Day: January 8, 2019

After a Tame Globes, Is a Less-Charged Awards Season Ahead?

By Uponent | | No Comments | Entertainment

The Golden Globe Awards looked like it had gone entirely back to frothy, bubbly business as usual, until Regina King did the impossible: She got the orchestra to stop playing her off. Not even Lady Gaga had that much power. 

King used her platform on stage accepting the supporting actress award for “If Beale Street Could Talk,” to shed a light on Time’s Up x 2, the second year iteration of the legal defense fund founded in the wake of the sexual misconduct revelations that shook Hollywood. 

“We understand that our microphones are big and we’re speaking for everyone,” she said before pledging that every project she produces for the next two years will have at least 50 percent of women working on it. “And I challenge anyone out there who is in in a position of power, not just in our industry, in all industries, I challenge you to … stand with us in solidarity and do the same.” 

It would be one of the rare show-stopping moments of the night. After last year’s Golden Globes were host to such a powerful display of female solidarity, in which top actresses walked the carpet in all-black alongside prominent activists in support of Time’s Up and #MeToo, this year, statements were no longer collective. They were individual.

A few actresses, Gina Rodriguez and Rachel Brosnahan among them, wore Time’s Up x 2 ribbons on the carpet; Patricia Clarkson said that her “Sharp Objects” director Jean-Marc Vallee “demanded everything of me except sex which is exactly how it should be in our industry”; Glenn Close implored women to “find personal fulfillment” and follow their dreams; Co-host Sandra Oh got emotional saying she said yes to hosting so that she could, “Look out on this audience and witness this moment of change”; And Emma Stone even shouted out an apology from the audience for playing a part-Asian character in “Aloha.”

​Sunday’s Globes could be a sign that awards shows in general are going to return to business as usual: The occasional snide political remark (Christian Bale thanking Satan for inspiration playing Dick Cheney, or positing that Mitch McConnell might be a good “uncharismatic” role to play next, adding an expletive), or showbiz joke (Oh and Andy Samberg saying in unison that “one lucky audience member will host the Oscars!”). 

Harrison Ford presented the directing award and did not, as Natalie Portman did last year, note that all the nominees were men (again). Patricia Arquette, who three years ago called for equal pay while accepting her supporting actress Oscar, kept her speech to standard HFPA, fellow nominee and producer thanks (albeit with two F-bombs). And following two years of show-stealing Cecil B. DeMille award speeches from Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges brought the honor back to earth with a heartfelt, nostalgic and, interestingly wide-ranging vamp about everything from Peter Bogdanovich and the Coen brothers to geodesic domes. Even Carol Burnett, as the first-ever recipient of an award named after her, stayed in the past as well, speaking about how her show would never get made today. 

As for the winners, while the choices of the 88-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association has no direct relation to the nearly 8,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a win on a stage of the Golden Globes doesn’t go unnoticed, and Oscar nomination voting began Monday. Some probably didn’t need a bounce, like Olivia Colman’s win for “The Favourite,” or “Shallow” winning best original song. Some did, like Glenn Close who upset Lady Gaga with her best actress drama win for “The Wife” and gave one of the best speeches of the night. And two divisive-for-different-reasons films got high-profile boosts winning the top film awards and key acting awards: The Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which won over “A Star Is Born”) and the inspired-by-a-true-story Jim Crow-era South road trip movie “Green Book.” 

“Bohemian Rhapsody” was not well-received by critics, who pointed out its factual inaccuracies and music biopic trappings, but resonated with audiences (it’s made over $743 million worldwide to date), and its awards profile is growing. “Green Book,” meanwhile, went from winning the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival to being scrutinized for its racial politics. 

“Green Book” director Peter Farrelly also got the orchestra to back off, but, in his case it was so that he could talk about his film.

“This story gave me hope and I wanted to share that hope with you,” Farrelly said on stage. “If Don Shirley and Tony Vallelonga can find a common ground so can we.” 

Both pleased enough crowds and HFPA voters, despite the backlash, to win out over “A Star Is Born,” a film that everyone, wrongly, presumed would dominate Sunday night. 

But everyone loves an underdog, and now, it’s “A Star Is Born’s” turn to find its way back to the top.
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Mexico Fuel Theft Crackdown Sparks Shortages, Puts Govt. on Defensive

By Uponbiz | | No Comments | Business

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday that his crackdown against fuel theft was yielding positive results, even as the intervention sparked severe fuel shortages in parts of the country and long lines of angry motorists.

In a bid to eliminate years of mounting theft, state oil firm Pemex has changed its distribution, triggering shortfalls in at least six states, including Guanajuato, a major car-making hub in central Mexico.

