QPORIT

INTERNATIONAL

BRITAIN

• has separated from Europe. BrExit is done.

***

2020-01-30 (THU JAN 30, 2020)

INTERNATIONAL

CORONAVIRUS

• was declared a WORLD HEALTH EMERGENCY by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• UPDATE 1/31/2020: The Dow Jones Industrial average lost well over 650 points on Friday; the decline was ascribed mostly to the potential effects on the economy of the coronavirus.

TECHNOLOGY

VR WORLD,

• a new, large (12,000 sq feet; 3 levels), location based gaming site, allowing people to experience VR has opened in New York.
• https://vrworldnyc.com/

THE WORLD

A PEACE PLAN FOR THE ISRAELI & PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

• has been proposed by the White House.
• The Palestinians did not participate in its development and seem to have so far rejected it.
• News accounts and analysis in the US have generally suggested it is favorable to Israel; and even more, that it is in part intended to support Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is his next election.
• Here is the full text of the proposal:
• https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Peace-to-Prosperity-0120.pdf

TECHNOLOGY

TIM COOK, FROM APPLE,

• in a talk in Ireland, talked about the importance and promise of Augmented Reality:
• "AR will pervade our entire lives"
• https://www.siliconrepublic.com/machines/tim-cook-ar-war-ducks-healthtech 

THEATER & FILM

THE NEW YORK TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE (2020-01-26)

• has a terrific article on the development of the new Broadway production of West Side Story, directed by Ivo Van Hove
• https://westsidestorybway.com/
• Note: In addition to this new Broadway production, Steven Spielberg is currently preparing a new film version, targeted for release in December 2020.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Side_Story_(2020_film)

THEATER

THEATER RESOURCES UNLIMITED (TRU)

• one of the country's leading organizations dedicating to developing theater professionals has announced an impressive collection of events coming in the next few months, including: 
• a panel on Festivals: Working Hard to Give Your Show A Chance;
• a Speeddate --the Art of the Pitch -- for writers and producers, giving writers a chance to practice their pitch to a room full of working, investing producers;
•  a three part workshop on Writing a Musical That Works
• with other resources available from their site:
• https://truonline.org/

THEATER & FILM

OPEN SUBMISSIONS TO SCRIPT COMPETITIONS IN THEATER AND FILM

• are available in some major institutions:
• RED BULL THEATER'S annual Short Play Festival (now)
• https://www.redbulltheater.com/submissions-open-2020-short
• PLAYWRIGHT'S REALM (now)
• https://playwrightsrealm.submittable.com/submit
• The ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATER's (EST) Marathon (later this year) 
• https://www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/marathon-of-one-act-plays
• SUNDANCE COLLAB MONTHLY CHALLENGE (film; now & ongoing)
• https://playwrightsrealm.submittable.com/submit
• AND: NYCPLAYWRITES has a whole collection of additional places to submit a script.
• https://www.nycplaywrights.org/

WORLD

CHINA

• has responded to the new Coronavirus scare and pandemic threat vigorously by quickly alerting the world, and enabling a quick sequencing of the virus,
• and by halting transportation to and from -- essentially quarantining -- cities (and even parts of cities) where the illness is prevalent.
• The US has responded by screening passengers on flights from areas where the virus has been detected. 
• At least one person has been confirmed with the virus in the US.

TECHNOLOGY

YAHOO HIJACKED MY SEARCH (?!*??)

• Google has been my search engine. It works well.
• Suddenly all my searches were conducted by Yahoo (now belonging to Verizon).
• Earlier, while I was trying to add my "brand" channel to YouTubeVR, for some reason I seemed to have had to register for some other things first. This seems to have hijacked the search engine.
• Here's how I fixed it: 
• By going to the three vertical dots at the top right of Chrome, I scrolled to Settings, then to Search engine, and disabled Yahoo search and the program that was controlling the choice of search. This fixed the problem.
• I have found Google Search to be the best search. I set this as the default. 
• There may be other ways that Yahoo (or some other search engine) can hijack the search, but this method is likely to work in many cases.

