Google Docs, Facebook & Apple Censor Private Communications, Gen Z Saves 90's Grunge?, The Amber Heard/Johnny Depp Trial To Derail $100M+ Movies? (The Five for 04/29/22)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
Since the lead off story is about big tech censorship, it’s a good time to remind you to subscribe for email delivery, to ensure you can read future issues. If you’re reading via social media links, you have no idea how long big tech will allow that to continue.
It’s Friday, so let’s dive into Culture & Commentary.
[one]
After careful consideration, I’m still putting off writing about Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, simply because there’s no story to tell at the moment. Musk hasn’t made any changes to the social media giant, so it’s best to wait until something happens.
Sure, it’s easy (and fun) to dunk on hysterical media takes, but not particularly useful.
Musk has promised a return to free speech on Twitter, but hasn’t taken over the company yet. Instead, let’s take a look at how other platforms are currently censoring users.
The biggest case of censorship this week comes from Google Docs, which is now scolding users for word choices.
The online word processor’s algorithm will alert them that their chosen terms “may not be inclusive to all readers” and then goes a step further by suggesting alternative, more inclusive words to use.
For example, it might suggest “humankind” instead of the gendered “mankind,” or “police officer” instead of “policeman.”
The new AI-powered language feature, called “assistive writing,” has been widely panned by critics, who have accused the search engine of being both intrusive and preachy.
Vice writers found that when they attempted to type in the words “annoyed” and “Motherboard,” these seemingly innocuous terms were flagged for being insufficiently inclusive.
Elsewhere this week, my wife tried to send an article about COVID to a relative on Facebook messenger, and was told by Facebook the relative had blocked her (the relative did no such thing).
Amanda sent me the same article, and FB Messenger wouldn’t even show that I had received that message.
Elsewhere, Daily Wire Journalist Megan Basham (who I’m friendly with on Twitter) shared a screenshot of Apple’s Safari browser blocking search results.
When the major social media platforms started getting ban happy in the last 3-4 years, the argument was that major accounts were spreading hate speech and/or misinformation which could have wide sweeping societal consequences.
And now that same mindset has filtered down to private communication, internet search and even document creation.
In the Apple, Facebook and Google ecosystems, you’re now being censored for sharing information privately, searching for a “taboo” topic, or even just typing up a document for yourself that Google doesn’t like.
In contrast, Musk has floated the idea of making Twitter DM’s end-to-end encrypted, similar to the Signal app, so that no one else can read your private communication.
[two]
There’s always going to be a segment of teenagers into retro music…but TikTok creators are taking it up a notch, revitalizing “classic rock” (aka 90’s grunge bands).
A few weeks ago, the popular TikTok creator Ari Elkins introduced a new series titled “Oldies You Should Know.” The first track? “Something In The Way,” a moody Nirvana deep cut from the band’s classic 1991 album “Nevermind.”
In the clip, Elkins strums along to video from the band’s 1994 “MTV Unplugged In New York” — an album recorded shortly before frontman Kurt Cobain took his life.
My first reaction to this was a full body cringe that nearly threw out my back.
Why is this boy jamming to a moody, downtempo track, in which Cobain sings about being homeless and sleeping under a bridge?’ And if Nirvana is an oldies band, what does that make Frankie Avalon or Elvis Presley? Also, why is he playing air guitar to the rhythm of the kick drum?
Folks who grew up listening to this music may feel the urge to scoff as beloved songs are stripped of their original meaning or context. But beneath the meta-jokes and layers of irony, there seems to exist a genuine appreciation for the music.
“A lot of people in the comments section think I was making fun of (these songs),” Johnson says. “I was like, I’m not! I know all the words … these songs are on my playlist when I go to work!”
The history of popular music is filled with stories of appropriation and desecration, often giving rise to new and exciting forms of art.
So just relax and enjoy it, grandpa.
[three]
Two actors in the DC movie universe are forcing parent company Warner Brothers/Discovery and fans alike to grapple with when a content creator’s personal life has gone too far to enjoy their work on the screen.