Guanajuato’s state government said that less than one third of the state’s gas stations were open on Monday.

Lopez Obrador told a news conference the government had not established a date for when operations would return to normal, but stressed that supply was not in danger.

“We are changing the whole distribution system, that’s the reason for the shortage. We have enough gasoline,” he said.

Mexican television showed long lines of drivers waiting to fill up in central states as well as Jalisco in the west and Tamaulipas in the north.

Years of fuel theft by criminal groups and others by tapping pipelines and stealing tanker trucks has led to losses totaling billions of dollars for public coffers.

Lopez Obrador’s government has ordered the armed forces to intervene in Pemex’s facilities, including one refinery.

“The supply will normalize, and at the same time we are going to guarantee that fuel is not stolen,” said Lopez Obrador, who took office in December. “We have seen a reduction in theft like never before … but we still have work to do.”

Guanajuato’s governor Diego Sinhue told local radio that of the state’s 415 gas stations, only 115 were open. In Leon, Guanajuato’s biggest city with a population of more than 1.5 million, only 7 of 196 stations were open on Sunday, he said.

“Fuel is becoming a serious problem,” said Sinhue, a member of the opposition center-right National Action Party (PAN). “People are really angry about this shortage.”

Sinhue said the army had informed him it had taken control of the state’s Salamanca refinery on Monday morning. There, members of the armed forces were monitoring tankers going in and out of the facility, as well as the pressure of pipelines.

Energy Minister Rocio Nahle offered an apology on Mexican radio for the shortages. Asked when the problem would be fixed, she said it was in the process of being “normalized.”
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Sam Elliott Honored at Hollywood ‘Footprints’ Ceremony

By Uponent | | No Comments | Entertainment

Veteran actor Sam Elliott imprinted his hands and feet in cement on Hollywood Boulevard on Monday, as “A Star is Born” co-stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper shook off Golden Globes disappointment to join in honoring the 74-year-old’s long career.

Known for his lanky physique, thick mustache and languid drawl, Elliott reflected on his life’s work and the joy of acting, telling reporters: “The people you work with, the community… and feeling like you’re doing something that makes a difference to somebody” made it all worthwhile.

“A Star is Born” may have struck out at the Golden Globes the night before, picking up just one trophy for best song, but Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper were all smiles as they came to show their support for Elliott, who plays Cooper’s elder brother in the film.

Dressed in a striking sky-blue trench coat, Gaga, 32, shared an Instagram story as she received a kiss on her forehead from Elliott.

“So excited to be here for Sam Elliott’s hand & footprint ceremony,” she wrote, adding a series of heart emojis.

The trio later shared a heart-warming embrace, as Cooper hailed the “iconic mark” Elliott had on films.

Elliott got his start with minor roles in late 60s Westerns such as “The Way West” (1967) and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” but it wasn’t until the 1980s that his career took off in a big way  in the “Mask” and “Road House.”

He received the first of his two Golden Globe nomination for TV film “Conagher,” where he played the titular role and starred alongside his wife Katharine Ross.

Elliott also has two primetime Emmy nominations, with other notable works, including “Gettysburg” and “The Big Lebowski,” and is a regular on current Netflix series “The Ranch.”

While he wasn’t nominated at the Golden Globes, industry magazine Variety reported the actor seems poised to land his first Oscar nomination for what it called his “tender performance” in “A Star is Born.”
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Iguanas Reintroduced to Santiago Island in Galapagos

By Uponsci | | No Comments | Science

A group of more than 1,400 iguanas have been reintroduced to an Ecuadoran island in the Galapagos archipelago around two centuries after they disappeared from there, authorities said on Monday.

The Galapagos land iguanas from North Seymour Island were freed onto Santiago Island as part of an ecological restoration program, the National Galapagos Park authority said in a statement.

The last recorded sighting of iguanas in Santiago Island had been made by British naturalist Charles Darwin in 1835.

“Almost two centuries later, this ecosystem will once again count on this species through the restoration initiative,” said the park authority.

Its director, Jorge Carrion, said the iguanas became extinct due to the introduction of predators such as the feral pig, which was eradicated in 2001.

The program is also aimed at protecting the population of iguanas on North Seymour, said to number around 5,000, where food is limited.

“The land iguana is a herbivore that helps ecosystems by dispersing seeds and maintaining open spaces devoid of vegetation,” said Danny Rueda, the park authority’s ecosystems director.

