Each year I welcome incoming freshmen to my Introduction to Media course. Students enter the class with a long list of assumptions and concerns about the ways in which the media operates. Students want to know why their favorite program got canceled, if anyone really watches “Dancing with the Stars,” who pays Tom Cruise all…

We are proud to present this reprint of Death, the Universe, and Everything by Sherin Nicole from the podcast, Escape Pod. The podcast is described on its site thusly: Escape Pod is the premier science fiction podcast magazine, founded in 2005 by Serah Eley, and presently co-edited by Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya. Every week we bring…

When Angela Davis was being held as a political prisoner in the New York Women’s House of Detention in 1970, few activities interested her less than watching the “insipid Hollywood movies” the jail projected for inmates during recreational hours. Considering the kinds of movies Hollywood was producing in this period, it’s easy to see why…

The first virtual panel for Black Writers Week premieres today at 3pm CT/1pm PT on The Official Roger Ebert YouTube page. The panel is entitled “The Tanning of Hollywood: Reimagining Equity and Inclusion as a Pinnacle Measure of Cinematic and Theatrical Excellence,” and features the following distinguished panelists: Jon Carr, executive producer of The Second City; Fox 4 News…

The Second City, Chicago’s historic comedy club, has a new executive producer: Jon Carr who previously served as the artistic director for Dad’s Garage Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. According to his official bio, Carr is a seasoned improviser, performer, and award-winning playwright with nearly 20 years of industry experience. He has been part of Atlanta’s creative…

The following article contains all of the bios and headshots for RogerEbert.com’s inaugural Black Writers Week writers and participants, headed by our Editor-in-Chief, Chaz Ebert, and arranged alphabetically according to the following categories: guest editors, Profiles in Courage subjects, panelists and contributors.—The Editors EDITOR-In-CHIEF CHAZ EBERT   Chaz Ebert is the CEO of Ebert Digital LLC,…