This is unambiguous good news from a country that just banned Barbie. Do you think for one moment this would be happening without the strong actions the U.S. has taken since 9/11, most specifically right next door in Iraq? Or are the pampered, stuffed, duplicitous satraps who run Saudi Arabia …

Here is an example of how deeply file sharing has penetrated into society, and a pretty good indication that it isn’t just about money. Consider the words of Canadian quarterback Jesse Palmer, interviewed by the Toronto Star: Q If you want to chill out, what music are you going to …

Setting aside the merits of file sharing legality and morality, check out the spin on this story from Billboard – any doubt about who butters their bread or fluffs their pillows? It seems that music companies can’t catch a break these days. Recent news coverage of piracy lawsuits has been …

We have discussed the “appropriate” pricing for music in the form of CDs, downloads, streaming, etc., with some frequency here. Amy Harmon gives some good background and perspective on the issue in the NY Times: Since the introduction of vinyl records after World War II, recorded music has assumed many …

KILL BILL: VOL. 1 Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino; director of photography, Robert Richardson; edited by Sally Menke; music by the RZA; martial-arts adviser, Yuen Wo-Ping; fight choreographer, Sonny Chiba; production designers, Yohei Tanada and David Wasco; produced by Lawrence Bender; released by Miramax Films. Running time: 95 minutes. …

Iranian human rights lawer Shirin Ebadi just won the Nobel Peace Prize. Ebadi confers with Newsweek: NEWSWEEK: Is your prize a watershed for democracy in Iran? SHIRIN EBADI: I hope it is. I always acted within the law; I never did anything that was illegal. I support peaceful protests. But …

Despite the outcry from the independent film community, the MPAA refuses to relent on the “screener” ban: A spokesman for MPAA President Jack Valenti issued a terse statement Thursday in response to a Wednesday morning conference call between Valenti and representatives of three studio subsidiaries in which they discussed possible …

Hello Blogcritics writers and readers – we are in the process of moving the site to a new hosting company. As always seems to be the case under such circumstances, all kinds of things have come up unexpectedly and we are having to deal with them one by one. For …

I’ve been in a Bowie mood. Yesterday I discussed Bowie’s “plastic soul” period – today it’s Bowie’s extremely fruitful musical partnership with the great guitarist Mick Ronson. Ronson was born in 1947 and grew up in Hull in the north of England. As a child Ronson played violin, recorder, harmonium …

Great trailer for Tarantino’s Kill Bill here. The movie opens today. Maybe he is finally back – love that Uma. I’m eager to hear the reviews, since realistically I won’t see it until DVD-time.