#bbc news - entertainment & arts

[pastdaily]

Fingerprintz - Paris Theater, London - 1979 - Past Daily Morning Soundbooth

And of course, coffee: https://pastdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/1979-03-24-fingerprintz.mp3 – BBC In Concert – 1979-03-24 – Fingerprintz – Diving into some 70s Post-Punk/New Wave to start the week by way of Fingerprintz. Started in 1979, Fingerprintz is probably best known in the U.S. as the first band to release Dancing With Myself (which later became a Mega-hit for Generation X), and…

[yestolerancepro]

Coming soon to a theatre near you an easier way to buy tickets if you have a disability according to this new article on the BBC news disability website

[timetravellingkitty]

KASHMIR MASTERLIST

Background

History of Kashmir from 250 BC to 1947 [to understand Kashmir's multi religious history and how we got to 1947]

Broad timeline of events from 1947 to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in 2019 (BBC) [yes, BBC. hang on just this once]

Human Rights Watch report based on a visit to Indian controlled Kashmir in 1998 [has a summary, background, human rights abuses and recommendations]

Another concise summary of the issue

Sites to check out

Kashmir Action - news and readings

The Kashmiriyat - independent news site about ongoings in Kashmir

FreePressKashmir - same thing as previous

Kashmir Law and Justice Project - analysis of international law as it applies to Kashmir

Stand with Kashmir - awareness, run by diaspora Kashmiris (both Pandit and Muslim)

These two for more readings and resources on Kashmir: note that the petitions and donation links are from 2019 and also has explainers on the background (x) (x)

To read

Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? - about women in the Kashmiri resistance movement and the 1991 mass rape of Kashmiri women in the twin villages of Kunan and Poshpora by Indian armed forces

Until My Freedom Has Come: The New Intifada in Kashmir - a compliation of writings about the lives of Kashmiris under Indian domination

Colonizing Kashmir: State Building under Indian Occupation - how Kashmir was made "integral" to the Indian state and examines state-building policies (excerpt)

Resisting Occupation in Kashmir - about the social and legal dimensions of India's occupation

On India's scapegoating of Kashmiri Pandits, both by Kashmiri Pandits (x) (x)

Of Gardens and Graves - translations of Kashmiri poems

Social media

kashiirkoor

museumofkashmir

kashmirpopart

posh_baahar

readingkashmir

standwithkashmir and their backup account standwithkashmir2 (main account is banned in India wonder why)

kashmirlawjustice

kashmirawareness

jammugenocide (awareness about the 1947 genocide abetted by Maharaja Hari Singh and the RSS)

To watch

Jashn-e-Azadi: How We Celebrate Freedom parts 1 and 2 - a documentary about the Kashmiri freedom struggle (filmed by a Kashmiri Pandit)

Paradise Lost - BBC documentary about how India and Pakistan's dispute over the valley has affected the people

Kashmir - Valley of Tears - the exhaustion with the conflict in the post nineties

In the Shade of Fallen Chinar - art as a form of Kashmiri resistance

Human rights violations (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

Land theft and dispossession (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

A note: I know annoying Desis are going to see this and go "Oh but Kashmir is Pakistan's because-" and "Kashmir is an integral part of India because-". I must make my stance clear: Kashmir belongs to the Kashmiris, the natives, no matter what religion they belong to. Neither Pakistan nor India get to decide the matter of Kashmiri sovereignty. The reasons given by both parties as to why Kashmir should be a part of either nation are bullshit. The United Nations itself recognises Kashmir as a disputed region, so I will not entertain dumbfuckery. I highly encourage fellow Indians especially to take the time to go through and properly understand the violence the government enacts on Kashmiris. I've also included links to learn more about Kashmiri culture because really, what do the rest of us know about it? Culturally and linguistically Kashmir differs so much from the rest of India and Pakistan (also the amount of fetishization of Kashmiri women...yikes). This is not just a bilateral issue between these two nations over land, this actually affects the people of Kashmir. And if you're still here, thank you for reading

[thealogie]

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts

BBC's 10 olivier's moments and they included David Tennant simply to talk about his outfit (i love how they don't even mention he was nominated, just that he slayed) as you say he is really getting the Hollywood actress treatment and he's thriving

It’s so funny. He’s the only person whose outfit got a mention. He’s really cementing his status as fashion girlie in a big way

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

The Amazon Good Omens Press Release! :)

In a special celebration for fans, Neil Gaiman collaborated with superfans Hilly & Hannah Hindi of the The Hillywood Show to reveal the ineffable premiere date in their original video “Good Omens Parody”

Official Teaser Art Available HERE Fan-Created Parody Video Viewable HERE 

*NOTE TO EDITORS: Please refer to our streaming service as Prime Video and not Amazon Prime Video*

CULVER CITY, California—May 10, 2023—This summer, something’s going down in the up!Good Omens Season Two will  premiere July 28 on Prime Video. After the global success and enthusiastic response to the first season, co-creator Neil Gaiman is satisfying fans’ hunger for more on-screen  adventures of the beloved unholy duo with an entirely original story. The ineffable Season Two premiere date was revealed on the 33rd anniversary of the publishing of the original novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Gaiman, which was the basis for the first season of the television series. As a special celebration for fans, Gaiman collaborated with superfans Hilly & Hannah Hindi of the The Hillywood Show to reveal the date in a fan-funded video, “Good Omens Parody,” which can be viewed HERE. The six-episode season will be released exclusively on Prime Video on July 28 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Fans can catch up on the first season of Good Omens streaming now on Prime Video, part of the savings, convenience, and entertainment that Prime members enjoy in a single membership.

