Mishawn Nolan

JOKER: FOLLY REDUX "Joker: Folie à Deux" was ALWAYS going to flop. Not epic flop in the sense of a $5M opening weekend, but it was never tracking to hit more than $35-40M, which for a film with a reported budget north of $190M, plus a pretty good P&A spend, is a mess. It's not audience responses to it that doomed it, although to be sure audience responses have been pretty brutal. It was audience indifference to a bad idea. Before I get into the guts of it, I will say that I truly enjoyed the first "Joker", even though I had pre-decided that Heath Ledger exemplified the best version (sorry Mark Hamill, love the voice!) and anything following him would be a, well, joke. But Phoenix lived up to his name in that regard. A follow-up had to happen. But what we got was an ill-conceived, badly executed hot mess that effectively killed this as a franchise. No, there will not be a "Joker 3," which presumably would have been an avant-garde Merchant Ivory film circa 1983, with the Joker living out his retirement running a B&B with Dame Judi Dench on the Isle of Wight. But I digress. Where was I? Oh, right, the conceit of mistaking high art with comic book movies. The genre doesn't need more origin story puffery (no, "Fantastic Four," you're still not interesting...again), but it sure as hell doesn't need two unlikeable characters with little charm or dark humor singing show-tunes at each other. I can get that on any subway, and escape by throwing $1 into a hat. But $20 + popcorn? Nope, too much. The first "Joker" succeeded by being edgy, scary, dark, uncomfortable and disturbing. The Joker is in every incarnation a murderous psychotic, and the trick is to make that a guilty pleasure. Comic geeks know this, movie fans know this. "Joker" stretched the boundaries..."Folie" broke them, and not in a good way. But why? How? Simple: WBD doesn't have a clue. And that's where this ship lost its rudder. This is just the latest example of a studio in distress, trying to mix pop culture figures and concepts without understanding any of the roots of the mash-up. It's Zaslav again trying to fit round pegs into square holes, while arrogantly telling us it's what we want rather than asking. In "Joker," Fleck murders the late night host that embodies the smug culture that in his distorted mind at once mocked him and eluded him; in "Folie" he becomes part of the smugness. A marketing gimmick rather than a furtherance of the dystopian madman we want. Audiences weren't looking for a murderous version of "A Star is Born." And the box office shows it. And that's thing. People will see, and pay for, what they want, not what they're told they want. You can't create cool. You can't manufacture interest. Not these days, and not like this. Sorry to see a franchise wasted, but maybe, just maybe, this is a good and very pricey lesson. A teachable moment that studios need to reflect audience appetites, not dictate them. Not at this price.

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“What do Karol G, Justin Bieber, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Diplo, Jason Derulo, Anuel AA, Anitta, and Drake have in common? For one thing, they’re being accused of infringing on reggaeton itself by borrowing from “groundbreaking” decades-old releases without permission. Those allegations stem from a lengthy infringement action levied by reggae musicians themselves and the estates of different reggae professionals, who are said to have played a key role in the development of the genre as well as reggaeton. Chief among these plaintiffs is one Clevie (real name Cleveland Constantine Browne), a Jamaica-based individual who’s purportedly known for “pioneering the use of drum machines in reggae.” In the interest of relative brevity, the present complaint actually stems from three separate cases: two filed in 2021 against a total of 34 artist defendants, the third submitted in May of 2022 against 24 more defendants. The actions were consolidated in July of the same year – for a cumulative total of around 60 artist defendants and north of 1,000 allegedly infringing works. This includes the initially mentioned acts and, on top of that, all manner of companies – such as the major labels’ publishing units, Hipgnosis, Concord, and BMG, to name just a few.” #Reggaeton #Latin #LatinMusic #Reggae #Hiphop #Legal #BadBunny #JBalvin #DaddyYankee #Copyright #IP #IntelectualProperty #CopyrightInfrigement #DerechoDeAutor #DroitdAuteur #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #KarolG #JustinBieber #LuisFonsi #BMG #Hipgnosis #Concord