To quickly recap the Amber Heard saga, she was married to Johnny Depp, who was kicked out of the Fantastic Beasts movie series (part of the larger Harry Potter universe) over alleged spousal abuse against Heard.
The trial is still ongoing, but it now looks like Heard severed the tip of Depp’s fingers, and physically beat him. Amber Heard plays Mira in the Aquaman and Justice League movies, and was previously seen as the victim, but public opinion (and likely the court verdict) are changing in that regard.
Heard only allegedly attacked one person, while The Flash star Ezra Miller attacked a woman for singing kareoke he didn’t like, burst into the bedroom of a couple and screamed “I will murder you and your slut wife,” and was just arrested for throwing a chair and hitting a woman in the face with it. Miller resides in Hawaii, and police say they’ve received more than 10 calls about the star’s behavior.
Rolling Stone reported that Miller had frequent meltdowns on the set of The Flash, which bordered on getting violent.
The easy answer here is to fire both stars (Heard’s story is still unraveling, but at this point it’s clear Miller is both unstable and violent), but there’s a problem.
The Flash movie is already complete, and there may not be enough money in the Discovery coffers after acquiring HBO/Warner Brothers to completely remake the movie. And, allegedly, the plot of The Flash is necessary for all future DC movies to work. Heard is allegedly also in movies that have already filmed, and may not be able to be written out.
The question now becomes…what is “fair” here? Is it reasonable to scrap hundreds of millions of dollars of movies due to the behavior of two actors? This would put regular folks out of work, and damage the careers of the other actors who starred alongside Miller/Heard?
On the flip side, if DC does put out these movies, what are the odds the average Joe and Jane want to throw down $14 at the local multiplex if that purchase is enriching…crazy people.
There’s probably a third way here, but I’m not sure what it is.
This isn’t a good week to be a Discovery/Warner Brothers/DC exec, that’s for sure.
[four]
A-lister Julia Roberts is returning to your TV in Gaslit (trailer), a limited series about the woman who blew the lid off the Watergate scandal.
However, the criticism over the star isn’t due to the content of the show, but a statement she dropped in a press tour, “I consider myself a homemaker.”
From the Daily Mail:
'It can't be 20 years, can it? Here's the thing: If I'd thought something was good enough, I would have done it,' Roberts admitted.
'But I also had three kids in the last 18 years. That raises the bar even more because then it's not only "Is this material good?" It's also the math equation of my husband's work schedule and the kids' school schedule and summer vacation. It's not just, "Oh, I think I want to do this,"' she admitted.
She added that her not doing romantic comedies, 'wasn’t by design, so much as not finding something that I was interested in. I was surprised how quickly the years seemed to go by.'
'People sometimes misconstrue the amount of time that’s gone by that I haven’t done a romantic comedy as my not wanting to do one,' Roberts clarified.
'If I had read something that I thought was that Notting Hill level of writing or My Best Friend’s Wedding level of madcap fun, I would do it,' she added.
Observations:
A. Roberts has stayed married in Hollywood, a town famous for divorce.
B. Her teenage kids haven’t been involved in any scandals, and certainly seem to be doing better than, say, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s kids.
C. Roberts husband, Daniel Moder, has a fairly thin IMDB page, so it doesn’t look like Roberts was turning down roles so her husband could win Oscars. Looking at the projects both have been a part of over the last 10 years, it certainly appears that the couple decided not to make their lives revolve around work and accolades.
D. It’s certainly odd that Roberts and Moder receive negative attention…simply for having a normal, seemingly healthy family.
The fact that all of this is playing out alongside the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial and the ongoing fallout of…whatever you would call the Will Smith/Jada Pinkett Smith situation…does provide some credibility that Hollywood (or at least part of Hollywood) does in fact hate the traditional family structure.
Two consenting, married adults downshifted their careers to raise children and be home together. That may not be the way you would choose to live your life, and that’s fine.
But, unlike the Depp/Heard and Will/Jada situation, nobody is being hurt here. We just have normal parents and normal kids in seemingly strong relationships with one another.