Season Two of Good Omens explores storylines that go beyond the original source material to illuminate the uncanny friendship between Aziraphale, a fussy angel and rare book dealer, and the fast-living demon Crowley. Having been on Earth since The Beginning, and with the Apocalypse thwarted, Aziraphale and Crowley are getting back to easy living amongst mortals in London’s Soho when an unexpected messenger presents a surprising mystery.

Good Omens Season Twostars Michael Sheen and David Tennant as angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley, respectively. Also reprising their roles are Jon Hamm as archangel Gabriel, Doon Mackichan as archangel Michael, and Gloria Obianyo as archangel Uriel. Returning this season in new roles are Miranda Richardson as demon Shax, Maggie Service as Maggie, and Nina Sosanya as Nina, with new faces joining the misfits in Heaven and Hell: Liz Carr as angel Saraqael, Quelin Sepulveda as angel Muriel, and Shelley Conn as demon Beelzebub.

Neil Gaiman continues as executive producer and co-showrunner along with executive producer Douglas Mackinnon, who also returned to direct all six episodes. Rob Wilkins of Narrativia, representing Terry Pratchett’s estate, John Finnemore, and BBC Studios Productions’ head of comedy Josh Cole also executive produce, with Finnemore serving as co-writer alongside Gaiman. Good Omens is based on the well-loved and internationally best-selling novel by Pratchett and Gaiman. The new season is produced by Amazon Studios, BBC Studios Productions, The Blank Corporation, and Narrativia.

ALL THE EPIZODES WILL BE RELEASED AT ONCE!!! 🥰🥳 WAHOO!

[qnewsau]

Tom Daley to host very on-brand knitting reality TV show

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/tom-daley-to-host-very-on-brand-knitting-reality-tv-show/

Tom Daley to host very on-brand knitting reality TV show

Tom Daley has announced a big career move after retiring from diving, and it’s very on-brand.

The out British athlete is set to host the UK’s first-ever knitting competition show, tentatively titled Game of Wool.

Tom is a knitting enthusiast and at the last few Olympic Games has made headlines for getting out his needles and wool in the stands at the Olympic venues.

Game of Wool is Tom Daley’s first major presenting role. On the show, which is casting now over in the UK, Tom will oversee 10 ambitious knitters taking on a series of complex challenges as they compete to become the UK’s first TV knitting champion.

In rural Scotland, the knitters will tackle two challenges – a group knit where they’ll be working together in teams on an extremely complex project, as well as an individual knit where they’ll take on individual briefs to test their capabilities and skill level.

Each week, the competitors will create unique knits and larger-than-life sculptural pieces out of wool. These include clothing, jewellery, home accessories, furniture, sculptures and ‘yarn bombing’ – – woollen street art covering public objects.

“I’m very excited, and slightly nervous, to be taking on my first ever hosting role on a project that encompasses everything I’m passionate about,” Tom said.

“I adore all things knitting and encourage everyone to pick up some knitting needles and give it a go.

“I cannot wait to see the creations our knitters will weave together and hope this inspires people at home.”

Tom Daley officially retires from diving

Tom Daley confirmed his retirement from diving earlier this year after the Paris Olympics.

He and British diving partner Noah Williams won Olympic silver in Paris in the men’s synchronised dive.

Tom’s first silver medal was his fifth, completing his set alongside his three bronze and the gold medal he picked up in Tokyo.

After winning gold, Tom took a long break from the sport. But the British star said he returned for one reason – to impress his six-year-old son Robbie.

“Robbie was like, ‘Papa, I want to see you dive in the Olympics’. And that was that,” Tom told BBC Sport last week.

“When your kid asks you to do something, you do it.”

But now he’s done.

“It was emotional at the end, up there on the platform, knowing it was my last competitive dive,” he told Vogue.

“But I have to make the decision at some point, and it feels like the right time. It’s the right time to call it a day.”

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[bodybybane]

Sherlock producer says Benedict Cumberbatch show will return – on one condition https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sherlock-holmes-bbc-benedict-cumberbatch-b2622419.html

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

I'll be in TUCSON, AZ from November 8-10: I'm the GUEST OF HONOR at the TUSCON SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION.

