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Photo: Facebook Watch Reality television and social media came of age simultaneously, exploding in the early 2000s after early 1990s dalliances with giving us the ability to spy on each other’s intimate lives. Neither The Real World nor Facebook was the first in its class, but they were the destroyers of worlds, and now they are becoming one as Facebook, infinitely hungry for our attention, is rebooting The Real World , a show everyone stopped paying attention to. Can Facebook save the seminal reality show, and bring back my childhood? Spoiler alert: no. But it may be doing the next best thing. It’s impossible to consider The Real World: Atlanta without acknowledging just where the show once was, and where it went. As it aged over 25 years, The Real World managed to alienate those of us who grew up with it and bore those who were in MTV’s target audience of 12- to 34-year-olds. Superseded by its own spinoff, The Challenge , and other competition-forward shows that offered more of a foundation for conflict (i.e., drunken fistfights) than just living with people, The Real World faded to the background, a drunken, violent mess. In its final four seasons on MTV, the series went on a frenzied rampage of desperation, bailing on its format and even its naming conventions. Producers surprised their cast by moving in their enemies ( The Real World: Skeletons , The Real World: Bad Blood ) or exes ( The Real World: Ex-Plosion ). No one was killed, but those seasons felt so impetuous it almost seemed as if MTV would’ve been quite thrilled with at least an attempted murder. It’s easy to forget, but the shift in the show’s trajectory actually began much earlier: In 1996, after just four seasons aired, the producers started to imprint their heavy hand on the cast’s experience, forcing The Real World: Miami ’s roommates to create a business together (oh, Delicious Deliveries, you were ahead of your time), and making later casts work together. Even the … [Read more...] about Revival Is a Far Cry From the Original

A Who’s Who of screenwriters, producers, and streaming-service execs are speeding to make the next Big Short. But is there room for them all? Photo: Paramount Pictures About a week before the GameStop “stonks” ascendancy officially overwhelmed the news cycle, writer-director Matt Ritter had already seized upon an idea: This shit would make for a great movie. The finance lawyer turned filmmaker and TV producer emailed Jaime Rogozinski, creator of the Reddit thread r/WallStreetBets, who was quickly becoming the public face of a heretofore little-known movement of amateur investors hell-bent on challenging hedge-fund managers’ control of a certain segment of the options-trading market. Ritter’s goal: to “develop a life-rights relationship” that would lay the foundation for a fact-based film. Within days, a Who’s Who of screenwriters, producers, and streaming-service executives were flooding Rogozinski’s inbox with competing offers. “He was literally like, ‘Hey, I have Ben Mezrich on the other line and I have this other financier on the other line,’” Ritter recalls. “He said, ‘Look, we’ve got to do what’s best business-wise.’” After Ritter stopped hearing from Rogozinski, the filmmaker impulsively flew from Los Angeles to Mexico City where the alt-stock wizard lives to make a last-ditch in-person plea — only to discover Rogozinski had signed a deal to sell his rights for a “low-six-figure” payment to Brett Ratner’s RatPac Entertainment. “Look, we’re living in the era of IP for Hollywood and it’s all anyone ever talks about,” says Ritter, using the industry call letters for intellectual property. “But it’s not just, ‘Hey, this is a hot story.’ It’s, ‘Does this story have a bigger significance? A political component? Cultural relevance?’ This one is David vs. Goliath: The Retail Traders Fight Back . It’s not just a cool thing that happened. What it represents makes it a valuable commodity.” To judge by the proliferating array of GameStop-centric … [Read more...] about Inside Hollywood’s Rush to Make the First GameStop Movie

Last modified on Dec 02, 2020 14:19 GMT Katherine Robinson Countdown to Christmas with a luxury tea advent calendar for 2020  – you can start each day in December with a lovely cuppa and there are so many different types to choose from. From the Pukka tea advent calendar to good old PG tips to fancy Forntum & Mason – there’s a brew to suit every taste Calling all tea lovers! Did you know that you can countdown to Christmas 2020 with a lovely brew each morning if you get yourself a tea advent calendar? And we’re not just talking plain old builders tea here – there are some seriously luxe editions up for grabs. RELATED: Best coffee advent calendars for the caffeine lover in your life MORE: Best advent calendars for kids: Disney, toys, chocolate and more The Pukka tea advent calendar has the most delicious herbal tea bags you could dream of, and Fortnum & Mason’s tea advent calendar has a gin & tonic tea bag to enjoy. Keep reading to find your ideal brew, there are so many to choose from. Newby London tea advent calendar, £69.99, Newby London SHOP NOW What do you get? 24 different reasons to put the kettle on - in the form of 24 luxury blends from Newby’s Classic Tea Bag Collection. In fact, since each drawer contains four individually wrapped tea bags, it's actually 96 delicious brews in total. No two days are the same, so each day promises a different premium black tea, green tea, oolong tea or tisane blend. Why do we love it? With four bags per day there's enough to keep your going for the whole day - or to share if you're so inclined. And the stunning box - which is based on Newby's London headquarters - makes a beautiful display piece. Teapigs advent calendar, £34.99, Amazon SHOP NOW What do you get? 23 single-serve tea 'temples' and a special surprise waiting behind door number 24! From teas to calm you down after a tiring day … [Read more...] about 12 best tea advent calendars 2020: From Pukka to Fortnum & Mason