The Galapagos archipelago, some 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the Ecuador coast, contains unique wildlife and vegetation, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

But it has one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world.
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Amazon Emerges as Most Valuable US Firm Amid Market Turmoil

By Uponbiz | | No Comments | Business

Amazon has eclipsed Microsoft as the most valuable publicly traded company in the U.S. as a see-sawing stock market continues to reshuffle corporate America’s pecking order.

The shift occurred Monday after Amazon’s shares rose 3 percent to close at $1,629.51 and lifted the e-commerce leader’s market value to $797 billion. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s stock edged up by less than 1 percent to finish at $102.06, leaving the computer software maker’s value at $784 billion.

It marks the first time Amazon has held the top spot and ends Microsoft’s brief return to the pinnacle after it surpassed Apple in late November.

The repositioning has been triggered by mounting concerns that the Trump administration’s trade war with China and rising interest rates will bog down the worldwide economy. If that were to happen, it’s likely to slow the growth of companies in technology and other industries that generate a substantial chunk of their revenue outside the U.S.

That’s one reason most technology stocks are well off their peaks. Amazon, for instance, remains 21 percent below its high reached in September when the company’s stock value stood above $1 trillion. Apple was worth even more back then, but its stock has plunged by 37 percent since early October to erase about $400 billion of its market value.

Apple confirmed some of investors’ worst fears last week when it warned that disappointing demand for iPhones, especially in China, caused its revenue for its most recent quarter to fall well below the projections of its management and industry analysts.
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Home Items Get Smarter and Creepier, Like It or Not

By Uponsil | | No Comments | Silicon Valley

One day, finding an oven that just cooks food may be as tough as buying a TV that merely lets you change channels.

Internet-connected “smarts” are creeping into cars, refrigerators, thermostats, toys and just about everything else in your home. CES 2019, the gadget show opening Tuesday in Las Vegas, will showcase many of these products, including an oven that coordinates your recipes and a toilet that flushes with a voice command.

With every additional smart device in your home, companies are able to gather more details about your daily life. Some of that can be used to help advertisers target you — more precisely than they could with just the smartphone you carry.

“It’s decentralized surveillance,” said Jeff Chester, executive director for the Center for Digital Democracy, a Washington-based digital privacy advocate. “We’re living in a world where we’re tethered to some online service stealthily gathering our information.”

Yet consumers seem to be welcoming these devices. The research firm IDC projects that 1.3 billion smart devices will ship worldwide in 2022, twice as many as 2018.

Companies say they are building these products not for snooping but for convenience, although Amazon, Google and other partners enabling the intelligence can use the details they collect to customize their services and ads.

‘Smart’ features

Whirlpool, for instance, is testing an oven whose window doubles as a display. You’ll still be able to see what’s roasting inside, but the glass can now display animation pointing to where to place the turkey for optimal cooking.

The oven can sync with your digital calendar and recommend recipes based on how much time you have. It can help coordinate multiple recipes, so that you’re not undercooking the side dishes in focusing too much on the entree. A camera inside lets you zoom in to see if the cheese on the lasagna has browned enough, without opening the oven door.

As for that smart toilet, Kohler’s Numi will respond to voice commands to raise or lower the lid — or to flush. You can do it from an app, too. The company says it’s all about offering hands-free options in a setting that’s very personal for people. The toilet is also heated and can play music and the news through its speakers.

Kohler also has a tub that adjusts water temperature to your liking and a kitchen faucet that dispenses just the right amount of water for a recipe.

For the most part, consumers aren’t asking for these specific features. After all, before cars were invented, people might have known only to ask for faster horses. “We try to be innovative in ways that customers don’t realize they need,” Samsung spokesman Louis Masses said.

Whirlpool said insights can come from something as simple as watching consumers open the oven door several times to check on the meal, losing heat in the process.

“They do not say to us, ‘Please tell me where to put [food] on the rack, or do algorithm-based cooking,”‘ said Doug Searles, general manager for Whirlpool’s research arm, WLabs. “They tell us the results that are most important to them.”

Samsung has several voice-enabled products, including a fridge that comes with an app that lets you check on its contents while you’re grocery shopping. New this year: Samsung’s washing machines can send alerts to its TVs — smart TVs, of course — so you know your laundry is ready while watching Netflix.

Other connected items at CES include:

  • a fishing rod that tracks your location to build an online map of where you’ve made the most catches;

  • a toothbrush that recommends where to brush more;

  • a fragrance diffuser that lets you control how your home smells from a smartphone app.

These are poised to join internet-connected security cameras, door locks and thermostats that are already on the market. The latter can work with sensors to turn the heat down automatically when you leave home.

‘Being spied on’

Chester said consumers feel the need to keep up with their neighbors when they buy appliances with the smartest smarts. He said all the conveniences can be “a powerful drug to help people forget the fact that they are also being spied on.”

