Not Christmas Links #20

All the dating ‘green flags’ you should be exhibiting:

"Green flags are the positive attributes that make us dateable, says The Guyliner. Here's how to be your best single self."

‘Blade’: Delroy Lindo Joins Mahershala Ali in Marvel Studios’ Vampire Adventure (Exclusive):

"Bassam Tariq, known for directing the rap drama 'Mogul Mowgli,' is in the director’s chair."

The Misconceptions About Baby Boomers and the Sixties:

"Thankfully, we are within sight of the end of the fiftieth anniversaries of things that happened in the nineteen-sixties."

Postman Pat sets saved from destruction go on display:

"The sets used to create children's TV favourite Postman Pat have gone on show after being saved from destruction by the show's animators."

Teen rescued after showing domestic violence hand signal known on TikTok, police say:

"Kentucky driver called police after seeing ‘female passenger making hand gestures known to represent violence at home’."

Not Christmas Links #19

 
Fragment of lost 12th-century epic poem found in another book’s binding:
"Scholars knew the work about Guillaume d’Orange and the bloody siege of his city existed, but until now believed it had been lost completely."

The Bad Guys Are Winning:

"If the 20th century was the story of slow, uneven progress toward the victory of liberal democracy over other ideologies—communism, fascism, virulent nationalism—the 21st century is, so far, a story of the reverse."

Kid A Mnesia Exhibition:

"An upside-down digital/analogue universe created from original artwork and recordings to commemorate the coming of age of Radiohead’s Kid A and Amnesiac."

Opinion: Please stop asking film directors about Marvel movies:

"I understand that the culture of cinema is completely and totally dominated by the world of comic books. There’s a decent chance that North America’s five highest-grossing films released in 2021 will have a Marvel logo somewhere in the credits. But I am begging journalists to stop asking auteurs the Marvel Question — before it tears the moviemaking world apart."

Chloé Zhao explains how ‘Nomadland’ and ‘Eternals’ are cinematic twins:

"In some ways, Chloé Zhao embodies the typical Hollywood trajectory: A filmmaker makes a name for herself on the festival circuit with promising independent films, makes it to the Oscars with her bigger, more ambitious third outing, then captures the brass ring of directing a big Marvel movie."

Not Christmas Links #18

Pictures: Milton Keynes turns on the Christmas lights in spectacular style with a Sugababe in tow:
"Did you miss the lights switch-on well now you can re-live it with our gallery."

BBC 100: Year of brilliant programming to mark centenary:

"The BBC will mark 100 years with sports, events and landmark commissions for TV, Radio, and Online to inform, educate and entertain the nation."

How to Get Unstuck: Study:

"Learn something new, just because."

He Created The Oregon Trail:

"And he didn’t make a penny."

Panini: The sticker firm celebrating 60 years:

"Panini, the football sticker firm behind the playground craze of the 1970s and 80s, is celebrating its 60th anniversary. How did it survive tabloid warfare, a thieving tycoon's clutches and competition from Lycra-clad wrestlers to become a billion-pound business?"

Not Christmas Links #17

 
The Diary of River Song – New Recruit and other Big Finish updates:
"In keeping with tradition, I update the blog a smidgen later than I mean to re exciting new work things. So, to catch up, everything is going in this post."

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Leaving Netflix For Paramount+ Internationally, Season 4 To Launch Globally in 2022:

"The fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery debuts on Thursday in the USA and Canada. But unlike the previous seasons, it will not also be launching on Netflix outside North America. ViacomCBS is bringing the show home to its own streaming service."

Superhero drama Superman & Lois acquired for BBC One and BBC iPlayer:

"The BBC has acquired the UK premiere of Warner Bros. Television’s hit US Super Hero drama Superman & Lois, with series one coming to BBC One in an early evening slot on Saturday 4 December and all episodes arriving on BBC iPlayer that day." (it's 5:40)

‘It is surreal’: the five-second book reviews going viral on TikTok:

"With 26bn views – and the ability to influence global sales – the social media app’s reading corner #BookTok is not as niche as it seems."

Skittish Is Live!

"As you may remember, I’ve spent the last few months working on Skittish, a playful space for virtual events and gatherings of all kinds — requiring only a browser and microphone, using spatial 3D audio to talk to others around you."

Not Christmas Links #16

 
Bill Nighy to narrate Terry Pratchett’s footnotes in new Discworld recordings:
"The actor will bring Pratchett’s ‘personal commentary’ to life in a star-studded re-recording of all 40 Discworld audiobooks, featuring narrators from Indira Varma to Andy Serkis."

We’re all famous now:

"Why MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks the era of mass fame is upon us."

The far-right is doxing and threatening a man they incorrectly believe is on the Kyle Rittenhouse jury:

"He was in the pool of potential jurors but wasn't selected for the jury."

Independent artists and labels say Brexit has had “outrageous” impact in shipping music and merch to and from Europe:

"Many UK acts and labels now find it "kind of untenable to ship records to Europe"."

The 33 Best 33 1/3 Books:

"With more than 100 titles to its name at this point, Stephen M. Deusner highlights the 33 1/3 book series' finest moments."

Not Christmas Links #15

 

Peter Capaldi: ‘Don’t worry, I don’t suddenly think I’m a rock star’:
"The actor on political corruption, the genius of Terence Davies and making a solo album in his 60s."

Don’t appoint Paul Dacre as chair of Ofcom:

"To: Nadine Dorries, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Boris Johnson, Prime Minister."

Young viewers prefer TV subtitles, research suggests:

"Young people are almost four times more likely than older viewers to watch TV shows with subtitles, despite having fewer hearing problems, according to research by a captioning charity."

Finally watching Shang-Chi, here as a bus operator to rate the SFT transit factors of The Bus Scene:

"SFT (San Francisco Transit?) is using a New Flyer D60 articulated 60 foot motor coach for the 1 California."

The Day I Got Old:

"It just suddenly happened, and there isn’t a sports car in the world I can buy to make it otherwise."

Not Christmas Links #14

 

Jon Ronson and Adam Curtis on the culture wars: ‘How has this happened? Where is the escape hatch?’

"As Ronson’s BBC podcast Things Fell Apart begins, the documentary-makers and old friends discuss conspiracy theories, the problem of ‘activist journalists’ and what happened to Ceaușescu’s socks."

Fact check: Viral video purporting to show vaccinated woman's plane tantrum is fake:

"A video of a maskless woman having a tantrum on an airplane -- threatening to call the police because she is being forced to sit next to a man she presumes is unvaccinated -- has gone extraordinarily viral on social media."

Crooks, creeps and indecent proposals: Emily Ratajkowski on being paid to hang out with rich men:

"When she landed in LA, aged 19, the model, actor and writer was plunged into a world where wealthy men were desperate to be seen with women like her. At what cost?"

A 40-Year Variety Show: Reflections on Decades of Constant Change:

"This month marks the 40th anniversary of my joining Variety, which sets off a number of thoughts."

In Case I Don’t Write Here Again:

"This blog is almost 22 years old, and in all that time I’ve been solid about posting regularly — until this recent dry spell." [via]