richardmurray

thank you @Troy

@ProfD why couldn't you provide your views on black elected officials to black districts? I don't want to know your answers to the questions i posed, but I want to know why you couldn't give it? 

for 2023 I am going to be more focused on black talk and I am going to heckle if i have to people on here when they evade talking about black folk. In my prose I spoke of shelby but the submit matter is clear that I posed. I do find it disturbing how many black people throughout the internet seem troubled to talk about black affairs. 

@Troy well, why not find the simplest song and try to play it, yoyo ma said something I heard that really made me realize how so many people blockade themselves from artistic expression. as I said with deviantart, many people on deviantart submit drawings that many will say are low quality or immature or something akin to not appropriate for submission and I love that. if all in the arts just started to submit it will improve the culture of artistic expression. 

@Chevdove yeah, media in the usa has been touting negativity for longer than anyone in this site has been alive, that has created the environment today. we all may laugh, but positivity isn't unimportant in media and when negativity is the norm is has consequence down the road

Do you ever worry that audiences will grow weary of stories on slavery?

There is this interesting quota that we all want to put on stories about slavery, and I think that question is often asked only of Black creatives. There are a thousand shows on the air about rich white families doing evil sympathetically, and no one puts a quota on that. I think it’s interesting that there’s this desire to police any storytelling about a creative’s history. I mean, this is my history and my family history.

I also think people are worried, afraid of, or sick of the tropes and stereotypes that come with this work and are waiting for the familiar scene in which some female enslaved person is raped or someone is tied to a pole or a tree and whipped. But in honoring Octavia’s book, I’m trying to find new things to talk about. We should never stop telling these stories, especially when people try to erase them from history books.

read the complete article

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2188&type=status

octavia tried to tell us episode

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2182&type=status

Both directors provide answers in a question and answer, your thoughts? 

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2188&type=status

Richard Shelby is a white elected official but I think his style is missing with black elected officials to black municipal districts, so not people like eric adams or former president barack obama but the city council/state assembly/house of representative members in the usa who are black and cover municipalities with over 90% black population. 

The question is simple, if you are in a black district <over80% black populace> shouldn't your black elected representative look to provide as much money as possible to the district you live in? Agree or disagree, please state your why? 

read the full article

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2187&type=status

So @ProfD  before recording artist, instrumentalist would play music to share the joy of playing music

@ProfD why don't you share your music on aalbc?

@ProfD have you ever performed musical work in the public domain, like old negro spirituals?

@ProfD I haven't paid attention or missed a number of said times.  what instrument do you use? 

cool

haha @ProfDfair enough, but I wonder, what do you like to do offline that is creative? 

@Troy  Question, new users aren't commenting but are new users posting? Not wanting to be involved in another's topic is one thing but not having a new topic yourself is another

I repeat what I said elsewhere

I don't think it is voyeurism, I think it is the inevitable result of the structure of communication online coming to bear. 

I run groups elsewhere as well and it is clear to me, most spaces online breed non communication. 

Search engines - are solitary, they are not places of collective action, people don't search together, and search engine use is high online

Online retail- another solitary, buying a product is usually a solitary event

Now they have product reviews where people can comment, but this is the first example of the internet's problem. Product reviews are usually filled with negatives, and the replies to product reviews are worse. Some will say , you find functional reviews but they are rare. Most product reviews are rants one way or another

Social media: video<youtube/tiktok>; text<twitter>;multimedia <facbook/tumblr> , all did communication a disservice online, because the usa populace, the most saturated online is naturally negative. And thus most communication online, stewarded by the usa populace, is negative. 

Email; should be the most functional as you don't have to give your email to everyone, but when email had a larger role, the biggest providers didn't structure it right, allowing email to become like paper mail, a den for commercial mail. So people don't use email as much as they should. even though many writers or groups still use email heavily. 

All together, this creates an online environment where most today are against communication, they rather just click like or dislike buttons than actually communicate because who wants to see the reply from personyoudontknow talk about how your an idiot or you don't know this or some negativity.

IN AMENDMENT

If someone ask me what place online I enjoy the most I probably say deviantart, but why? most of the people I am connected to on deviantart are artist. regardless of the medium or techniques used, they are artist, they submit art. Deviantart has the only stream I enjoy going to cause I will see creativity. The problem with most places online is, to be a member, you don't need to be a creator and thus most people don't create. as I have said with AALBC , this is a literary book club and yet, how many of us share book reviews, how many of us share work we have created. And I comprehend the role of the forum in aalbc, and I am not suggesting I am not guilty of the lack of creativity positing I am attributing to others, but it has to be better. Most places online are complaint boards, so the word voyeur is used for those not interested in getting in the complaint multilogs but I argue, why would they? Promote being creative and people will engage more. 

@Delano I don't think it is voyeurism, I think it is the inevitable result of the structure of communication online coming to bear. 

I run groups elsewhere as well and it is clear to me, most spaces online breed non communication. 