• The text of the draft rules:
• https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/20/politics/read-senate-impeachment-rules/index.html
• Democrats claim that the rules block a fair and open trial, are a Senate coverup of the offences, and a blatantly political attempt to hide the evidence, and whitewash the facts, the corruption, the unconstitutional behavior, and the abuse of power of the President.
• The text of the House Manager's brief:
• https://www.lawfareblog.com/house-releases-impeachment-trial-brief
• The text of the brief for the President:
• https://www.lawfareblog.com/president-trump-files-impeachment-trial-brief
• Text of the Articles of Impeachment:
• https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/democrats.judiciary.house.gov/files/documents/articles%20of%20impeachment.pdf

USA

Today is a holiday: Martin Luther King Jr Day

***

FILM & TV

SAG AWARDS (& MORE)

• The SAG awards were pretty similar to the awards from GG (Golden Globes) and CC (Critics Circle) wherever they overlapped.
• For the Oscars, now, the only categories in which there is major suspense are Best Picture (Once Upon A Time in Hollywood or Parasite or The Irishman  or 1917) and Best Director (Respectively Quentin Tarantino, Bong Joon-ho, Martin Scorcese, and Sam Mendes)
• 
  
• Here are these awards, so far:
• The Producer's Guild went with 1917.
• SAG with Parasite (cast)
• GG with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (comedy  & screenplay) & 1917 (drama & director)
• CC with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Picture) &
• 1917 & Parasite (Director - tied!)
• 
  
• The SAG Awards went to:
• Robert De Niro - Lifetime Achievement (Passionate political talk!)
• “Parasite” - Cast
• Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” - Actor in a Film (good talk!), 
• Renée Zellweger, “Judy” - Actress in a Film, 
• Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood”- Supporting Actor in a Film (funny!), 
• Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” - Supporting Actress in a Film, 
• “The Crown” - Ensemble in a TV Drama Series, 
• Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones” - Actor in a TV Drama Series, 
• Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show” - Actress in a TV Drama Series, , 
• “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” - Ensemble in a TV Comedy Series, 
• Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” - Actor in a TV Comedy Series, 
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag” - Actress in a TV Comedy Series,, 
• Sam Rockwell, “Fosse/Verdon” - Actor in a TV Mini-series, 
• Michelle Williams, “Fosse/Verdon” - Actress in a TV Mini-series,. 
• Presenters & nominees diverse
• Winners all white, mostly British when possible.
• 
  
• https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/01/sag-awards-2020.html

To see what films and which actors have been celebrated in other awards this year... AND in the last five years, please see:

https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/01/interesting-celebrated-awarded-films.html

INTERNATIONAL & TV

FAREED ZAKARIA 

• is the best, but (unfortunately almost the only) TV/Cable show with international news and analysis.  Today, the show featured important stories (mostly omitted on US TV/Cable broadcasts) abpout Russia, China, Libya, Australia and more...
• https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/01/review-fareed-zakaria-gps.html

SAG AWARDS (& MORE)

• The SAG awards are tonight. Red Carpet at 5:30 ET. The Awards show at 8:00 ET.
• https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/01/sag-awards-2020.html

To see what films and which actors have been celebrated in other awards this year... AND in the last five years, please see:

https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/01/interesting-celebrated-awarded-films.html

THEATER

PUNCHDRUNK

• the British Theater company that developed the (fantastic!) Sleep No More has developed a resource guide for immersive theater.
• Immersive theater is a sibling to immersive video.
• http://www.punchdrunk.org.uk/resources/

***

VIDEO & TECHNOLOGY

• will have a new member as the plans for NBCU Peacock are announced.
• Content for Peacock with include both movies and NBC shows.
• Peacock will have 3 tiers:
• Free with ads (>7,500 hours of content)
• Premium $5 with ads (>15,000 hours of contents & sports)
• Premium $10 with no ads.
• https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/16/nbc-peacock-price-launch-date-and-shows.html
• Some features of Peacock will launch on April 15,; more on July 15, 2020
• Peacock joins other current and future streaming services including...
• Netflix
• Apple TV+
• Disney+
• Quibi (original, short, phone-targeted content - see below 2020-01-08)
• HBO Max

