Scouting Hollywood: May 4-10

A roundup of news, gossip and history of the entertainment business brought to you from Hollywood, Calif.

Following up on my note last month about HDR (High Dynamic Range) projection, technology advances with LED walls instead of projection screens. Already installed in about 100 auditoriums worldwide, Samsung’s Onyx LED screens are akin to a massive TV screen. This will replace the ‘projection’ in theaters. Besides the expensive screen, other issues include higher power requirements along with extra A/C to cool the LEDs. Placement of the front speakers are also an issue since in traditional cinemas, the front L/R and center channels are placed behind the perforated screen. 

With cancel culture in full swing, comedy has become a minefield for comics and performers.  Jennifer Aniston, in a recent French press interview, stated “There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive.” Breaking the line had been an age-old comedy standard, how times have changed. Toughness is no longer sought, nor apparently required anywhere. The U.S. military has indicated around 71 percent of youth in their 20’s is not fit for duty due to obesity, drug use or mental issues. 

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