Conservative Entertainment, Now in Network Form

Staff / Truthdig Sep 9, 2010 Quick -- name a right-leaning entertainer who isn't Kelsey Grammer! Or Ted Nugent. Whoever they are, conservative celebrities can now find a home to showcase their talent and flex their politics at the same time with the launch of RightNetwork. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Mashed Up: Music, Technology, and the Rise of Configurable Culture’

Aram Sinnreich / Truthdig Aug 28, 2010 From that moment during the Renaissance when someone first decided that a painter was more than just a craftsman with an easel, the whole idea of the Artist-with-a-capital-A has required an entire mythology just to make it seem plausible.The line separating artists from their audience has always been a bit blurry. Dig deeper ( 24 Min. Read )

Lena Horne: A Glamorous Revolutionary

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig May 11, 2010 Lena Horne, who died Sunday at 92, was an infiltrator and one of the most significant American entertainers of the 20th century. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Mel Gibson Is Done With Apologizing, Calls Reporter an A-Hole

Staff / Truthdig Feb 3, 2010 Is it unfair to bring up Mel Gibson's troubles? After all, it's been more than three years since the superstar allegedly blamed those "fucking Jews" for "all the wars in the world." Gibson loses it in this interview, saying "I've done all the necessary mea culpas." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Box Office Sales Buoyant in 2009

Staff / Truthdig Dec 15, 2009 Which industries actually thrive in the midst of a crippling recession? There are many ways to approach that question, but over the past year, Americans looking for low-impact escapism on a budget went to the movies, and they did so in numbers that might put some of the hand-wringing about the impact of the Internet and the economy on the film business on hold, at least for the time being. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Thank You for Not Sharing

Ruth Marcus / Truthdig Dec 2, 2009 Tiger Woods' determined silence in the aftermath of his wee-hours encounter with a fire hydrant is a timely antidote to the too-much-information celebrity culture. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

China at Odds With WTO Over Media Import Rules

Staff / Truthdig Sep 23, 2009 It's not the first time that objections have been raised over the kinds of values promoted, whether explicitly or implicitly, by media products hailing from the general vicinity of Hollywood, but this time the issue concerns a whole country taking on a major international commercial coalition: China and the World Trade Organization, respectively. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Disney Grabs Marvel: Can Mickey and Wolverine Get Along?

Staff / Truthdig Aug 31, 2009 Oh, what a tangled web Spider-Man weaves. Thanks largely to the multibillion-dollar success of Marvel's characters on the big screen, Disney is buying the fabled comic book company for $4 billion in cash and stock. The Mouse House says Marvel characters will soon be appearing at its theme parks, but that isn't the half of it. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The End of Network TV as We Know It

Staff / Truthdig Aug 19, 2009 The American television industry is in crisis, according to Advertising Age critic Bob Garfield, who figures prominently in The Wrap's two-part look into the future of the industry. In fact, says Garfield, we're seeing early signs of "the total collapse of the network television model." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Chris Hedges Talks ‘Illusion’ and Morality on GRITtv

BLANK Aug 1, 2009 Is the unflagging popularity of reality television a sign of the entertainment industry's relentless reliance on producing fodder for the lowest common denominator -- or a symptom, as Truthdig columnist Chris Hedges argues in this clip from "GRITtv With Laura Flanders," of a society in serious moral decline? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Actors Reach ‘Devastatingly Unsatisfactory’ Agreement with Studios

Staff / Truthdig Jun 10, 2009 After a year of haggling (and not much to show for it), the Screen Actors Guild has agreed to a two-year contract with the major studios. SAG President Alan Rosenberg dismissed the deal as "devastatingly unsatisfactory." So dramatic. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Limbaugh and Steele Lock Horns in GOP Rumble

Staff / Truthdig Mar 3, 2009 ¿Quién es más macho? And who's the rightful leader of the GOP? Both Rush Limbaugh and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele are claiming the title in a curious kind of public arm-wrestling match that also pits entertainment against politics (as if the two weren't already interconnected). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )