106.3 The Buzz (no relation): Sammy Hagar + Michael Anthony Launch ‘Van Hagar’ Era Online Archive. “Former Van Halen members and current Sammy Hagar & The Circle rockers Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony have jointly launched an archival social media destination saluting their time together in Van Halen, the period known as the ‘Van Hagar’ era to fans of the rock band co-founded by the late Eddie Van Halen.”
Radio Times: BBC reveals new archive that allows access to 200,000 programmes – and early editions of Radio Times. “Formerly known as BBC Genome, the BBC’s Programme Index now makes the broadcaster’s archive more accessible than ever, with viewers able to browse over 10 million listings, 200,000 playable programmes and even early editions of Radio Times magazine.”
The Conversation: Kapow! Zap! Splat! How comics make sound on the page. “From Wolverine’s SNIKT! when unsheathing his claws, to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in The Death of Stalin (later made into a film) the use of ‘textual audio’ invites comics readers to hear with their eyes. Fundamental elements such as symbols, font styles and onomatopoeia (where words imitate sounds) mean reading comics is a cross-sensory experience. New and old examples show the endless potential of the artform.”
Business Insider: 259 LGBTQ characters in cartoons that bust the myth that kids can’t handle inclusion. “Insider produced a database to track the historical presence of LGBTQ and gender-minority characters in animated children’s television.”
Variety: Game Show History to Be Preserved With National Archives at Strong National Museum of Play. “The first quiz show launched on radio in 1923; now, nearly 100 years later, the National Archives of Game Show History has launched at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y. Veteran TV producers Bob Boden (‘Funny You Should Ask’) and Howard Blumenthal (‘Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?’) have co-founded the archives and will curate the collection.”
Heavy Consequence: Robert Plant Instructs His Kids to Unleash His Unreleased Archive of Music for Free When He Dies. “On the latest episode of his Digging Deep podcast, the iconic singer told co-host Matt Everitt that he spent a good portion of the pandemic archiving his unreleased material from over the years. The music dates from his pre-Zeppelin days in 1966 through the present day…. He added, ‘I’ve told the kids when I kick the bucket, open it to the public free of charge — just to see how many silly things there were down the line from 1966 to now. It’s a journey.’”
Disney Parks Blog: Disney PhotoPass Service x Snap: Announcing New PhotoPass Snapchat Lenses and Can’t-Miss Surprises for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary!. “The Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Lenses will be available in the Snapchat app* only at Walt Disney World Resort, but to celebrate the launch – and other special experiences to come! – you can try them at home, anywhere in the U.S., until June 3.”
QNS: Museum of the Moving Image announces plans to reopen April 30. “This spring, with the support of a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the museum will launch a new website to better serve a diverse audience with humanities-rich content related to the study and appreciation of the moving image from an historical and contemporary perspective. All of the museum’s recorded events from the past year and earlier will be organized to allow for easier discovery, and the site will allow for improved showcases of the museum’s collection.”
Mashable: 25 Stephen King short films are being shown at this virtual festival. Some have never been released.. “The Stephen King Rules Dollar Baby Film Festival, a virtual event which will stream a number of short film adaptations based on the author’s work (including some which haven’t previously been released), is set to run from April 23 to 25 — and the best part is, the whole thing is free to join. 25 adaptations will be shown in total, each based on King short stories like Popsy, The Woman in the Room, and The Last Rung on the Ladder.”
Pitchfork: Radiohead Adding More Archival Concert Films to YouTube. “A year ago, Radiohead began adding archival concert footage to their YouTube page. The shows came from the extensive Radiohead Public Library. The series ran from April to July 2020. Now, the band is starting a second series. This Friday (April 9), a January 2008 show, performed at London’s 93 Feet East, will broadcast on YouTube. Be sure to tune in below at 3 p.m. Eastern on Friday.”
The Streamable: New Streaming Service Cultpix Debuts With 400 Classic Cult Films. “The platform will launch with a library of 400 cult classic and vintage films and TV shows. Looking to find an audience that has not been properly served by current providers, the content on Cultpix covers the gamut from Italian swordplay epics and Spanish horror to Swedish erotica and American slashers, seeking to draw from genre films published prior to the ’90s. The selection is expected to double by the end of the year thanks to a number of pending content deals.”
The Guardian: We stan together: the wonderful world of Instagram TV fan pages. “The fan account has long been a fixture of celebrity culture, as the focus has moved away from tabloid newspapers to blogs and fansites, and from there to social media. From the now-closed Instagram page @beyhive, which had 1.2 million followers thanks to its regular Beyoncé updates, to the myriad Harry Styles fan accounts on the platform, and the gossipy shots of Ana de Armas Updates, these pages keep their many followers informed with daily repurposing of their favourite celebrities’ images and content. It is a fandom largely made by fans, for fans.”
PR Newswire: Sesame Workshop Continues Major Commitment to Racial Justice with New “ABCs of Racial Literacy” Content to Help Families Talk to Children About Race and Identity (PRESS RELEASE). “Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, is releasing new resources to support families in talking to their children about race and racism. The ‘ABCs of Racial Literacy’ is part of Coming Together, Sesame Workshop’s ongoing commitment to racial justice.”
CNET: William Shatner turns 90, AI version of him will live on indefinitely. “Captain James T. Kirk, 90 years old? The flirtatious caption of Star Trek’s Enterprise will always be young on screen, but the actor who played him, William Shatner, turned 90 on Monday. And he announced that he’s creating an interactive AI-powered video ‘so family and friends can interact with him for years to come.’”
New York Times: Carl Reiner’s Archives Will Go to the National Comedy Center. “Reiner, who would have turned 99 on Saturday, also left behind a trove of documents, artifacts and personal memorabilia, working on TV programs like ‘Your Show of Shows’ and ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ and films like ‘Oh, God!’ and ‘The Jerk.’ Now this personal archive will live on: his family is donating it to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y., so that current fans and future generations can appreciate the breadth of his accomplishments.”