#20yrsago Audio/transcript from BBC Creative Archive talk https://web.archive.org/web/20060306155902/http://digital-lifestyles.info/media/audio/2004.10.28-BBC-Creative-Archive-Q&A.mp3

#15yrsago Heavy illegal downloaders buy more music https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/illegal-downloaders-spend-the-most-on-music-says-poll-1812776.html

#15yrsago Scenting the Dark: outstanding debut short story collection from Mary Robinette Kowal, exploring our relationship to technology and each other https://memex.craphound.com/2009/11/01/scenting-the-dark-outstanding-debut-short-story-collection-from-mary-robinette-kowal-exploring-our-relationship-to-technology-and-each-other/

#10yrsago Surveillance and stalkers: how the Internet supercharges gendered violence https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahjeong/2014/10/28/surveillance-begins-at-home/

#10yrsago Secret recording of corporate lobbyist is a dirty-tricks playbook https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives-western-energy-alliance-speech-taped.html

#10yrsago NZ Trade Minister: we keep TPP a secret to prevent “public debate” https://www.techdirt.com/2014/10/31/new-zealands-trade-minister-admits-they-keep-tpp-documents-secret-to-avoid-public-debate/

#5yrsago Blizzard’s corporate president publicly apologizes for bungling players’ Hong Kong protests, never mentions Hong Kong https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/1/20944022/blizzard-blizzcon-hearthstone-china-hong-kong-response-j-allen-brack

#5yrsago My review of Sandworm: an essential guide to the new, reckless world of “cyberwarfare” https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2019-11-01/sandworm-andy-greenberg-cybersecurity

#5yrsago Report from a massive Chinese surveillance tech expo, where junk-science “emotion recognition” rules https://twitter.com/suelinwong/status/1190194625572569093

#5yrsago Toronto approves Google’s surveillance city, despite leaks revealing Orwellian plans https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sidewalk-labs-waterfront-toronto-quayside-vote-1.5342294

#5yrsago Chicago teachers declare victory after 11-day strike https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/31/chicago-teachers-strike-union-tentative-agreement-makeup-days/4106271002/

#5yrsago Airbnb’s easily gamed reputation system and poor customer service allow scammers to thrive https://www.vice.com/en/article/nationwide-fake-host-scam-on-airbnb/

#5yrsago Suppressed internal emails reveal that the IRS actively helped tax-prep giants suppress Free File https://www.propublica.org/article/the-irs-tried-to-hide-emails-that-show-tax-industry-influence-over-free-file-program

#5yrsago Massive spike in young people registering to vote in the UK https://memex.craphound.com/2019/11/01/massive-spike-in-young-people-registering-to-vote-in-the-uk/

#1yrsago Social Security is class war, not intergenerational conflict https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/01/intergenerational-warfare/#five-pound-blocks-of-cheese

[sgiandubh]

A brave speech from director Jonathan Glazer

After winning the Oscar

I respect these brave stances

I was saddened by Sam's retreat from his position of supporting the people of Gaza.

Dear Saddened Anon,

This blog does not cover anything political, because I think we all have more than enough on our national plates, especially during this extraordinary super global election year. Also, because as a diplomat I learned to refrain from expressing any contentious views (it's the opposite of our work). And finally because, dealing with politics every single working day (a paradox, isn't it?), this is my oasis space and I design it as I see fit.

For those who want/need context, this is BBC's short coverage of the statements referenced by our Anon guest: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68531229

The difference between Glazer and S is almost self-evident. Glazer is a proud Reformed (Liberal)/Secular Jew, S is a kind hearted (but completely clueless) person, whose precise religious affiliation is not clear (probably Protestant, if you ask me). Religious affiliation is, by the way, totally irrelevant, in his case, since he clearly does not define himself as such, and I would bet the farm that with These Two it's more about spirituality, than denomination. Regarding Glazer, he is also Ashkenazi, which means that he hails from the group most affected by the Holocaust - it is meaningful to him (as for all of our Israelite sisters and brothers AND all of us), but it is also something very personal to him. S just followed the trend (and C - of this, I am sure) and found himself embroiled in a terrible predicament, for not having properly checked and vetted that letter's message and the organization from where the letter/petition originated.

Was it a mistake? Hell, yes. Will I detest this person because of that mistake? Hell, no.

This is a highly sensitive issue, that brought some strife and discontent, including on this page. I will never blame someone who publicly acknowledges his limits, as S did, Anon. And I think that the people who can legitimately address the topic did and do and will always do that. As it should be.

This map is the starting point of the tragedy and I confess *urv's pretense of addressing geopolitics brought a bitterly sarcastic smirk:

[source: https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/generalpage/the-balfour-declaration-map/en/English_HISTORY_MAPS_Balfour-Declaration-1920.jpg']

The year was 1919.

[twopoppies]

heyy, i think my ask got lost but:

regarding the rob stringer ask that you answered, i was wondering why is rob stringer such a big deal.? also, this kinda got me intrigued, curious and angry(blacklisting of louis from uk radio) so i went on to research for myself and i fumbled upon this article: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51360192

it was the very first article that showed up, i didn't even need to dig, and it's directly by BBC, so is this BBC not the same as BBC radio or what..?

it's a little confusing for me cuz in my country nobody really pays any mind to radios and what they are playing and we usually stay tuned to our fave artists via tv shows, social media or simply music apps etc etc

Hi love. Rob Stringer is “a big deal” because he was head of Columbia when 1D were together and then head of Sony (parent company of Columbia) when Harry went solo (and Louis got stuck with Syco). So he’s had his fingers all over whatever contracts were signed by all of the guys, and most likely had plenty of decision making power over the closeting of HL and the blocking of Louis’ solo career.

