Doctor Who boss pushes back against ‘wokeness’ critiques
Russell T Davies, boss of the BBC’s show Doctor Who, has said that he has no time for complaints from ‘online warriors’ who say the show has gotten too ‘woke.’ The head of Doctor Who, a long-running sci-fi show on the BBC, has said that he has ‘no time’...
Current in Culture
Is AI sparking demand for natural features?
No-one can shut up about Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth. But our sudden preoccupation with ‘natural’ faces says more about our propensity to reject them. Aimee Lou Wood has lovely teeth. Not perfectly symmetrical, not blindingly white, not sculpted into identical rectangles, but lovely, human teeth. And yet, since the actor...
Use of disposable vapes reportedly falls ahead of ban
E-cigarettes, more commonly known as vapes, have reportedly seen a decline in popularity ahead of the UK-wide ban that comes into effect at the start of June. From then on, disposable versions will no longer be available. The use of disposable vapes has seen a sharp decline in the...
A Minecraft Movie’s meme-shaped success
Gen Z fans have propelled the eponymous film to ridiculous heights thanks to memes and theatre mayhem. Who would’ve thought a movie based on the most popular game of all time would be a smash hit? Honestly, not me. Unless you’ve just woken up from a coma spanning back to 2009,...
The White Lotus is breaking the Hollywood pay code
Mike White’s hit show pays every cast member the same amount, regardless of role or experience. You could argue that all jobs, all workplaces, are built on hierarchies. But perhaps no more so than Hollywood. There are few other contexts in which all employees work on the same projects regardless...
UK calls for streaming services to share revenue into TV fund
MPs in the UK have called for platforms like Netflix to share some of their revenue to support high-end British TV. They warn that a lack of support could erode distinctly British content. A group of UK MPs have called for streaming services to contribute a share of their...
Understanding the body politic
As many people are becoming increasingly disillusioned by a tumultuous political arena and a lack of social mobility, many are turning towards the gym as a way to “cope” with capitalism and achieve objective “positive” results. In 1982, Jane Fonda’s at-home workout videos were released, becoming one of the most popular nontheatrical home videos in the world. As well as her choreographed fitness routines, Fonda also experienced success as an...
Opinion – The bashing of Meghan Markle has gone too far
The media loves a catfight, but its obsession with inserting them into Meghan Markle’s innocent home-making exposes deep-rooted biases. Ever since she entered the remit of the royals, Meghan Markle has been subject to relentless scrutiny. Never one to break a habit, the media has ensured that her latest venture, the Netflix series With Love, Meghan, has been met with undue criticism and even spawned a recent string of...
News avoidance has become huge internationally
The percentage of people who selectively avoid news has reportedly reached 39% globally. This is an increase of 10% in less than a decade. Blissful ignorance or doomscroll-induced anxiety? Pick your poison. It’s no secret that the state of the world is causing mass panic. Cost of living is on a continual ascent, the climate situation is perilously grim, war crimes are occurring on a daily basis, the threat of terrorism...
Should we be concerned about the Studio Ghibli AI trend?
Social media platforms are ablaze this week with users creating fake Studio Ghibli inspired artwork using generative AI. How much harm does this do to actual artists and animation studios? Another week, another story of generative AI disrupting the creative industry. This time, it looks like the legendary Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli is being dragged into the debate, as thousands of social media users generate and post ‘original’ images...
