Gender-switch trend continues: Doctor Who now, possibly James Bond next

With all the high-profile actors being accused of sexual abuse in Hollywood these days, it’s no wonder so many roles originally meant for men are going to women.
I referred to this trend last fall as “womanwashing,” a takeoff on whitewashing. I listed many of the proposed movies and TV shows in the works where the lead roles were being changed from male to female.
The gender-switch trend shows no signs of slowing.
Here’s a quick update:

• Actress Jodie Whittaker has debuted as the 13th Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction series “Doctor Who.” She is the first female Doctor Who.
• Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond film series, said the next agent 007 could be a woman, the Daily Mail reported.
• A reboot of the 1980s TV series “The Greatest American Hero” with a female lead is moving forward at ABC, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
• Fox is developing a new incarnation of its Emmy-winning drama series “24” that would have a female lead, according to Deadline.
• NBC is developing a spinoff series of the “Bad Boys” movies with two female leads. It will star Gabrielle Union, who is reprising her role of Syd Burnett, Variety reported.
• CBS is rebooting its classic series “Magnum P.I.” with the male role of Higgins reconceived as a woman, Deadline reported.

Photo: Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who.

Final predictions for 2018: Wedding bells for Taylor Swift, curtains for President Trump

In late December, I published a list of bold predictions for 2018 from numerous sources. After that post, many other pundits made their predictions.
What follows is a roundup of some of their most interesting predictions.

Engagement for Taylor Swift, divorce for Will Smith

Nicola Byrne, a writer for the Daily Edge, predicted that singer Taylor Swift will get engaged to boyfriend Joe Alwyn in 2018, while actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith will split.

Internet media acquisitions

Twitter, Snap, BuzzFeed and Pinterest are acquired (or valued in subsequent financing rounds) at 25% to 50% of their market highs, Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at the New York University Stern School of Business, said in a post on Seeking Alpha. All four will continue to underwhelm at the hands of the Facebook and Google advertising market duopoly, he said.

Twitter will be acquired

BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield predicted that Twitter will be acquired in 2018.
“Twitter offers a unique acquisition opportunity for any company looking to own breaking news, politics and sports, infused with video on mobile devices with tens of millions of daily active users across the world,” Greenfield said in a blog post. “Add to that a vast treasure trove of data on its users and a Twitter acquisition becomes compelling for many companies … Twitter also gives a buyer a home screen-worthy mobile app that has eluded essentially everyone not named Google, Facebook, Apple and Snapchat.”

2018 Time Person of the Year: Robert Mueller

Galloway predicts that President Donald Trump will vacate the White House in 2018 (possibly for health reasons) and Vice President Mike Pence will be sworn in as the 46th U.S. president. Galloway offered no explanation for Mueller’s selection as Time’s Person of the Year. Mueller is heading up the investigation into Russia’s possible interference in the 2016 election.

Amazon will acquire Target

Loup Ventures predicted that e-commerce leader Amazon.com will buy discount retailer Target in 2018.
“Amazon believes the future of retail is a mix of mostly online and some offline. Target is the ideal offline partner for Amazon for two reasons: shared demographic and manageable but comprehensive store count,” the venture capital firm said in a blog post.

Netflix buys a studio

To ramp up its original content production, internet television leader Netflix might buy a studio this year, Variety magazine predicted.
“One potential takeover target: MGM, which oversees a large library of movies and TV shows, with James Bond, ‘Stargate,’ ‘Rocky’ and ‘RoboCop’ among its franchises,” Variety said.

Microsoft makes big security acquisition

The Information predicted that Microsoft will make a “major, multibillion-dollar security acquisition” in 2018 and named FireEye as a potential target.

Google preps consumer augmented-reality headset

Google kicked off the idea of head-mounted computing devices with Google Glass a few years ago and likely will develop augmented-reality glasses to be announced in 2018, Eric Jhonsa, technology columnist for TheStreet, said in a column.
“This doesn’t necessarily mean Google or its partners will launch consumer AR headsets in 2018, given there are technical challenges to overcome in areas such as display quality and (given the form factors involved) processing power,” he said. “But the time feels right for Google to get the ball rolling. Look for reports and/or announcements regarding a new consumer AR push before the end of 2018.”

