Topic

Media & Censorship

A collection of 19 issues

How South Park's Creators Won an R-Rating Battle Against a Studio's Absurd Bluff

In 1999, Trey Parker and Matt Stone fought for an R-rating for their South Park movie against Paramount, which wanted a more profitable PG-13. The studio's absurd tactic? An executive feigned ignorance, asking if R-rated films made more money. The creators didn't fall for the bluff.

Entertainment & Media Media & Censorship Business & Economics

The 'Over-the-Top' Actor Who Was Actually Real: A Lesson from 'Good Night, and Good Luck'

George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck" used archival footage of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Test audiences, unaware of this, complained the "actor" playing him was unbelievably over-the-top, proving that reality can indeed be stranger and more dramatic than fiction.

Entertainment & Media History Media & Censorship

Green, Yellow, Red: The Forgotten Color-Coded System That Rated Arcade Games

Long before the ESRB, arcades had their own rating system. The American Amusement Machine Association used simple color-coded stickers—green for all ages, yellow for mild content, and red for strong themes—to guide parents and players in the golden age of arcade gaming.

Sports & Games History Media & Censorship

The Question That Ended Censorship: How a Snobbish Remark Freed 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'

In 1960, Penguin Books was on trial for publishing D.H. Lawrence's 'Lady Chatterley's Lover.' The case hinged on one famously out-of-touch question from the prosecutor about wives and servants, which made the jury laugh and marked a pivotal moment for free speech in Britain.

History Literature & Books Media & Censorship

Burn After Reading: The Extreme Secrecy Behind Tarantino's 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' Ending

Scarred by a past script leak, Quentin Tarantino went to extraordinary lengths to protect the shocking finale of "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood." He kept the only copy of the third act in a safe, forcing even his biggest stars to read it under lock and key at his home.

Entertainment & Media Media & Censorship

Watching Paint Dry: The Story of a 10-Hour Protest Film That Trolled the Censors

To protest the UK's expensive film classification system, filmmaker Charlie Lyne crowdfunded a 10-hour movie of paint drying. He then forced the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to watch the entire tedious spectacle to grant it a rating, highlighting censorship by cost.

Entertainment & Media Art, Culture & Design Media & Censorship

Your Heartbeat Betrays the Machine: The Dutch Secret to Spotting Early Deepfakes

The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) pioneered a method to unmask deepfakes by detecting subtle facial color shifts caused by a person's heartbeat. This invisible biological signature, a detail early AI couldn't replicate, offered a unique way to distinguish real people from forgeries.

Technology & Innovation Science & Nature Media & Censorship

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