Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Sydney Standoff, The Future of Sony, and the Stars of Vine
We give an update on the 16-hour standoff with a gunman who took customers and employees of a cafe in Sydney hostage yesterday and held them until police finally moved in this morning. What do we know about the casualties and the perpetrator behind the attack?
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenWe start with an update on the 16-hour standoff with a gunman who held customers and employees of a cafe in Sydney, Australia, hostage. What do we know about the casualties and the perpetrator behind the attack? Then, the fallout from Sony Pictures Entertainment’s email hack continues. We look at the commercial and professional consequences for the studio and its executives. In our weekly television roundup, a look at what Aaron Sorkin is saying about the Sony situation, the same week as the series finale of his show The Newsroom. Then, a look at the controversy over a book supposedly authored by the YouTube star Zoella. And finally, are the new celebrities of Vine usurping YouTube stars like Zoella as the new media darlings of the day?
Banner Image: Police officers walk near Lindt cafe in Martin Place, where hostages were being held, in central Sydney December 15, 2014. REUTERS/Jason Reed
In this episode
5 storiesSydney Hostage Standoff Ends With Three Dead
A standoff with a gunman who held customers and employees of a cafe hostage for more than 16 hours finally ended earlier today. Two hostages and the gunman, a self-described Muslim cleric named Man Haron Monis, are dead. Several others are injured.
Read the story8 minThe Future of Sony After Email Hack
The damage rippling from the email hack at Sony Pictures Entertainment continues, and some in Hollywood are going on the offensive. Noted Supreme Court lawyer David Boies sent out a letter on the studio’s behalf, demanding media outlets stop publishing the leaked correspondence.
Read the story8 min'The Newsroom' Says Goodbye, And More
Aaron Sorkin didn’t mince words in a New York Times op-ed today , saying journalists who publish leaked emails from the Sony hack are “morally treasonous and spectacularly dishonorable.” The topic would’ve made great fodder for Sorkin’s series The Newsroom, if the series hadn’t aired its final episode last night.
Read the story9 minMeet Zoella
Zoella, real name Zoe Sugg, started posting videos of herself demonstrating hair, makeup and fashion tips on YouTube five years ago. Now she has nearly 7 million subscribers to her channel on the website, and earned millions of dollars from her fame. But her star’s been tarnished recently by a controversy over her recently published book .
Read the story9 minThe Internet’s New Superstars
Today’s teen idols are coming more and more from D.I.Y. digital outlets instead of movies and TV. And just as Hollywood is catching onto YouTube, newer platforms are popping up and creating fresh batches of stars. The latest is Vine, where users upload six-second videos from their smartphones.
Read the story14 min
