Blizzard's parent company.  Blizzard Entertainment and Blitzchung have not responded to requests for further comments.  Paolo Zialcita is an intern on NPR's News Desk.