Related reading:

Bitcoin boom and bust, Magic Leap glasses flop and other 2018 tech predictions (Dec. 23, 2017)

Psychic predictions for 2018 (Dec. 24, 2017)

Photo: Taylor Swift’s smartphone app from Glu Mobile.

Emily Ratajkowski and other clickbait cuties

Clickbait promoters like to use photos of pretty ladies to get men to click on their articles. And there are few prettier ladies today than model and actress Emily Ratajkowski.
What follows is my latest roundup of clickbait cuties, including Ratajkowski, that companies like Revcontent and Taboola are using to get people to click on their sponsored articles.
Revcontent recently ran an article titled “12 weird vacation photos that will make you look twice.” It used two photos of the stunning Ms. Ratajkowski. The only thing weird about these photos is why I’m not pictured helping her apply sunscreen.

Another Revcontent article titled “20 vacation photos that will make you look twice” (I guess they found a few more) used a photo of a buxom brunette in a blue bikini. I wasn’t able to identify the women, but the photo was taken by Peter Falcon.

A Taboola-sponsored article titled “She had no idea why the crowd started to cheer” featured a photo of a busty young woman in a one-piece swimsuit. This photo has been kicking around the internet for years and has been Photoshopped to make her swimsuit look see-through. As best as I can tell, the original photo shows a blue swimsuit.

Another Taboola article titled “This photo has not been edited, look closer” featured a 1959 photo of flight attendant Birgitta Lindman of the Swedish SAS airline examining a showgirl’s costume after rumors of shorter skirts for air hostesses. (See Getty Images page.)

A sponsored article titled “33 prom photos that will make you look twice” featured a woman in a yellow dress posing for a fashion website.

Fake Old West photos, fake teachers and other lying clickbait

Just because a photo is sepia-toned doesn’t mean it’s old. Clickbait purveyors often try to pass off modern photos as old by making them look antique.
A recent Taboola article titled “Wild West photos showing what life was really like” used a sepia-toned still from the 2010 movie “Jonah Hex,” starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox. If only all the women in the Old West were as hot as Fox.

Other fake Wild West photos I’ve seen used to promote supposedly historical images were from cosplay sessions, the 1966 movie “The Professionals,” the Canadian TV series “Strange Empire” and the Spanish TV series “Tierra de Lobos.”
Another article, promoted by Outbrain, titled “Actual Wild West photos you can’t unsee” used a modern photo done in an old-timey style by Russian photographer Dmitry Rubinshteyn.

Another clickbait article titled “She had no idea why her students were staring” used a still photo from a Naughty America porn movie starring Sophia Lomeli.
Last year, I noted a clickbait article titled “What you thought teachers do during class is true.” That article used another Naughty America porn photo.

Finally, a Taboola article titled “Trophy wives of older billionaires” featured a picture of a man who might be just a millionaire and a woman who is not his wife.
The man is flamboyant NBA superfan Jimmy Goldstein. (See article by SportsNet and Wikipedia entry.) The woman, Danish supermodel Amalie Wichmann, was likely just his date for a game.

Presenting Photoshopped fakes as the real deal: clickbait edition

There’s lying clickbait and then there’s bold-faced lying clickbait.
Lately clickbait purveyors have been using Photoshopped images to promote photo collections that claim not to include Photoshopped images.
A recent Taboola article touted “No, it’s not Photoshop, look closer – rare historic photos.” It included a picture of a submarine being swamped by a giant wave. But the photo is fake. The original is a surfing photo by Tim McKenna. (See article by Surfers Village.)

Another Taboola article screamed “No, it’s not Photoshop, look closer – it’s Australia.” It featured a badly Photoshopped picture of a crowd of people standing next to a ginormous anaconda.

