Matrix director confirms the film is a transgender allegory
Lilly Wachowski, co-director of the Matrix films, says the film originally intended to reflect transgender experiences more explicitly - but the ‘world wasn’t ready for it’. The Matrix was considered a sci-fi classic almost instantaneously when it was released in 1999. Neo’s journey from average office worker to all-seeing oracle...
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Disney, LiveNation, and others are making huge losses in 2020
The live entertainment industry has been hit extremely hard by coronavirus, so much so that it’ll likely take years to fully recover - though streaming is on the rise. Disney has reported that it made a net loss of $4.72 billion in the last financial quarter, a rare dip in...
Spotify’s latest revenue figures prove it’s not fairly paying artists
Over 90% of streams on Spotify are only generated by a pool of 43,000 artists, making it impossible for millions of others to ever receive fair compensation. Is it time for a change? Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek has been hit with criticism in the last week for telling artists that...
Recycled pianos used to create new theatre space in Glasgow
Pianos have been dismantled and sliced in a hut in Springburn to create a brand new theatrical and musical space. They might not be the first thing you’d associate with construction, but it turns out pianos can be very useful when creating new spaces for the arts. A steel hut...
EA announces new Sims reality tv show
Players will compete with one another in a series of challenges that test their creativity within The Sims 4. It’s a mashup of e-sports and traditional television that we’ll likely see more of in the future. EA has announced a new reality show called The Sims Spark’d. The venture...
Jenna Marbles and Shane Dawson apologise for past racism
Older YouTubers are distancing themselves from videos that made them big names ten years ago - it’s a vital step toward genuine progress for racial representation. YouTube will turn fifteen years old this year. Back in 2005 the site was full of snappy videos of cats, quirky millennials making cringy...
Kanye announces he’s running for president
The billionaire producer and fashion designer took to Twitter to reveal his intentions to run for president, though he hasn’t worked out his policies yet and is too late to be on the ballot in several states. Yeezy season is fully upon us, it would seem. Kanye West has dropped a new single titled ‘Wash Us In The Blood’ with Travis Scott, re-activated his Twitter account, and has now announced...
Daughter of Michigan candidate says not to vote for her father in viral tweet
Stephanie Regan has garnered over 150,000 likes for a tweet that urges Americans not to vote for her father. It’s the most concise representation of the generational divide thus far. Trying to argue with parents about political matters is tough enough as it is, but imagine how much harder it would be if they were trying to bag themselves a seat in the Michigan state house. This is the reality...
Museums rush to collect artefacts from the BLM protests as they’re happening
Museums set out to preserve artefacts that represent 2020's BLM protests, recording history in real time. The tragic killing of George Floyd has brought about an incredibly transformative period in American history that is guaranteed to be studied by historians for years to come. As the ongoing civil rights uprisings encourage nationwide institutions to respond with urgency, dozens of museums - which typically have little involvement in 'current' events (obviously)...
Stormzy pledges £10m to fight racial injustice
The UK grime artist will be giving cash to various undisclosed organisations over the next decade. It comes as other artists speak out about the music industry’s racial biases and discrimination. In a statement released yesterday, Stormzy has promised to donate £10 million to ‘organisations, charities, and movements that are committed to fighting racial inequality, justice reform, and Black empowerment in the UK’ over the next ten years. He will...
