Hollywood and COVID-19

The Next Step

China

Brzeski, Patrick, and Kim Masters , “Chinese Blockbuster's Similarity to Fox's ‘Fault in Our Stars’ Ignites Debate Over Derivative Work,” Hollywood Reporter, Jan. 13, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/prjfquzf. A Chinese romance film about cancer patients may have been cribbed from a similar American film without credit or approval, after 20th Century Fox halted its own authorized remake for the Chinese market.

Pallotta, Frank , “What if China no longer needs Hollywood? That's bad news for the film industry,” CNN, Jan. 28, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/1bren1vt. Recent Hollywood films have done poorly in China, including Disney's live action Mulan.

Su, Alice , “Shanghai's old cinemas tell of a power reversal between China and Hollywood,” Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/1grjp8wd. China is increasingly wielding its power by producing movies praising the country, its people and its government.

Diversity

Ritman, Alex , “Netflix Teams With Femi Oguns' Identity School as Part of U.K. Diversity Drive,” Hollywood Reporter, Jan. 21, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/1rbg416q. Netflix made a significant investment in a British acting school to help nurture the careers of aspiring actors from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority communities.

Robb, David , “Hollywood's Union Leaders Call On Congress To Enact Laws Advancing Diversity And Equity In The Arts, Entertainment & Media,” Deadline, Feb. 11, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/4pozuuup. Union leaders urged Congress to establish diversity objectives for arts grant recipients.

Sun, Rebecca , “In Golden Globes Twist, Directing Category Is More Diverse Than Actor Nominations,” Hollywood Reporter, Feb. 3, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/rhtsjza7. Three of the five nominees for best director at the 2021 Golden Globes are women, and two are women of color.

Home TV Tech

Jordan, Aisha , “How to Turn a Spare Room Into a Home Theater,” Lifehacker, Jan. 20, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/589zer6l. A culture writer explores the options involved in designing a home theater.

Snider, Mike , “New TV for Super Bowl Sunday: Big-screen television sales spike amid coronavirus pandemic,” USA Today, Feb. 4, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/2p3ers82. In the run-up to the Super Bowl, 85-inch televisions became increasingly popular.

Willcox, James K. , “The TVs Coming From LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL, and Others in 2021,” Consumer Reports, Jan. 15, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/1s56s34j. Improved audio and 8K resolution are some of the expected features among new TVs in 2021.

Studios and Productions

Blackall, Molly , “‘Getting work has never been harder’: TV and film production during Covid,” The Guardian, Feb. 4, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/1sg6nbj1. Four people who work in film and television in the United Kingdom share their struggles after losing work during the COVID-19 shutdowns.

D'Alessandro, Anthony , “Dakota Johnson Movie ‘Am I OK?’ Paused After Positive Covid Test,” Deadline, Feb. 5, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/4pawvgpk. Production on a film in Los Angeles was halted after the assistant of the leading actress tested positive for COVID-19.

Williams, Dave , “Georgia film industry bouncing back nicely from COVID-19 hiatus,” Rockdale-Newton Citizen, Feb. 7, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/1tn3hn2b. Film and TV producers are working on 37 projects in Georgia, more than the 23 that were in production at the same time last year.

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