Gadgets with voice controls typically aren’t transmitting any data back to company servers until you activate them with a trigger word, such as “Alexa” or “OK Google.” But devices have sometimes misheard innocuous words as legitimate commands to record and send private conversations.

Even when devices work properly, commands are usually stored indefinitely. Companies can use the data to personalize experiences — including ads. Beyond that, background conversations may be stored with the voice recordings and can resurface with hacking or as part of lawsuits or investigations.

Knowing what you cook or stock in your fridge might seem innocuous. But if insurers get hold of the data, they might charge you more for unhealthy diets, warned Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego. He also said it might be possible to infer ethnicity based on food consumed.

Manufacturers are instead emphasizing the benefits: Data collection from the smart faucet, for instance, allows Kohler’s app to display how much water is dispensed. (Water bills typically show water use for the whole home, not individual taps.)

The market for smart devices is small, but growing. Kohler estimates that in a few years, smart appliances will make up 10 percent of its revenue. Though the features are initially limited to premium models — such as the $7,000 toilet — they should eventually appear in entry-level products, too, as costs come down.

Ditching the ‘dumb’

Consider the TV. “Dumb” TVs are rare these days, as the vast majority of TVs ship with internet connections and apps, like it or not.

“It becomes a check-box item for the TV manufacturer,” said Paul Gagnon, an analyst with IHS Markit. For a dumb one, he said, you have to search for an off-brand, entry-level model with smaller screens — or go to places in the world where streaming services aren’t common.

“Dumb” cars are also headed to the scrapyard. The research firm BI Intelligence estimates that by 2020, three out of every four cars sold worldwide will be models with connectivity. No serious incidents have occurred in the United States, Europe and Japan, but a red flag has already been raised in China, where automakers have been sharing location details of connected cars with the government.

As for TVs, Consumer Reports says many TV makers collect and share users’ viewing habits. Vizio agreed to $2.5 million in penalties in 2017 to settle cases with the Federal Trade Commission and New Jersey officials.

Consumers can decide not to enable these connections. They can also vote with their wallets, Stephens said.

“I’m a firm believer that simple is better. If you don’t need to have these so-called enhancements, don’t buy them,” he said. “Does one really need a refrigerator that keeps track of everything in it and tells you you are running out of milk?”
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Fast Cars, Rickety Bridges as ‘The Grand Tour’ Returns

By Uponent | | No Comments | Entertainment

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May return for a third season of their thrill-seeking motor show “The Grand Tour,” with plenty of fast cars and stunning scenery they hope will take viewers’ minds off the real world.

The Amazon program follows the presenters as they test out all sorts of cars around the world, and this season sees them travel to Colombia and Mongolia.

“There’s a refugee crisis and politics going on left, right and center,” Clarkson said in an interview. “It’s quite nice to sit down to just go ‘thank God we can just park that for five minutes and watch these three fat old imbeciles falling over and catching fire’ because that’s what entertainment supposed to do, take your mind off the horrors of everyday life.”

The series launched in 2016, re-uniting the three former presenters of the BBC’s “Top Gear,” a program Clarkson was dropped from after he attacked a production staff member.

“Driving (Formula One racing driver) Jim Clark’s Lotus 25 was an amazing experience,” Hammond said when asked about the show’s highlights.

“That, plus in Colombia getting over the biggest, tallest, most rickety bridge you’ve ever seen in your life in a massive pickup truck. It was not a highlight doing it but getting off the bridge at the other side was.”

The third season of “The Grand Tour” debuts on Jan. 18 on Amazon Prime Video, the online retailer’s subscription service.

A fourth series has already been announced.
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Outlandish Claims at Indian Scientific Gathering Spark Outcry

By Uponsci | | No Comments | Science

A group representing Indian scientists say they will screen speakers at their yearly meeting more carefully after several made outlandish claims during their lectures.

“We have decided that all the people, even the top scientists who want to interact with anybody at the Science Congress, would be asked to submit their abstracts, not to deviate … and we will place one of our members there as a moderator,” Indian Science Congress general secretary Premendu Mathur said Monday.

One speaker at the just-completed congress doubted the findings and achievements of Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking.

Another insisted the people of ancient India had airplanes and missile technology, carried out stem-cell research, and created test tube babies.

Scientists in several Indian cities held silent demonstrations and carried signs to protest the speeches and the damage that such claims can do.

“This is very harmful for the growth of scientific temper because these ideas are being propagated through the Science Congress which gives it reproducibility,” retired professor Dhruba Mukhopadhyay said.
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