BBC Radio and BBC TV are both divisions of the British Broadcasting Company. Louis having that disastrous interview on the Morning Show wasn’t the beginning of his being blocked from BBC radio. I think his blacklisting and image damage extends as far back as XFactor and Simon Cowell. There are many people involved and I don’t know if you can really point a finger at Simon or Rob Stringer and say that’s this is the key person responsible for it all. But, him appearing on that show and that article being written is just part of a very complex pattern of abuse he’s been subject to.

As for radio being important… I really don’t know why it seems to make a difference. I do think being nominated for The Brits or The Grammys doesn’t have without radio airplay and even if we know The Grammys are bullshit, it’s still great advertising and it’s still seen as prestigious in that you’re “accepted” by the music industry insiders.

But I think when people complain about him being blacklisted, they mean that he’s almost entirely absent from everything—radio for sure, but also radio concert events like Jingle Bell Ball/Summertime Ball, British talk shows like Graham Norton etc., British award shows (even the Rolling Stone UK award show was tainted by his performance being removed and his interview being publicized using Harry’s name).

I don’t buy into a lot of the stuff some solo fans talk about in terms of Louis’ career blockades, but for an artist who has such an ardent fanbase to be shut out of so many ways of advancing his career, you can’t help but assume there’s something underhanded happening.

[yestolerancepro]

If your a disabled Taylor Swift fan you might find it hard to get tickets

[fandomtrumpshate]

Unlisted Fandom Challenge - 2024

In our earlier Numbers post we shared the top ten spots for the unlisted fandoms. Below is the full list of the remaining write-in fandoms - yes, all 105 of them.

For the first twenty, a single additional signup will move them up to join the tie for third place. If ANY of them should manage four additional signups, they'll snag the lead.

Know folks who work in these fandoms? Share our signup post and encourage them to participate —we'd love to have them join us raising funds for great causes via the creation of awesome fanworks. As ever, we welcome even more new fandom write-ins, too. (But please do not use the ' | ' character in the fandom name - or elsewhere in your signup form!)

Putting the list under a cut for length -

2 Alan Wake/Remedyverse 2 Ancient Greece Religion and Lore 2 Cosmere 2 Detective Conan 2 Dune 2 Formula 1 RPF 2 Glee 2 Guardian/Zhen Hun 2 HBO War 2 Imperial Radch Series 2 Mob Psycho 100 2 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury 2 Riverdale 2 Shades of Magic 2 Ted Lasso 2 The Bear (TV) 2 The Stormlight Archive 2 Venture Bros 2 Wolf Pack 2 Persona 5 1 A Plague Tale (Videogame Series) 1 American Gods 1 Among Us 1 BBC Ghosts 1 Bendy (and The Ink Machine/Dark Revival) 1 horror 1 Blue Beetle 1 Buffy: The Vampire Slayer 1 Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher Entertainment RPF 1 Call of Duty 1 Cats the musical 1 Cherry Magic 1 Chronicles of Narnia 1 Cobra Kai 1 Coffee Talk (Video Game) 1 Criminal Minds 1 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 1 Death Note 1 Dice Punks (podcast) 1 Digimon 1 Donten ni Warau / Laughing Under the Clouds 1 Dungeons and Daddies (podcast) 1 Endeavour/Morseverse/Inspector Morse (ITV/Dexter) 1 Fallout Video Game (Bethesda) 1 Falsettos 1 Fargo FX 1 Farscape 1 Fire Emblem (4-10, 13, 14, 16) 1 Firefly 1 Five Nights at Freddy's 1 Grantchester 1 Greek Mythology 1 Grey's Anatomy 1 Gundam 1 Hatchetfield 1 Hawaii 5.0 1 Honkai Star Rail 1 Horizon Zero Dawn 1 IT (Movies - Muschietti) 1 Jeff Satur - music videos 1 Law and Order 1 Legend of the Galactic Heroes 1 Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4) 1 London Spy 1 Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic 1 Magnificent Seven 1 Mrs. Davis 1 My Little Pony 1 Narcos (TV) 1 NU: Carnival 1 Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint 1 Omori 1 Orphan Black 1 Pacific Rim 1 Professional Wrestling - New Japan Pro Wrestling 1 Professional Wrestling: All Elite Wrestling 1 Re-Animator 1 Simon Snow Series 1 Slam Dunk 1 Slow Horses (TV Show) 1 South Park 1 Starry Musical 1 Super Sentai 1 Sweeney Todd 1 Team Starkid 1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension 1 The Adventures of Tintin 1 The Artful Dodger 1 The Empyrean Series - Rebecca Yarros (Fourth Wing) 1 The Good Place 1 The Last Kingdom 1 The Lunar Chronicles 1 The Mechanisms 1 The Mummy (1999 franchise) 1 The Pairing (Casey McQuiston) 1 The Radiant Emperor Series (She Who Became The Sun & He Who Drowned The World) 1 The Saint of Steel 1 Three of Hearts 1 Tin Can Bros 1 Tower of God 1 Undertale 1 Voltron: Legendary Defender 1 Wayfarers (Becky Chambers) 1 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

[scotianostra]

Happy birthday Scottish TV host and entertainer Craig Ferguson born in Glasgow, on May 17th, 1962.