2020-01-16 (THU JAN 16, 2020)

TECHNOLOGY

MULTI-USER AR AND VR WITH AWS SUMERIAN

• will be the subject of an AWS Tech Talk webinar on Monday, Jan 27 at 12 PM ET.
• https://pages.awscloud.com/AWS-Online-Tech-Talks_2020_0116-AVR.html
• AWS has an extensive series of on-going technical talks that can be experienced in live webinars as they happen, or later, on demand.
• Here is the home page for the AWS upcoming Tech Talks:
• https://aws.amazon.com/events/online-tech-talks
• Here is the home page for the AWS on-demand Tech Talks:
• https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/events/monthlywebinarseries/on-demand

***

USA

ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT

• "Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors",
• have been read at the Senate.
• The Chief Justice and the Senators have been sworn in for the impeachment trial.
• In related news, the GAO has released an opinion that the delay of funds for the Ukraine was illegal.

***

2020-01-15 (WED JAN 15, 2020)

USA

ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT

• "Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors",
• are scheduled to be transmitted to the Senate about 5:00 PM EST today.

• Text of the resolution:
• https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/democrats.judiciary.house.gov/files/documents/articles%20of%20impeachment.pdf

***

A "PHASE ONE" AGREEMENT BETWEEN CHINA AND THE USA

• was signed in Washington today.
• The agreement reduces trade tensions for now, but many hard questions are still to be resolved in negotiating additional issues in the next stage(s).
• Here is the full text:
• https://context-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/default/documents/e3ead96f-bf7e-4c25-be25-0f781f110ca6/note/4d250075-57c4-49f1-ae6b-634ac22376f2.pdf

***

2020-01-14 (TUE JAN 14, 2020)

USA

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE

• Tonight: The last Democratic debate before the Iowa Caucuses (Feb 3, 2020), at which  49 delegates to the Democratic Convention (July 13-16 2020) will be chosen.  
• There will be a national total of 4,750 delegates.
• Participants in the debate are:
• Former VP Joe Biden
• Senator Elizabeth Warren
• Senator Bernie Sanders
• Senator Amy Klobuchar
• Mayor Pete Buttegeig
• Businessman Tom Steyer
• Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who is also competing for the Democratic nomination is not in this debate.

***

2020-01-13 (MON JAN 13, 2020)

FILM

ACADEMY AWARDS 2020

• The nominations for the Academy Awards are similar to those for the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice. BEST in each category is likely to be a reflection of the slightly different sensibilities of the members of these groups. GG voters are foreign critics; CC voters are North American critics; and AA voters are in the film industry, making the films.
• Joker had the highest number of nominations, 11.
• The films at the top of the list seem to be:
• 1917 (10)
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (10)
• Parasite (6)
• The Irishman (10)
• Joker (11)
• Little Women
• Marriage Story 
• Missing Link
• Toy Story 4
• Here's the list of all the nominees:
• https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/01/academy-awards-2020.html

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS 2020

• The Critics Choice Awards winners included:

• Best picture: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,
• Best Foreign Language Picture: Parasite,
• Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix,
• Best Actress: Renee Zellweger
• Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,
• Best Director: Bong Joon-ho & Sam Mendes (tie)
• For all the results, including TV, please see:
• https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/01/critics-choice-awards-2020.html

***

2020-01-12 (SUN JAN 12, 2020)

FILM

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS 2020

• The Critics Choice Awards, hosted by Taye Diggs, will be broadcast tonight (1/12/20) at 7 PM EST on CW (WPIX Channel 11 in some locations). 
• Here is the Critics Choice home page:
• http://www.criticschoice.com/
• Here is the list of nominees:
• https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/01/critics-choice-awards-2020.html

***

2020-01-11 (SAT JAN 11, 2020)