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"As Douglas Adams once said, Writers' Block was invented by Californians who can't write. If you're tempted to believe you have blocks, you need to get over yourself and stop imagining that there are gremlins out there bent on persecuting you." https://lttr.ai/ATjHU #ClassicMaleResponse #DampDrizzlyDays #SoCalledWritingGurus #MakesPsychopathsEvil #PrimeWritingTime #MakeLifeComplicated #RealLife #DouglasAdams #StopImagining #ExcelSpreadsheet

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Heard It on the Radio By Migdia Chinea, Ciboney Productions To: Mildred Garcia Chancellor, California State Universities I recently heard on the radio that the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives are being rebranded into something called “Inclusion Excellence.” On the surface, this sounds like a positive shift — a nod toward a merit-based approach where qualifications are valued, and real-world results matter. But behind the new name lies the same frustrating reality: talent is still being left behind, and the conversations around “inclusion” continue to feel more like empty rhetoric than actual progress. In my experience, the problem with DEI — or “Inclusion Excellence” — is that while it’s theoretically about leveling the playing field, it often seems disconnected from outcomes. The system is designed in such a way that those in charge of these initiatives are often more concerned with checking boxes than they are with real results. It’s the people benefiting from these structures, pulling a paycheck to run these programs, who seem to fade into the background, leaving women like me struggling to access real job opportunities. I’ve been out of a commensurate job for years, despite a background in television writing and production. I’ve earned my place in the industry through hard work, talent, and perseverance. Yet the notion of job access through merit-based processes feels distant when you’re constantly being condescended to or ultimately ignored by the very people who are supposed to be making things more “inclusive.” This issue hits especially close to home when I think about my personal financial situation. Just recently, I received a staggering GWP utility bill of $1,482.86. To make matters worse, my inconsiderate tenant, whose utilities are included in the rent, has run up this bill without any thought to the consequences. This scenario perfectly illustrates my broader frustration with systems that claim to offer inclusion but ultimately push the burden onto others — in this case, pushing women like me to the point of making negative decisions about their health, finances, and well-being. While I struggle to make ends meet and pay my huge utility bill, the state universities and other institutions are still leaving talent like mine behind. There’s a disconnect between the policies they preach and the realities of boots on the ground. Please, call me because I have real ideas to share based on my experiences. Unlike the DEI ladies at CSUN, I’m not going to charge you for them. With great respect and admiration — Migdia Chinea Ciboney Productions (818) 590-6439 f #csun #GCC #ucla #DEI

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Basic steps and solutions for Artists collaborating with other Artists: 1. Discuss the ownership of the works when you're making the music; 2. The splits have to be discussed with focus on the work put in by the lyricists and the music composers; 3. There's always a person who leads, and that person should be the ultimate owner, and "Producer" under the Copyrights Act. 4. Always and always, enter into a contract once negotiations are over. Still 5 out of 100 would do all of this. They will not consult a lawyer at the right time. Hope it changes one day. #artist #medialaw

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Please VOTE TODAY for my proposed SXSW "fireside chat" with Curt Doty about generative AI and media/entertainment. VOTE HERE via this link: https://lnkd.in/gTFsDaZi It's appreciated! Here's the description of our fireside chat at #SXSW 2025: "Copy, Paste, Sue: The Tangled Web of AI and Copyright" This will interest everyone in the entertainment, media, tech ecosystem: creators, media executives, writers, journalists, illustrators, photographers, filmmakers, social media managers, digital strategists and more. Description Delve into the complex interplay between burgeoning AI technologies and existing copyright frameworks. Peter Csathy and Curt Doty explore the current legal battles shaping the future of digital creativity, highlighting key cases and controversies that could redefine intellectual property rights in the age of AI. As AI systems become more capable of producing artistic and literary works, the question of ownership becomes murkier. They will dissect real-world scenarios where AI collides with copyright law, discussing the implications for creators, companies, and consumers. Attendees will get the following takeaways…. Understanding Legal Challenges and Copyright Evolution: The audience will gain insights into how the legal landscape is evolving with the advancement Clarity on Ownership and Authorship: Attendees will explore the murky question of ownership in AI-produced artistic and literary works. They will unde Implications for Creators, Companies, and Consumers: The audience will analyze the broader implications of AI's intersection with copyright law. #media #entertainment #hollywood #artificialintelligence #ai #music #generativeAI #tech #business #copyright #legal Andy Abramson AI LA

