A former journalist has gone on a crusade to “give philosophy back to the people.” He says for too long philosophy as an art has been locked behind the walls of academia. – Feed
Tag: 05.24.00
CALLING ALL AUTEURS
Speaking to a graduating class of media students in Liverpool, Steven Spielberg said the British film industry is in need of a “great leader” to revive the art form to the greatness it achieved in the ‘40s and ‘50s. – BBC 05/24/00
INDECENT LAW
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a section of the 1996 Communications Decency Act – which restricts sex-oriented programming on cable TV – may be overly restrictive and threaten first amendment rights. The CDA, “introduced after complaints from church groups and conservative family lobbies, restricts sex-oriented channels to operating at night unless they “scramble” their signal.” – The Age (Melbourne) 05/24/00
ANYWHERE BUT HOME
The Chinese film “Guizi Lai Le” (Devils on the Doorstep) was well-received at Cannes. But rather than trumpeting its success at the prestigious festival, the Chinese government hasn’t yet even granted permission for the movie to be shown at home. – China Times 05/24/00
SHOO-IN
- Despite recent media reports that he wants to spend the rest of his life as a shoemaker in Italy, Daniel Day-Lewis has signed on to star in Martin Scorcese’s $100 million historical gangster epic, “Gangs of New York” which begins filming in August in Rome. Day-Lewis hasn’t acted since he appeared in “The Boxer” three years ago. – Irish Times 05/24/00
REEL DISASTER
“Mr. TV” Milton Berle has sued NBC for more than $30 million, accusing the network of losing 130 original copies of his popular 1950s comedy shows. – Times of India (Reuters) 05/24/00
NOT RATED FOR VIOLENCE
A new study of movie violence published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that a “G” rating doesn’t guarantee no violence. “G”-rated movies “averaged 9.5 minutes of violence, with the 1998 King Arthur tale ‘Quest for Camelot’ topping the list with 24 minutes of violence, or almost 30% of the movie.” – Los Angeles Times 05/24/00
“G”-SPOT
“The amount of cinematic violence–ranging from body blows to swordplay to gunshots–so alarmed researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health that they recommended that the Motion Picture Association of America consider changing its age-based rating system to one that provides specific warnings about a movie’s content.” – Washington Post 05/24/00
TWO E-BOOK INITIATIVES
Publishers announce new initiatives to exploit new e-book technologies. “An explosion of content is about to occur.” – Variety
BOULEZ SPEAKS
An interview with composer/conductor Pierre Boulez, who received Israel’s prestigious Wolf Prize for Lifetime Achievement this week. – Haaretz (Israel)