It’s odd to live in a culture where that’s even a little controversial.
[five]
Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones, The Good Fight) and Theo James (Divergent, Sandition) lead the new HBO series The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Based on a bestselling novel, the story first came to the screen in a hit movie starring Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Mean Girls) and Erica Bana (Star Trek, Troy) back in 2009.
The story apparently follows a couple who are tested when the guy is “afflicted” with involuntary time travel. I never saw the original film, but the first trailer for the show looks…pretty good.
On HBO Max May 15th.
The Russo Brothers (Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame) dropped the first images of Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, LaLa Land), Chris Pine (Avengers, Snowpiercer) and Ana De Armas (James Bond: No Time to Die, Knives Out) for The Grey Man, based on a very James-Bond-esque series of novels.
On Netflix July 22nd.
In the early years of original content on the streaming giant, Netflix was able to find hits with TV series but lacked in the original movie department. Now, the roles have reversed, with a string of high quality movies (and movie stars), but few hit shows these days (outside of Stranger Things).
Director Justin Lin has officially bailed on directing the 10th movie in the Fast & Furious franchise, entitled Fast X.
Hopefully someone can step up and take the reins to capture both the fastness and the furiousness of this movie.*
*Yes, I’m making fun of the franchise. I also love these movies. I also think these movies are for idiots. I’m also happy to be an idiot for two hours and watch fast cars go fast around some thin spy plot or something.
Ugh, fine. Too big not to cover. Avatar: The Way of the Water will release Dec. 20, 2024.
Followed by sure-to-be-terrible sequels Avatar 3 on Dec. 18, 2026, and and Avatar 4 Dec. 22, 2028.
Or, just rent the 1992 cartoon Ferngully and watch it four times…same story.
To clarify why I hate Avatar so much, in the thing the bad guys want in the first film is a mineral called “unobtainium.” As in “unobtainable” with “ium” on the end to make it sound like something on the periodic table.
Laziest writing ever.
Can’t believe I’m the one to say “give the Barbie movie a chance,” but until director Greta Gerwig makes a dud, I vote that we trust her. Lady Bird
is one of the best character dramas I’ve ever seen, and Gerwig’s Little Women remake received high praise from critics and fans of the source material.
So if Gerwig thinks she can pull a substantial story for adults out of a child’s toy…she deserves a shot.
The Batman 2 is officially a go.
Robert Pattinson’s take on the caped crusader is the biggest movie of 2022 to date ($750M box office), so a sequel was inevitable…but now it’s official.
MUSIC NEWS: Maggie Rogers is a rags-to-riches story. A childhood harp player, Rogers attended college to make folk music, before falling in love with the sounds of EDM (electronic dance music). When mega-producer Pharrell (who’s behind mega-hits by Jay-Z, No Doubt, Beyonce, Shakira) visited her class, the video of his response to a song Rogers wrote in class went viral.
Rogers debut album released in 2019, and we’re finally getting the follow up. The first single is out now.
Also worth noting, Nine Inch Nails are returning as a band and hitting the road for the first time in years. After rising to fame in the 90’s alternative/grunge scene, frontman Trent Reznor branched out with production/writing partner Atticus Ross film scores, and the duo won Oscars for best soundtrack for The Social Network and Disney’s Soul.
I wouldn’t call NIN my cup of tea by any means, but Reznor’s fingerprints on the soundscapes of popular culture are undeniable.
NEW MUSIC:
The Kid Laroi (pronounced La-roy) may the next Gen-Z star to break through. Mentored by the late Juice Wrld (who died of a drug overdose in 2019) released the first single off of his forthcoming album, and it feels like the New South Wales native could go to the pop stratosphere.
The 18-year-old has largely ignored social media and stayed close to his family throughout a rapid rise to fame (telling Apple Music’s Zane Lowe he makes it a priority to have dinner with his parents and siblings), which hopefully means he’ll avoid the trappings of his mentor, who died at just 21.
Apple Music | YouTube Music | Official Video
Until the next one,
-sth