Ferguson was born in Stobhill Hospital and brought up not far from where I now live in nearby Cumbernauld. He admits to growing up "chubby and bullied" At age sixteen hen left Cumbernauld High School and began an apprenticeship to be an electronics technician at a local factory of American company Burroughs Corporation.

In the early 1980s, Ferguson drummed in punk bands for a few years before a bartending job led him to Michael Boyd, the artistic director of the Tron Theatre. Boyd talked Ferguson into giving acting a shot, which Ferguson soon did, finding the comedy prong of the art too compelling to ignore.

Ferguson soon created an outrageous—and successful—stage character called Bing Hitler. On top of the local success he was experiencing, Ferguson used the experience as a backdrop from which to move into mainstream acting roles.

Craig Ferguson’s first TV appearance came on an episode of the sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf in 1988, and it was enough to get Ferguson to head overseas to the United States for his first role on American TV. The part was playing a teacher in the pilot episode of High (1989), which starred Gwyneth Paltrow and Zach Braff. The pilot wasn’t picked up, though, and Ferguson headed back to Scotland.

Once back in the UK, Ferguson found that roles came sporadically before he landed his own BBC show The Ferguson Theory in 1994 While the sketch comedy show put the funnyman front and centre, it only lasted five episodes.

When Theory was no more, Ferguson packed his bags once again for America. But this time he’d find a lot more success waiting for him than he did years before. When Ferguson joined The Drew Carey Show as Nigel Wick in 1996, his run lasted several seasons and led to the actor becoming a known quantity in the world of U.S. television.

Ferguson’s busy life on TV and the big screen got a lot busier in January 2005, when he took over the late-night comedy series The Late Late Show. Once it found its footing, Ferguson’s show was another hit, earning its first Emmy nomination a year into its run. Mixed in with his work on the show were several high-profile big-screen roles, often voice-over work, in movies like How to Train Your Dragon, Winnie the Pooh and Brave.

Ferguson, who became an American citizen in 2008, is also an author, publishing Between the Bridge and the River and American on Purpose.

On 28 April 2014, Ferguson announced he would be leaving The Late Late Show at the end of 2014, with the final episode airing on 19th December that year.

Ferguson is a recovering alcoholic, sober since 18th February 1992, another Scot who has dealt with his depression, he admits to having considered suicide before giving up the bottle.

In 2017 he released a six-episode web show with his wife, Megan Wallace Cunningham, titled Couple Thinkers. For two seasons from 2021, Ferguson hosted the American game show The Hustler, which airs on ABC.

In 2022, an adaptation of Ferguson's film Saving Grace (2000) was announced as a stage musical in which Ferguson will portray a "villainous banker". It was adapted by April De Angelis from Ferguson's and Mark Crowdy's screenplay, with music by fellow Scot KT Tunstall. In October 2022, the musical was confirmed to run for a limited twelve performances at Riverside Studios from 22 November until 4 December 2022 as an "intimate first run.

The rumor mill has been buzzing that Craig is thinking about returning to the talk show ranks In a recent interview he said;

“I have meetings next week in Los Angeles for a show,” Ferguson said, calling from New England while on vacation with his family. “I’m considering doing a show but I just don’t want to do one every day. I like doing a talk show, but not enough to do it every single day.”

[blurban-form]

This is a summary of the article that appeared in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, April 3, 2024. I summarized it a fair bit to focus on what was interesting to me in the article. That said, this is still a long read.

Watch out, a couple of swear words in here.

Bluey may be acquired by Disney which would help Disney: 20% of all TV views on the streaming service Disney+ are “Bluey”. In the fourth quarter of 2023 (excluding movies). Americans watched 731 million hours of “Bluey”.

Brumm accepts an award for best children’s program from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts in 2019.Photographer: Brendon Thorne/AFI/Getty Images

Joe Brumm is 46, likes sports and surfing, and is brash and unpolished; he seems a little like James Dean in that he’s talented but uncomfortable with fame and having to follow Hollywood conventions and rules… It was noted that Joe Brumm had public relations minders/handlers with him from Disney and the BBC to watch what he said when he was interviewed.

Brumm’s influences include Simpsons, South Park, Peanuts, and Calvin and Hobbes. “Peanuts just meant so much to me growing up” said Brumm. He studied animation in the 2000s at the University of Brisbane and worked in London for the BBC before returning to Australia in 2010 to start Ludo animation.

He came up with Bluey himself, and it was a hard sell initially that the show would be targeting adults and children. He used a lot of his own experiences with his kids to come up with story ideas.

For a while there was the idea of making the show something like an R-rated version of “Peppa Pig”, but that idea was dropped because there was already a similar adult Australian sitcom about raising kids being piloted.

