Twitter has a new web interface:
The social network has started rolling out a previously teased web redesign that, for starters, boasts a much simpler look — the three-column view is gone in favor of a simpler (not to mention more vivid) two-column layout. It’s thankfully about more than cosmetics, even if it doesn’t have everything users might like.
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day, and I recommend really reading what he wrote and talked about:
My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals.
We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was “well timed” in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word “Wait!” It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”
Tom Warren, writing at The Verge:
Spotify is getting ready to enable a block feature in its apps to mute artists you don’t want to hear from. Spotify is currently testing the “don’t play this artist” feature in its latest iOS app, and The Verge has been able to test the new block functionality ahead of its release soon. The feature simply lets you block an entire artist from playing, so that songs from the artist will never play from a library, playlist, chart list, or even radio stations on Spotify.
Ben Travis, writing at Empire:
Elsewhere, Wright is continuing to work on his documentary about the cult band Sparks, and his previously-mooted Baby Driver sequel is still in the works. “A first draft of Baby Driver 2 exists,” he confirms, adding that it introduces a whole swathe of new characters following the original’s high body-count, and “takes the story further”.
Musish has put together a web player for Apple Music. It looks pretty good.
Scott Tobias, writing at The Ringer:
Fyre and Fyre Fraud arrive at many of the same conclusions about what happened with the festival, and both documentaries place much of the blame on McFarland, a scam artist who was subsequently sentenced to six years in federal prison for wire fraud. However, the major difference between them is that the Hulu doc has an exclusive interview with McFarland and the Netflix doc does not. In the course of preparing a profile on Chris Smith (American Movie, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond) for The Ringer, coming later this week, I asked Smith on Monday about the Hulu documentary that was released earlier in the day. What he said wound up sparking a kind of ethics-off between the two camps.
Michael Liedtke, writing at the Associated Press:
Netflix is raising its U.S. prices by 13 percent to 18 percent, its biggest increase since the company launched its video streaming service 12 years ago.
Its most popular plan will see the largest hike, to $13 per month from $11. That option offers high-definition streaming on up to two different internet-connected devices simultaneously. Even at the higher price, that plan is still a few dollars cheaper than HBO, whose streaming service charges $15 per month.
Bowling for Soup have parted ways with their bassist, Erik Chandler.
Erik has recently come to the decision, for personal reasons, that touring and being in a band full time has become too much for him. Together, Erik and the band have decided to part ways. This split is on good terms. We will always be Erik’s biggest fan and brother, and support him in his decisions and future endeavors. We also hope that our fans will support him and respect his decision and privacy in all of this as he enters the next chapter in his personal and professional life.
Chris McQuarrie will be back to direct two new Mission: Impossible movies:
Sources tell Variety that McQuarrie has signed back on to return to write and direct the next two films in the popular franchise. Sources also add that both films would be shot back-to-back — not unlike the final two “Avengers” sequels — in order to take advantage of the popularity of the series, with the first bowing summer 2021 and the second coming out in summer 2022. The release comes in 2021 to avoid conflict with Paramount and Cruise’s next big venture, “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Maroon 5 were the biggest act on the radio in 2018:
The band finished 2018 as the biggest act on U.S. radio airwaves, according to Nielsen Music. The group’s catalog of songs collected 8.58 billion audience impressions across all monitored radio stations, from 1.95 million plays of their tunes.
Drake was the second most-heard act on the radio last year, with 8.15 billion in audience impressions, while Imagine Dragons (7.18 billion), Post Malone (7.14 billion) and Ed Sheeran (7.08 billion) rounded out the top five biggest radio acts of 2018.
The founder of Coachella talked with the LA Times about a variety of topics, including the controversial “radius clause:”
The radius clause is part of all business to some extent. You can’t put a car dealer every block; a car dealer has a region. These artists generally come back later that year. Sometimes two more times that year. So it’s just a moment of time that there’s a radius clause on that. Ours is more for that first part of the year right before Coachella.
Human beings trying to make a living playing shows, car dealerships, same thing.
Metallica have teamed up with Arrogant Consortia for a new Enter Night Pilsner.
In collaboration with Metallica, this beer represents the cataclysmic collision of two uncompromising supernatural forces. It’s a crisp and refreshing Pilsner that, much like the band, transcends genres, shatters preconceptions and challenges convention.
David Brooks, writing at Billboard:
When senior executives from Coachella parent Goldenvoice explained that the dome would be impossible to build in four months and would require the AEG-owned concert promoter to rearrange the entire festival site and remove a large section of portable bathrooms, West became irritated, declaring that he was an artist with a creative vision who shouldn’t be spending his time talking about port-a-potties.
Art Marcum and Matt Holloway have been tapped to pen Sony Pictures and Mattel Films’ “Master of Universe” reboot with brothers Adam and Aaron Nee still directing.
Mattel Films is partnering with Sony Pictures on the feature film, which is based on Mattel’s beloved toy-line that spawned a successful animated TV series (1983-85) as well as a 1987 film. The property centers on the warrior He-Man, the last hope of a magical land called Eternia. Dolph Lundgren starred in the original pic as the title character, while Frank Langella played the villainous Skeletor.