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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Apr 29, 2020
April 29, 2020
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences --the folks who stage the Oscars each year-- have changed its rules so films that debut on streaming or video on demand services are eligible for next year's awards. That's theatres are closed during the coronavirus crisis, and therefore film releases have been delayed, with others going straight to digital. The next --93rd-- Academy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 28 of next year.
Meanwhile, some studios are making money by releasing films to On Demand cable --like “Trolls World Tour”-- which has been rented nearly 5 million times and earned close to $100 million. The great thing for movie companies is that unlike with movies shown in theatres, where the theatre keeps half the price of admission, Universal keeps around 80% of rental fees. In fact, because they made so much money on “Trolls World Tour,” Universal has now said they'll be releasing movies to theatres and on demand at the same time from now on. This did not go over well with AMC Theatres, which said they won't be screening any of Universal's films when movie theatres reopen --probably sometime this summer.
While we're on the streaming subject, Disney has decided to stream its film, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” two months early on Disney-Plus. The date of release --you guessed it-- “Star Wars Day,” or May the 4th.
Not everybody is social distancing --you may have seen students enjoying the beaches in Florida despite the coronavirus spectre-- and Tuesday the Newport Beach City Council rejected a measure that would have closed its beaches for three consecutive weekends in May. But in this case, they've also added additional police officers and lifeguards, and said anyone who doesn’t follow the social distancing order should be fined.
You may have seen the shot of WILL REEVE --a reporter for ABC and CHRISTOPHER REEVE's son-- doing a report for Tuesday's edition of "Good Morning America" from home while wearing a coat and tie... while you could see his unclad thighs as the camera moved a bit. He later tweeted "I have ARRIVED in the most hilariously mortifying way possible," and later explained that he "got ready for a post-GMA workout a little too soon this morning." See the shot HERE.
With businesses getting back to normal in post-coronavirus times, how will you get there? Lots of people in big cities must take public transportation and that will have to be redone in order to provide "social distancing." Imagine rush hour in a subway with people jammed into a car together. That's gotta stop. In other countries, things have already changed: there's red stickers on the floor to tell bus passengers in Milan how far apart to stand. The Dutch are putting on longer, roomier trains, and many cities, including Berlin, are opening up more lanes to cyclists. In Britain, bus passengers are entering through the middle or rear doors to reduce the risk to the driver. Can you think of a solution to the problem? Then you might be the next transportation commissioner in your city....
And with all the coronavirus problems, what will school be like for students who --like adults-- must "social distance" to avoid getting or spreading coronavirus? Of course, going back to school would probably be better for children, but currently, school is all about "remote learning" --and as Janice Jackson, chief executive of Chicago Public Schools, put it: “This may be the new normal even in the fall.” Of course, for schools back in session, you may see small class sizes, so students can sit 6 feet apart. Or staggered half-day classes or one-day-on, one-day-off schedules so desks can be spread out and buses can run half-empty. And at lunchtime at schools, meals to be served at their desks or in socially distanced lunchrooms. Probably no recess, gym classes, or study groups, either.
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