The Australian Broadcasting Company liked the concept of “Bluey” and provided Brumm with A$20,000 ($13,000 US) to create a pilot, which became “The Weekend” episode of Season 1, which was screened at the Asian Animation Summit in November 2016.

Bluey is created at Ludo’s headquarters in Brisbane rather than contracting out the animation overseas, which allows Brumm to continue to tweak episodes up until the last minute. If there’s something he doesn’t like them. He also uses local vocal talent.

The ABC and BBC put up A$6 million to complete the first season of “Bluey”. The BBC made it possible to do this, providing the lion’s share of funding in exchange for distribution and merchandising rights. Australia didn’t have the resources to make the show happen otherwise.

Brumm was very angry when an early critique of Bluey in 2018 said the show made fun of stay-at-home dads; Blumm said he thought to himself “go fuck yourself”.

Within seven months, Bluey was the most watched series ever on the ABC streaming service with 75 million plays of episodes, which led to the BBC commissioning a second season of the show.

Ludo was able to retain control the show, and Brumm was entitled to a share of the revenue.

By 2019, networks in the US were interested in Bluey: Nickelodeon wanted “Bluey”, but they were worried about the name, because it was too close to “Blue’s Clues”. Other networks wanted to change the accents of the characters, and this was a dealbreaker for Ludo and Brumm.

This created an opening for Jane Gould, who was at the time the executive vice president of research and scheduling at Disney’s general entertainment division, who had a comfort level with Bluey because she hailed from Brisbane, and she understood the desire of Brumm and Ludo to keep the show Australian. She didn’t think this was a problem, and she borrowed two episodes to test screen in the US; the kids and parents didn’t have a problem with the Australian aspects of the show. Disney acquired the rights from BBC Studios to air Bluey everywhere except Australia, New Zealand and China.

“Bluey” didn’t get the same marketing push as shows like “The Mandalorian” when Disney+ began broadcasting "Bluey" in June 2020, but soon begin to dominate viewership numbers, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (There was a lot of families spending time watching television and they watched a lot of Bluey.)

The ABC didn’t have a problem with the off-colour humour in “Bluey”, like the use of the word “poo”, and seeing a pony poop in “Markets” and this had to be edited out. Brumm said he hated making these edits... Disney defended these edits saying they were trying to be respectful of different cultural sensitivities, and it’s noted that Disney has since released the uncensored versions of the episodes.

Brumm likes to control his creation. He was upset with some of the early prototypes of Bluey toys because Bandit didn’t look right, he looked like a fridge. He was also concerned that at the beginning that there was too much of a focus on Bluey herself and there weren’t enough toys of all the characters. This concern turned out to be accurate; people wanted toys of all of the characters in the show.

Brumm originally was not sure he wanted to do a second season of “Bluey”, fearing it might not be as good as the first. Brumm doesn’t want to repeat himself in terms of episodes. He wants to make sure that each season is better than the previous one. He was also worried that Bluey would have to stop when Brisbane shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the show continued, with staff working from home.

The “Rain” episode was dialogue-free because Brumm wanted to take a break from writing dialogue at the time.

In Australia, the public and the media have publicly questioned why the ABC didn’t try harder to retain control of the profits from "Bluey" merchandise sales. There was an article in the “Australian Financial Review” that lamented that the ABC had let a gold mine slip through its fingers. It was thought that this decision was shortsighted, but the ABC responded saying they made the best deal at the time that they could. Disney has also been said to have made an error in passing on theme park rights and allowing BBC Studios to retain those rights; people go to Disney parks and ask why they can’t see Bluey there.

Disney isn’t releasing details on whether it’s explored buying “Bluey”, but Ludo says Bluey isn’t for sale, but this could change.

It is noted that there hasn’t been a clear announcement of a fourth season. Brumm has stated previously there will be a hiatus and he’s concerned about the children’s voices changing. His preference not to have to replace the voice actors, and he knows he can’t continue to draw upon his own kids experiences because they’ve grown up.

During the interview, Brumm’s handlers interjected and couldn’t said he couldn’t discuss the final episode.

Speaking anonymously, someone familiar with Disney’s “Bluey” dealings said that Brumm is trying to decide whether he’s comfortable letting other people write for the show, which would make it easier to continue to create episodes, and possibly smooth the way for a Disney acquisition in the future, as Disney would be reluctant to spend billions on a show with only three seasons of episodes.

Brumm said over email that he’s already collaborated on writing some additional episodes and ultimately it isn’t his decision who writes Bluey as he doesn’t own the show.

He thinks the final episode is magical and it sums up everything Bluey has tried to do in the last few years.

[justforbooks]

The director and producer Norman Jewison, who has died aged 97, had a career dedicated for the most part to making films that, while entertaining, included socio-political content. His visual flair, especially in the use of colour, spot-on casting and intelligent use of music, enabled him to raise sometimes thin stories into highly watchable films.