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Massive news in the music publishing/masters/IP acquisitions world - as Concord Music buys Merck Mercuriadis' Hipgnosis Song Management for $1.4 billion. In a sense, Hipgnosis's logo (seen here) -- with the upside down belly up elephant -- was prescient. Hipgnosis' economics simply never made sense. I've been in this music acquisitions space for a decade now, about as long as any independent player has been. Merck - a great salesperson - upended overall economics when he burst onto the scene in 2018 and seemingly could do no wrong. But the rest of us always scratched our heads about how his numbers penciled out. Always great artists involved, but the deals needed to be great for the artists themselves - and those deals are not just about the money. They are about finding the best "home" for the artist and their music/IP. I work with the artists and their representatives directly to optimize all of that - that is a core part of my business at Creative Media - and my deals have included facilitating some of the greatest icons of the past decades, including Boston, Devo, Count Basie, Prince, Air Supply, Sheila E, Sarah McLachlan, Wailing Souls. There certainly has been much consolidation in this world of music IP, I continue to believe that smart deals can be absolutely great for both the musician sellers and the buyers. Music consumption continues to grow significantly year-over-year -- and there is no end in sight, nor will there be as platform opportunities continue to expand. The key is for there to be smart deals - not just closing deals. That is the lesson of #Hipgnosis. https://lnkd.in/gJKF7T7Y #music #media #entertainment #concord #concordmusic

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“The NO FAKES Act has been introduced in the House, and the Human Artistry Campaign endorses the effort, which would create federal IP rights.” “First introduced in the Senate in July, the NO FAKES Act creates a federal right of publicity that will protect all Americans against unauthorized digital replicas in the age of AI. The NO FAKES Act aims to accelerate the push for protection against invasive AI deepfakes, voice clones, and other nonconsensual digital replicas, while establishing a system of accountability. Organizations, including the Human Artistry Campaign, have spoken out in favor of the effort.” “The NO FAKES Act is essential to protecting people and our culture while acknowledging long-held exceptions for free speech. As some unethical AI developers move recklessly forward, Congress must pass this bipartisan legislation.” Read the article for more: #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Tech #Technology #IP #IntelectualProperty #GenerativeAi #GeAi #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #USA #Legal #USCongress #Fakes #Likeness #Voice #Grammys #NARAS

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What a mess. Ideally the legal/music industry could come to a consensus on what the core elements of a song are and make quick work of cases where defendants don’t infringe in such a way that the cores of each song don’t SOUND substantially similar but the whole field is so subjective. Sigh. #musiclaw #copyrightlaw #intellectualproperty

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In your opinion, do you think paid music contractors like instrumentalists and back-up vocalists are co-authors and should be eligible to receive music royalties alongside performing artists and music producers? This week’s video is focused on different categories of music creatives: 1. Music producers vs Music composers 2. Music Composers vs Instrumentalists. Share your thoughts down below 👇 Like, share and comment if you’ve found this helpful

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BREAKING: Jury sides with Bungie. Says cheat-sellers violated Bungie's copyright and owe the company the profits on their cheats (Bungie had wanted statutory damages and attorneys fees, but those were ruled out before the trial began.) So the jury awards Bungie $63,210 Jury rejects counterclaim about Bungie allegedly illegally obtaining files from one of the defendants' computers. To my knowledge, this is the 1st time a jury (in the U.S., possibly the world) has ruled on a game cheating case. With this, we now have a jury verdict that supports game companies' frequent claims that cheats like these infringe on copyright Phoenix Digital founder David Schaefer tells me his group will fight this, moving to dismiss the verdict and, if that fails, appeal. The dispute here is whether Bungie truly proved a copyright violation occurred. Game companies have been getting default rulings against cheat-makers for years, often with giant, multi-million-dollar awards. But this was the rare case where the cheat-makers pushed back, said their actions weren't illegal and where it was left for a jury to decide https://lnkd.in/esJjYb6V

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