Dark Alleys of Media

In this episode we look at the 2025 Oscars that just went by but decided to delve deeper into the Oscars history, structure and its real purpose.  We will look at some of the most controversial Oscar campaigns, the forces behind them, if the Oscars favorite indie movies are really indie and if this whole thing is just an out of touch popularity contest.  Also at the end, we hear what Ricky Gervais has to say about the Oscar nominees.    History: The House That Mr. Mayer Built: Inside the Union-Busting Birth of the Academy Awards Corruption The Oscars Are Corrupted and Dirty and Driven by Publicists, But Dammit We Still Need Them The bitter truth about Hollywood's Oscar obsession Most corrupt Oscar campaign Number of television viewers of the Academy Awards ceremonies from 2000 to 2025 Why THIS Is The Worst Best Picture Winner In Oscar History Oscar voter admits meeting Robert Downey Jr ‘tipped the scales' for his vote Oscar voters speak: 2025 - Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot No. 1: ‘Conclave' for Best Picture, ‘Emilia Pérez' Star Lost His Vote with Tweets 2024 - Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot No. 1: ‘Zone of Interest' Is Best Picture, but Nolan Is Best Director Indie Cinema Don't be fooled by all the ‘indie' nominations – Oscars are still dominated by the big players - 2015 Article 2025 Oscars  Emilia Perez Nomination Explained “Emilia Pérez” is Not Good Trans Representation REVIEW: ‘Emilia Pérez' Hates México

*This episode was recorded before the Tate's arrived in the US* Who is Andrew Tate? We know of him as a social media influencer, misogynist, champion of men's rights and Pimp and more. But why is he famous and what are the forces that are driving his rise and continued relevance?  Join us as we dive into the world of the Tates, hear from their own words and see how the traditional media forms are struggling to combat his or his contemporaries.    Video references:  The Incredibly Satisfying Downfall of Andrew Tate Andrew Tate Exposed: Chats document manipulation of a trafficking victim! BBC Interview with Tate Andrew Tate's War Room exposed by Cobratate insider Exposing Andrew Tate's Cult Full of Losers! I Joined Andrew Tate's $5,000 War Room for 1 Year Articles: I'm Andrew Tate's audience and I know why he appeals to young men How the Tate Brothers Came to Romania and How They First Made Contact with Organized Crime Swallowing the Red Pill: a journey to the heart of modern misogyny The female Andrew Tate': the new influencer dating doctrine is extreme – but I can see why it's popular Yes, Andrew Tate is a misogynist, but his real game is exploiting men's vulnerabilities for cash This is why young men are still listening to Andrew Tate Colleges Have a Guy Problem Women Likely to Continue Outpacing Men in Education Gen Z does not dream of labor Tradwives, stay-at-home girlfriends and the dream of feminine leisure Report: Algorithms as a Weapon Against Women: How YouTube Lures Boys and Young Men into the ‘Manosphere' Social Media: @CrayonMurders @TheMilkBarTV @ThePAXWAX I Don't Dream of Labour TikTok trend    

We are back! This time we are looking at what could have been the 'greatest show on earth' a.k.a the US presidential election of 2024.  It was definitely a show as it lacked any real substance. We will be looking specifically at image polities, online culture, the decline of legacy media & rise of new media.  Links: Exit polling Abortion did not play a big role as expected in the US election How female voters broke for Harris and Trump Progressive measures won in conservative states and lost in liberal  states It's the economy stupid. Trump taps voter anger in red wave Breaking Points - CNN: Trump COULD WIN Popular Vote   Election ads -  Youtube channel with all the election ads Top 5 Trump Ads of '24 Based On Views! Harris opening ad Trump Ad : They Will Never Silence Me Harris Ad : Monster Trump closing ad Harris closing ad   Celebrity Endorsements -  How 'damaging' celebrity endorsements could have made battleground voters turn against Kamala Harris Why Celebrity Endorsements Don't Always Deliver Votes, and Might Work Against Candidates   The rise of new media - How Podcasts Emerged as Vehicles of Mass Reach, Niche Audiences and Cultural Influence

Lou Perlman became infamous for creating some of the bestselling Boy Bands in the world and running a ponzi scheme for over 40 years. What did this guy get up to? How did he make his money?  More importantly, why were boy Bands such money makers for studios and what lies behind the extravagant facade? We deep dive into Perlmans past, his scams, the exploitation of his artists and then look into how this is the norm in the music industry where music and the artists are commodities.  In the end of the episode, we listen to the words of the very honest, Simon Cowell.    The Boy Band Con: The Lou Perlman Story (WATCH)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCRs0Ic3FI&t=1823s   Menudo: Forever Young looks at the Exploitative Nature of Boy Bands https://www.huffpost.com/entry/menudo-forever-young-exploitation-boy-bands_n_62b9cfc4e4b0cf43c86835f8   Dirty Pop: Boy Band Scam Awkwardly Curates the Facts https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dirty-pop-boy-band-scam-review-flawed-celebrity_n_669fe59ae4b08943f2a14923   The True Story Behind Dirty Pop: The boy Band Scam https://time.com/7002523/dirty-pop-netflix-time-studios/   The Dark Questions Netflix's Lou Perlman Doc Dirty Pop Doesn't Answer https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/lou-pearlman-backstreet-boys-nsync-dirty-pop   Making the Band: Dark History of boy Bands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahxk3GTi5yc   Lou Perlman: The Evil Behind 90s Boy Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbOzY9pRxA0   All About the Disgraced Con Artist Who Discovered NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-lou-pearlman-stories/carly-silver   Record Breaking Revenues in the Music Business, But are Musicians Getting a Raw Deal https://www.forbes.com/sites/oisinlunny/2019/05/15/record-breaking-revenues-in-the-music-business-but-are-musicians-getting-a-raw-deal/   Music Industry Monopolies: Are They Preventing Growth https://www.gearnews.com/music-industry-monopolies-are-they-preventing-growth/   How Music Monopolies own your ears (and Everything that goes in Them) https://challenge-magazine.org/2022/05/16/how-music-monopolies-own-your-ears-and-everything-that-goes-in-them/   Diary of a CEO: Simon Cowell Opens Up About His Heartbreaking Loss & His Regrets About One Direction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvsbCdCG8gE  

Today we will be looking at the documentary Theaters of War (2022). All art is propaganda and no one pushes agendas like the media industry. But what if we told you that some of your favourite action films exist to shape a narrative, project power, recruit new blood and showoff their toys. We will be looking at the how the US Military completely rewrites many beloved films to suit their agenda and try to snuff out films that go against them. Theaters of War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww1Ik2WlW1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJT1Wtt_CGc   Deep Dive: Hollywood, the US Army and the military entertainment complex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCPYKEPC5CI&list=PLUW304lJeu3XJqCDB-ioKyXjn4VPIgWAa&index=9 Somalis cheer at Black Hawk Down screening: https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/01/22/blackhawk.screening/index.html Operation Paperclip: https://www.history.com/news/what-was-operation-paperclip

In this episode we will be looking at the Diddy situation, who is involved and how far up it goes. Is this just about Diddy? How much of the industry knows about this and how far back does it go?  Resources will be available on the website and Spotify due to the word limit here!  

Today we dissect the Quiet on Set documentary series and look at what it explores and what it leaves out. We go on to discuss Dan Schneider's response, some of the cast who feel exploited by the documentary and the original expose doco, An Open Secret (2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8uccDBgkpA  

Dark Alleys....of media is a new podcast that looks at the seedy side of media and how it is becoming it's own form of entertainment. In our introduction we talk about this in general and look at why we ended up here but leave it open to where we could go.