Search engines - are solitary, they are not places of collective action, people don't search together, and search engine use is high online

Online retail- another solitary, buying a product is usually a solitary event

Now they have product reviews where people can comment, but this is the first example of the internet's problem. Product reviews are usually filled with negatives, and the replies to product reviews are worse. Some will say , you find functional reviews but they are rare. Most product reviews are rants one way or another

Social media: video<youtube/tiktok>; text<twitter>;multimedia <facbook/tumblr> , all did communication a disservice online, because the usa populace, the most saturated online is naturally negative. And thus most communication online, stewarded by the usa populace, is negative. 

Email; should be the most functional as you don't have to give your email to everyone, but when email had a larger role, the biggest providers didn't structure it right, allowing email to become like paper mail, a den for commercial mail. So people don't use email as much as they should. even though many writers or groups still use email heavily. 

All together, this creates an online environment where most today are against communication, they rather just click like or dislike buttons than actually communicate because who wants to see the reply from personyoudontknow talk about how your an idiot or you don't know this or some negativity.

@Troy  I wonder the posting habits of new members elsewhere online? can you ask new members where online do they post the most? or the subject matter of what they post the most throughout the year? 

@ProfD yes but never forget marvin gaye's father was a pastor, he admitted he never even played with the other children in the community, something tells me marvin gaye was raised in a finishing school called his home. I know stevie wonder was raised a certain way as well, I think berry gordy's finishing school wasn't needed by every artist in motown , but his philosophy meant all had to go through it 

@Pioneer1 or @ProfD 

did you like the film omeleto, any thoughts? 

have either of you read kindred? any thoughts to the discussion?

thank you for your view @Pioneer1  i didn't find gaye's replies unexpected

Omeleto and black identity among blacks, 
Marvin Gaye says to make a successful work of art you must be commercial, do you disagree?
Octavia Tried to Tell Us and Adaptions of Black literature into film
https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2186&type=status

@Troy hope 2022 had more new members than 2021

What the journey of the benin bronzes show is black unity in black countries at least can occur but requires an acceptance of no one owning over others, sharing is key

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2185&type=status

@Pioneer1 In truth I have none but the black film archive https://blackfilmarchive.com/ have a newsletter you can sign up to email, sometimes I share in AALBC like now, but they have many films. and also get the newsletter of the following

https://sshmp.uchicago.edu/ 

in my view, black cinema is real but the problem is, it is low budget, and black people in the usa in particular don't like to embrace our situations, we like to be part of white people's situations. 

if you are interested

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2184&type=status

At a UBS media conference earlier this week, Bob Bakish, CEO of Simon & Schuster parent company Paramount Global, said that with the sale to Penguin Random House now dead, the company still plans to divest the publisher, though he didn’t say exactly how.

“We haven’t changed our point of view,” Bakish said. "[S&S] is not a core asset, because it is not a video asset. Our company is a video company.” He added: “We are going to do something in the marketplace with it as we move forward,” although what and when that will be is still to be determined.

Bakish told the conference that Paramount has collected the $200 million breakup fee it was owed from PRH since the acquisition didn’t go through. He also gave a nod to the record year S&S is having, saying the only good news coming from the failed sale is that the publisher’s financial performance is “materially higher than when we auctioned it.”

“It will all be fine eventually," Bakish said, “but it was a sub-optimal journey.”

ARTICLE

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/91087-paramount-ceo-says-s-s-will-be-divested.html

IN AMENDMENT

The redstone family, white jews, have properly organized their firm, the days of multimedia big firms is over for most of the large media firms in the usa. And so they all have gone on selling sprees to get rid of non money makers. But any ideas on who should buy simon and shuster? 

The holiday season is upon us, and it’s safe to say that festivities are kicking into high gear.

However, as you enjoy your favorite seasonal traditions, it’s important to remember that, just like most things in our lives, copyright has had a role in shaping it.

Whether it’s a movie becoming a holiday classic due to it being (briefly) in the public domain, holiday songs still very much under copyright, multiple legal questions around a children’s classic or some long-running myths that have changed the way people view some of the season’s most important characters, copyright has been a factor.

So, since it is the holiday season, let’s take a look at five ways copyright has helped shape our season’s traditions.

1: It’s a Wonderful (Copyright) Life < https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2013/12/05/wonderful-copyright-life/ >

It’s a Wonderful Life is currently a Christmas staple. It’s now of the best-known and best-loved holiday films. However, that wasn’t always the case.

Released in 1946 and based on a 1939 short story, the film itself lapsed into the public domain in 1974 after Republic Pictures, the movie’s rightsholders, failed to renew the copyright on the movie. 

However, when TV networks learned of the oversight, they jumped on it. Eager to fill hours of airtime in December, networks began playing the film almost constantly. For those who grew up before 1992, you likely remember the film being on a constant loop during the winter months.

That began to change in 1993. Boosted by a separate copyright case over the film Rear Window, Republic Pictures, obtained the rights to both the music in the film and the original short story. They began sending out notices of copyright claim to TV stations and signed a long-term deal with NBC that gave them exclusive rights to air it.