THEATER

THE WOMAN IN BLACK  - A GHOST PLAY IN A PUB

• is being presented (in a "strictly limited" engagement -- with many dates already sold out) at "the McKittrick Hotel", home of Sleep No More.
• Everything I've ever attended there has been exceptionally fine.
• This is the adaptation of Susan Hill's novel by Stephen Mallatratt, directed by Robin Herford, that was a huge success in London. 
• https://mckittrickhotel.com/events/womaninblack/

***

2020-01-10 (FRI JAN 10, 2020)

IDEAS

A NIGHT OF PHILOSOPHY AND IDEAS

• co-sponsored by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy
• will be held this year in Brooklyn.
• Saturday Feb 1, 2020 7 PM to Sunday Feb 2, 2020 7 AM.
• https://nightofphilosophyandideas.com/

***

2020-01-09 (THU JAN 9, 2020)

THEATER

HB STUDIO,

• one of the oldest, best, and least expensive acting studios in NY (or anywhere else) is starting a new term.
• HB has classes for everyone from beginner to professional; both a la carte and complete programs; and a wide variety of courses and workshops and performing opportunities.
• HB Studio is especially friendly as a destination for visiting students from other countries.
• Among the special offerings this winter are "studio practice" with Mercedes Ruehl, concentration in Ibsen with Austin Pendleton, and courses in acting in Spanish (Actuar en espagnol) and in the Russian language:
• ACTING IN RUSSIAN: METHOD OF ETUDES
• ТЕХНИКА АКТЕРА НА РУССКОМ: МЕТОД ЭТЮДОВ
• Snezhana Chernova - СНЕЖАНА ЧЕРНОВА
• www.hbstudio.org

***

2020-01-08 (WED JAN 8, 2020)

TECHNOLOGY

CES - QUIBI

• CES - THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
• JAN 7-10, 2020

• https://www.ces.tech/
• QUIBI (QUIck BItes) is a new content streaming service, created by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, which aims to bring A-level content from A-level talent to smartphones... by designing the content visually to be optimized for the phone-sized screen, and by cutting the content into bite-sized segments (quick bites), so it can easily be watched on the go, on the phone.
• It will launch on April 6, and will cost $4.99/mo with ads, or $7.99 without ads.
• According to the WSJ, QUIBI had already sold $150M worth of ads as of October 21, 2019.
• By the way, as of today, they have 28 open positions on their site.
• www.quibi.com

***

2020-01-07 (TUE JAN 7, 2020)

TECHNOLOGY

CES

• CES - THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
• JAN 7-10, 2020
• https://www.ces.tech/
• A collection of CES news reports:

• https://www.ces.tech/Media/News/CES-in-the-News.aspx
• Some of the news and items presented here include 
• Improvements in non-invasive Brain interfaces
• Vuzix M4000 Smart glasses 
• https://www.vuzix.com/products/m4000-smart-glasses
• Nreal consumer Mixed Reality glasses
• https://www.nreal.ai/
• SONY PS4 has sold 5M VR units
• UBER is working on short-trip flying vans.
• NEON is a Samsung company creating AI avatars.

***

ELON MUSK

• SpaceX successfully launched a rocket and returned Stage 1 successfully back to Earth.
• SpaceX is now the largest operator of Satellites.
• Tesla successfully delivered cars to Chinese customers from its new Chinese factory.
• Tesla stocks and valuation reached a new high, with a capitalization of over $84.5B.

2020-01-05 (SUN JAN 5, 2020)

FILM & TV

GOLDEN GLOBES

• Tonight, NBC 8-11 PM (EST), hosted by Ricky Gervais.
• Here are the Feature Films with the most nominations:

Here is the full list of nominees:

https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/01/golden-globes-2020-nbc-jan-5-2020-8-11.html

***

2020-01-03 (FRI JAN 3, 2020)

WORLD

Tensions are increasing in the Middle East and around the world, following an Iranian attack on the US Embassy in Iraq, and a US drone strike on an important Iranian General.

***

2020-01-02 (THU JAN 2, 2020)

USA

Calendar for 2020!