The Real Future of Journalism? Radio.

Ira Glass used to worry This American Life would never be as strong as it was in its first few years on the air. But almost 18 years later, the founder and host of the weekly radio documentary program insists the show has never been better. And he says that contrary to what people may think about radio journalism, TAL is thriving as a business, thanks in no small part to an expanding digital and podcast audience.

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Is Pandora Really Short-Changing Songwriters?

Songwriters, however, are paid royalties no matter the radio format, with royalty payments tracked and ultimately delivered to songwriters via one of three performance rights organizations: Broadcast Music Inc.; the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers; and the Society for European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC). Those organizations keep track of how often a song is played, then calculate payments using what could best be described as arcane math.

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Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise Celebrate Jerry Bruckheimer's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

The duo came out to support the producer, whose credits include Depp's upcoming The Lone Ranger and Pirates of the Caribbean films and Cruise's Top Gun, among numerous other movies.

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R.I.P. Gary David Goldberg, creator of Family Ties and Spin City

Gary David Goldberg, the Emmy-winning writer who created two long-running hit sitcoms in "Family Ties" and "Spin City," died yesterday from brain cancer in Montecito, California. He was 68. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

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R.I.P. Richard Matheson

Perhaps his most indelible teleplay was "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet," starring William Shatner—whom Matheson would later send to new heights of over-acting with his sole Star Trek script, "The Enemy Within”—with Shatner facing off against a malevolent gremlin aboard a cross-country flight. The script, adapted from Matheson's own short story, serves as a sort of distillation of his life’s work by pitting a flawed but ordinary hero against the inexplicable, then forcing him to overcome his demons to save the day.

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Why Fan-Made Movie Trailers Are Often Better Than the Real Thing

“Fans were suffering through the promotion, but held out hope that the Super Bowl Ad was going to be a big moment where Disney started getting it right,” Sellers told Wired. “That night, fueled by frustration and perhaps a few margaritas, my buddy Mark Linthicum and I decided to download everything Disney had put out to date and make our trailer.”

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The Art of the Trailer

In a world where fans follow the latest trailers with rabid devotion, the movie preview has become a genre unto itself—and a viral sensation. Here’s what makes these shorts so epic.

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