He hit the high spot critically and commercially with In the Heat of the Night (1967), which starred Sidney Poitier as a northern US city police detective temporarily held up in a small southern town and Rod Steiger as the local sheriff confronted with the murder of a wealthy industrialist. The detective mystery plot was perhaps mainly the vehicle for an enactment of racial prejudices and hostilities culminating in a grudging respect on both sides, but it worked well. The final scene, much of it improvised, in which the two men indulge in something approaching a personal conversation, was both moving and revealing.

The film won five Academy awards – for best picture, best adapted screenplay, best editing, best sound and, for Steiger, best actor – and gave Jewison the first of his three best director nominations; the others were for Fiddler on the Roof, his 1971 adaptation of the Broadway musical, and the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987). In 1999 Jewison was the winner of the Irving G Thalberg memorial award from the academy for “a consistently high quality of motion picture production”.

The son of Dorothy (nee Weaver) and Percy Jewison, he was born and brought up in Toronto, Ontario, where his father ran a shop and post office. Educated at the Malvern Collegiate Institute, a Toronto high school, Jewison studied the piano and music theory at the Royal Conservatory in the city, and served in the Canadian navy during the second world war. On discharge, he went to the University of Toronto, paying his way by working at a variety of jobs, including driving a taxi and occasional acting.

After graduating with a bachelor of arts degree, in 1950 he set off with $140 on a tramp steamer to the UK, where he landed a job with the BBC, acting and writing scripts. On his return to Canada two years later, he joined the rapidly expanding television industry, producing and directing variety shows for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Jewison was spotted by the William Morris talent agency and invited to New York, where he signed with CBS and was given the unenviable task of rescuing the once successful show Your Hit Parade, which was by then displaying signs of terminal decline. He revamped the entire production and took it back to the top of the ratings. He directed episodes of the variety show Big Party and The Andy Williams Show, and specials for Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, Jackie Gleason and Danny Kaye.

On the Belafonte special, Jewison had white chains dangling above the stage, an image that displeased many southern TV stations, which refused to screen the show. This was the first indication of his stance on racism.

Success brought him to the notice of Tony Curtis, who had his own production company at Universal, and Jewison began a three-year contract with 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), starring Curtis. This was followed by the likable but light Doris Day comedies The Thrill of It All (1963), Send Me No Flowers (1964) and The Art of Love (1965).

In 1965 he got out of his contract to make the first film of his choice, MGM’s The Cincinnati Kid, starring Steve McQueen (the Kid) and Edward G Robinson (the Man) and centring on a professional poker game between the old master and the young challenger. He took over the project from Sam Peckinpah, tore up the original script by Paddy Chayefsky and Ring Lardner, and commissioned Terry Southern, the result getting him noticed as a more than competent studio director.

In 1966 he made the beguiling but commercially unsuccessful comedy The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, about a Russian submarine stranded off the coast of Cape Cod. This was at the height of the cold war and gained him a reputation for being a “Canadian pinko”, although it was nominated for a best picture Oscar.

In the Heat of the Night was followed by The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) in which McQueen and Faye Dunaway played thief and insurance investigator respectively and engaged in a chess game that evolved into one of the longest onscreen kisses, as the camera swirls around and around above their heads. The theme song, The Windmills of Your Mind, was a hit and the film a success.

Fiddler on the Roof, with a silk stocking placed by Jewison across the camera lens to provide an earth-toned quality, won Oscars for cinematography, music and sound, and a nomination for Chaim Topol in his signature role of Tevye.

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), his adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera, and Rollerball (1975), starring James Caan, were followed by F.I.S.T. (1978), a tale of union corruption starring Sylvester Stallone as an idealistic young organiser who sells out, and And Justice for All (1979), starring Al Pacino, a deeply ironic portrayal of the legal world.

A Soldier’s Story (1985), based on the Pulitzer prize-winning play and including an early performance from Denzel Washington, dealt with black soldiers who risked their lives “in defence of a republic which didn’t even guarantee them their rights”, and some of whom had internalised the white man’s vision of them.

Moonstruck, a somewhat daft love story but a tremendous box office success and for the most part a critical one, won the Silver Bear and best director for Jewison at the Berlin film festival and was nominated for six Oscars, winning for best screenplay, best actress for Cher and best supporting actress for Olympia Dukakis.

Then came Other People’s Money (1991), a caustic and amusing comedy on the new world of corporate finance and takeovers, in which Danny DeVito played a money hungry vulture, made largely in response to Reagan’s era of deregulation, and The Hurricane (1999) in which Jewison again worked with Washington, who played the real life boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, falsely convicted of a triple murder and imprisoned for years before the conviction was quashed. The latter film aroused controversy over its alleged manipulation of some facts and, despite its undoubted qualities, this fracas probably contributed to it being commercially disappointing.

In the early 1990s, Jewison had begun preparations for a film on the life of Malcolm X, and had secured Washington to play the title role, when Spike Lee gave his strongly expressed opinion that only a black film-maker could make this story. The two met, and Jewison handed over the film to Lee.

Jewison’s last film, The Statement (2003), starred Michael Caine as a Nazi war criminal on the run. He was also producer for films including The Landlord (1970), The Dogs of War (1980), Iceman (1984) and The January Man (1989).

