Culture Clips: The Mouse House Gets a New Big Cheese
Most of us are familiar with Luke Skywalker, Tony Stark, Mickey Mouse and Homer Simpson. We might not know the guy who was instrumental in bringing them all together in one big Disney family: Bob Iger. Iger, who’d been Disney’s CEO since 2005, announced yesterday that he was stepping down—clearing the way for Bob Chapek […]
More Screen Time, Less Sleep Time?
You wouldn’t think that a biography of 19th president Rutherford B. Hayes would keep one up at night. In truth, it was one of the reasons I was reading said biography. Can’t sleep? Rutherford B. Hayes’ mixed record on reconstruction will knock you right out. But there I was, still reading—an hour after I’d intended […]
Sonic Rings Up Another Win
This weekend’s box-office tourney featured a showdown between PG-rated films, pitting defending champ Sonic the Hedgehog against new contender Call of the Wild. And if we were in the world of the old Highlander series of movies, someone would start chanting right now that “there can be only one!” But when the CGI dust settled, […]
Culture Clips: Social Media Can Cause Depression … but One Outlet Wants to Combat It, Too
We’ve been reporting for a while that social media can bum you out. A new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal bears that out. The study focused specifically on teens, and it found that teen girls that use social media more than two hours a day have higher rates of depression and suicidal thoughts. […]
Sonic Shows Its Teeth
Amazing what a makeover can do, isn’t it? Last April, it looked as if the fastest hedgehog in entertainment was headed straight for a brick wall. When Paramount Pictures dropped its first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog, a movie inspired by Sega’s endearing video game character, the reaction was universal: “AAAAAGH!” The eyes were weird. […]
Culture Clips: Moving on From the Oscars?
Yesterday, we talked about Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar speech and briefly mentioned that, relatively speaking, not very many folks watched it. Oh, sure. In an age in which a hit show might garner 4 million viewers, the 23.6 million folks tuned in to see Janelle Monáe’s shimmery dress and hear Billie Eilish sing “Yesterday” is still […]
What This Year’s Oscars Can Teach Us
Ratings for the Oscars telecast are in, and they’re … not good. Just 23.6 million viewers tuned in to watch Parasite walk away with Best Picture honors, which the Associated Press says was an all-time low for the ABC telecast. While viewers for all sorts of awards shows have been declining in the age of […]
Birds of Prey Glides to First
A resounding victory, it wasn’t. Still, Birds of Prey did flap to first place on the weekend’s box-office charts, as expected, ending Bad Boys For Life’s three-week stay at the top. Birds pecked up less than $33.3 million in North America, though, according to early estimates. That flies well short of the $45 million most […]
The Plugged In Movie Awards 2020: And the Winners Are …
Welcome, welcome everybody. Don’t trip on the red carpet on the way to your seat. You all look very fine indeed, what with those tuxedos/evening gowns/sweatpants you’ve donned for this very, very special occasion. We’re talking about the Plugged In Movie Awards, of course. It’s a ceremony far more lavish than the Oscars … or […]
Culture Clips: The Skinny Jason Momoa Edition
Welp, another Super Bowl is in the books, and we had much to say about that halftime show. Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, did, too. Indeed, it seemed like most everyone had lots and lots and lots to say about Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s performance. But halftime is, by definition, just a small […]