It’s a movie that only became famous because it was free and now is largely protected by copyright, thanks to a shifting legal landscape.

2: Christmas Music < https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2011/12/19/5-public-domain-christmas-songs-and-5-that-arent/ > 

Christmas music is an interesting duality. On one hand, many of the most popular Christmas songs are well into the public domain (at least for the composition). On the other, many others are not and become lucrative revenue generators for decades to come.

For example, Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You has earned well over $60 million in royalties over the song’s run. Originally released in 1994, it has charted every year since its release, even hitting number one in 2019 < https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2019/12/17/copyright-royalties-and-christmas-music/ >, 25 years after its debut.

One of the challenges is that it can be very difficult to tell which songs are and are not in public domain. That’s because many newer songs work to feel like “classics” that are much older and, after they’ve been around multiple decades, it’s easy to forget their relatively recent origins.

However, don’t let this lead you to think that you can’t play modern music at your private party. That is one of the many copyright myths that come with the holiday season. < https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2015/12/15/5-christmas-copyright-myths/ >

3: The How the Grinch Stole Christmas Parodies < https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2022/12/08/is-the-grinch-slasher-film-a-protected-parody/ > 

As many likely already know, a new slasher film featuring the character The Grinch was released in theaters this weekend. However, the film is unlicensed by the Suess estate and, as we discussed last week, the filmmaker is moving forward with confidence due to the legal protections of parody.

However, this is a lesson that the Seuss estate has already learned. In 2016, the estate targeted an Off-Broadway performance of a one-woman play named Who’s Holiday. The play was to feature a grown up version of Cindy Lou Who, the character from the original book, who would be a vulgar adult who drinks, uses drugs and likely killed The Grinch.

The legal threats prompted the play’s creator, Matthew Lombardo, to file a proactive lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment of non-infringement. He won that case in September 2017. < https://www.playbill.com/article/whos-holiday-playwright-matthew-lombardo-wins-case-against-dr-seuss-enterprises > 

The Seuss estate is well-known for being aggressive with litigation. However, it appears that this win may have set the stage for more than just Who’s Holiday and opened the door to other parodies of the famous Christmas book and cartoon. 

4: A Pair of Christmas Copyright Myths < https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2015/12/15/5-christmas-copyright-myths/ > 

As with anything else, there are a slew of copyright myths that come with the season. Though we’ve already touched on some in this article, one that definitely needs to be discusses is the myth that Coca-Cola owns Santa Claus.

While it is true that Coca-Cola ads from the 1920s and 1930s played a key role in setting how most people think of Santa, the description of Santa they were based upon was actually from the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, which is more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas.

That poem was released in 1823 and has long lapsed into the public domain. This means that the version of Santa we all know isn’t owned by anyone.

But that doesn’t mean that all Christmas traditions are public domain. The Elf on the Shelf was first published in 2005 and is still very much protected by both copyright and trademark. 

Though the owners of the intellectual property haven’t been quite as litigious as the Seuss estate, they did file a lawsuit in 2011 against a parody book that was slated to be published. They failed to get an injunction in that case too. 

Still, it goes to show that the season’s traditions are a mix of new and old, setting up for some bizarre copyright issues.

5: The Battle Over Baby Yoda < https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2019/12/19/the-battle-over-baby-yoda/ > 

2019 was an interesting year for Star Wars fans. In November, Disney+ opened its doors and released The Mandalorian. Though the series was an instant hit, it was the character of “Baby Yoda” that received the lion’s share of attention.

However, there was a problem. With the series releasing in November, official toys and merchandise for the character wouldn’t be released until May 2020. This meant that the 2019 holiday season would be Baby Yoda free, and that prompted many crafters to step in and fill that void.

Sites like Etsy and Ebay became flooded with unauthorized merchandise around the character. Everything from knitting/crochet patterns, dolls, paintings and more. 

Disney, for their part, came down hard, sending out a wide array of takedown notices targeting such unofficial merch. However, it was far too little, far too late. With no official merchandise, there was simply no way Disney could fill the void and others kept flooding into it.

The case became something of a warning. Though copyright enforcement can help and do great things, it can’t help you when you have the most popular toy of the year and no actual toys to sell. 

Bottom Line

Simply put, copyright plays a part in nearly every aspect of our lives. Often that connection is behind the scenes, many layers removed from the end user. 

Still, it shouldn’t be a surprise that copyright has altered the holiday season. So much of our traditions center around books, movies, songs and other kinds of protectable works that it’s inevitable.

Luckily, for most people, it’s fairly easy to have an infringement-free holiday season. Most of these issues are things that streaming services and retailers have to worry about, not end users.

It’s just interesting to think about the subtle ways copyright has and continues to steer those traditions as time moves on. 

ARTICLE

https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2022/12/12/5-ways-copyright-has-shaped-the-holidays/

IN AMENDMENT

Did you know all of these, I wondered why its a wonderful life stop being played constantly