Artsbeat: China Cracks Down On Online Television

So if you care to find “Wicked,” look… just about anywhere. You’d have to be flattened by a farmhouse to miss the “Wicked” promotional onslaught. From Starbucks drinks (Elphaba cold brew, topped with green matcha foam, anyone?) to Emerald City Lego sets, “Shiz University” sweaters at Target and OPI’s “Fiyero’s My Mani” nail polish (it’s […]

“The Shawshank Redemption” star and “Mystic River” Oscar winner Tim Robbins recently told The Guardian that he’s worried about the future of movies given how much algorithms now dictate what viewers watch. And in most cases, the algorithm is leading people to more of the same and not anything unique.

Charlize Theron is the latest bold-faced name to join the cast of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie at Universal. The Oscar winner joins a star-studded ensemble that includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Robert Pattinson. Details about the highly-anticipated film’s plot remain tightly under wraps and sources tell Variety that loglines […]

In the latest twist in the bruising beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, the Canadian rapper has initiated legal action against Universal Music Group over allegations that the company conspired using Spotify to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” The action is doubly surprising because UMG distributes both artists’ recordings.

What’s the mood of the rank and file at the NBCUniversal cable networks and businesses Comcast intends to spin off next year? As you would expect, there’s a degree of anxiety over the move to create “SpinCo,” carved off from Comcast and NBCU, with a number of unanswered questions about what’s next.

Brick by brick, Pharrell Williams has built his life. Williams, a man of constant reinvention, has again surprised the world with the animated biopic, “Piece by Piece.” The documentary chronicles his life from childhood to international stardom and his eventual rediscovery of himself. The film, directed by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville, uses Lego to render Pharrell’s […]