He had returned to Canada in 1978, living on a ranch north of Toronto with his wife Dixie, whom he had married in 1953. There he reared Hereford cattle, grew tulips and produced his own-label maple syrup. In 1988 he founded the Canadian Centre for Advanced Film Studies, now known as the Canadian Film Centre, in Toronto.

He was a confirmed liberal, a man of integrity who turned in his coveted green card in protest at the Vietnam war and saw film not only as entertainment but also as a conduit for raising serious issues.

Dixie (Margaret Dixon) died in 2004. In 2010 he married Lynne St David, who survives him, as do two sons, Kevin and Michael, and a daughter, Jennifer, from his first marriage.

🔔 Norman Frederick Jewison, film director, producer and screenwriter, born 21 July 1926; died 20 January 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[denimbex1986]

'Last night, at the Bafta awards, actor Andrew Scott was interviewed by the BBC on the red carpet. In an exchange that viewers have branded “awkward” and “inappropriate,” Scott – who stars in gay fantasy drama All of Us Strangers, which was up for several awards – was asked by entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson about a specific scene – the finale – in Saltburn.

If you haven’t seen it, look away now – but it involved Barry Keoghan running around a mansion naked, while Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dance Floor” plays overhead. Paterson first asks Scott: “Do you know Barry well?” When Scott says he does know him, Paterson says: “Your reaction, when you first saw the naked dance scene?” Scott awkwardly laughs and responds “it’s great, it’s great”. “You can spoil away!” Paterson prompts again, to which Scott finally says: “no, I won’t spoil it for anybody.”

The exchange is already uncomfortable by this point, but then Paterson asks another question: “There’s been a lot of talk about prosthetics…” Then, somewhat suggestively, he asks: “How well do you know him?” At this point, Scott walks off. Sensing he’s gone too far, the interviewer shouts “Too much? Too much?” after him. The clip is excruciating to watch.

Viewers have slammed the interview – and it’s easy to see why. It seems like a strange choice to probe Scott – one of the very few gay actors on the red carpet – about Keoghan’s genitalia, or insinuate he might know what his penis looks like. (Does he think there is some sort of Irish actors nudist club, to which they are all a member?) It’s also bizarre because, if he wanted to ask Scott about nude scenes, specifically, there were plenty to choose from All of Us Strangers – where he stars alongside Paul Mescal.

Watching the clip, I can understand why gay fans in particular are unhappy with the line of questioning. It taps into an overfamiliarity a lot of us might have experienced, often from complete strangers, when it comes to sex. Straight people – particularly men, in my experience, after a few drinks at parties and weddings – can feel entitled to ask some pretty graphic sexual questions. Some might say this is just curiosity – a form of acceptance, even. Maybe that’s true, but sometimes it can also feel intrusive. There is a subtle homophobia in assuming all gay men are sex-obsessed – or will leap at the chance to talk about other men’s penises.

It is very possible that Paterson wasn’t aware of these dynamics. It might not have occurred to him that Scott is gay. But that in itself is an issue: As journalists, we have to be mindful that our questions don’t always come across as neutral, or without prejudice, to the people we’re talking to. Questions, like people, don’t exist in a vacuum – their appropriateness often depends on who is asking and answering them. It can be a delicate balance – and there was nothing delicate about this interview.

It is common for red carpet interviews to take on a much more informal tone than a magazine or newspaper profile. These chats are all about the buzz of the night and giving the audience a glimpse at the glamour. The excitement of it all. The gossip!

Since awards shows started live streaming on social media, I’ve noticed that red carpet interviews have become increasingly geared towards chasing a viral “moment.” Sometimes it’s harmless fun, like when Amelia Dimoldenberg and Andrew Garfield gave the world a masterclass in the toe-curling yet adorable art of British flirting at last year’s Golden Globes. But when fleeting exchanges have the potential to become huge viral clips in the content stream, it’s also easy to see how some questions might be ill-judged in the pursuit of online engagement. This feels like one of them.

That said, red carpet interviews are a very tough job. (Seriously, underestimate it at your peril.) For reporters, there are hundreds of actors and creatives – each with a different reason for being there and a different project to plug. There’s a wide variety of temperaments (and egos) to juggle, too. Remember at last year’s Oscars, when Hugh Grant was accused of being “rude” to Ashley Graham? You could see the fear in Graham’s eyes when confronted with Grant’s curt British responses, as she seemed unable to steer the interview out of awkward territory.

Still, the more informal and off-the-cuff format of red carpet interviews can also be a microcosm of wider industry inequalities. In 2015, Cate Blanchett called out E!’s “glam cam” as it panned up and down her dress during an interview. She stopped the interview and said: “Do you do that to the guys?” She later said: “[People] forget the fact that women are up there because they’ve given extraordinary performances.”

With Scott’s interview, it feels like just that. His own performance in an immensely moving film was pushed to the side in favour of a crass moment – one that felt beneath everyone involved. Watching the exchange, Scott’s fans see a gay actor being put in an uncomfortable situation and, crucially, not getting the respect he deserves. Maybe there’s a wider industry message there, too.'