Yet another Taboola article titled “This monster airplane is a scientific anomaly” used a Photoshopped picture purporting to show a triple-decker airplane. Well, at least this fake is more convincing than the giant snake. (See articles by Infinite Flight and the New York Post.)

New year, same clickbait tactics

It’s a brand new year, but clickbait purveyors are using the same deceptive practices. Will no one step up to stop this?
One of the favorite practices of clickbait websites using Revcontent is to pair photos of two different people and claim they’re the same person after some transformation.
Here are some of the latest examples.
One or more articles on Revcontent are claiming: “Melissa McCarthy lost 132 pounds. This is how she did it.”
In one promotion, the clickbait article juxtaposes photos of McCarthy and actress Ariel Winter.

In another promotion, the lying article contrasts a photo of McCarthy with a Photoshopped picture of McCarthy’s head on Natalie Portman’s body. (The head swap artwork was done by Arthur Drakoni. The original Portman photo is from the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.)

Other clickbait articles allege two celebrities are the same person after undergoing sex change surgery.
One article titled “21 transgender actors you had no idea about” used a photo of actor Jesse Eisenberg next to a picture of his sister Hallie Eisenberg as a child.

Another clickbait article titled “31 stars you forgot were transgender” used pictures of actress Julia Stiles and actor Ansel Elgort. Neither is transgender.
The same photos were used in May 2016 to promote an article titled “12 transgender celebs nobody new about.”

Another type of clickbait article claims to expose celebrities who have fallen on hard times. These articles will pair a photo of the celebrity with a picture of a down-and-out person who is not that celebrity.
For instance, a Revcontent post titled “40 stars who slowly turned into horrible looking creatures” used a picture of actress Lisa Bonet from “A Different World” and a photo of a woman named J.Lo from the Faces of Addiction series by photographer Chris Arnade.

Another version of the same post used a picture of actress Amanda Bearse from “Married with Children” with a photo of some unidentified woman who is not Bearse.

Comprehensive list of live-action post-apocalyptic TV series

Five years ago, I compiled a list of live-action post-apocalyptic themed television series. Since then the list has doubled in size. So I figured it was time to revisit the topic with a fresh list.

Updated April 10, 2024.

List of live-action post-apocalyptic TV series and miniseries

Planet of the Apes (CBS, 1974)
Survivors (BBC, U.K.; 1975-77)
Ark II (CBS, 1976)
Logan’s Run (CBS, 1977-78)
The Day of the Triffids (BBC One, U.K.; 1981)
The Tripods (BBC, U.K.; 1984-85)
War of the Worlds (Syndicated, Canada; 1988-1990)
Woops! (Fox; 1992)
The Stand (ABC; 1994)
The Last Train (ITV, U.K.; 1999)
Thunderstone (Network Ten, Australia; 1999-2000)
The Tribe (Channel 5, U.K.; 1999-2003)
Dark Angel (Fox; 2000-02)
Jeremiah (Showtime; 2002-04)
Jericho (CBS; 2006-08)
Maddigan’s Quest (TV2, New Zealand; 2006)
Survivors (BBC, U.K.; 2008-10)
Dead Set (E4, U.K.; 2008)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox; 2008-09)
The Day of the Triffids (BBC One, U.K.; 2009)
Dollhouse (Fox; 2009-10)
The Walking Dead (AMC; 2010-2022)
Falling Skies (TNT; 2011-2015)
Revolution (NBC; 2012-2014)
Defiance (Syfy; 2013-2015)
The 100 (The CW; 2014-2020)
Dominion (Syfy; 2014-2015)
The Last Ship (TNT; 2014-2018)
The Leftovers (HBO; 2014-2017)
The Lottery (Lifetime; 2014)
Z Nation (Syfy; 2014-2018)
The Strain (FX, 2014-2017. Turned apocalyptic in season 3.)
12 Monkeys (Syfy; 2015-2018)
The Last Man on Earth (Fox; 2015-2018)
Wayward Pines (Fox; 2015-2016)
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC; 2015-2023)
Zoo (CBS; 2015-2017. Turned apocalyptic at end of season 1.)
Ash vs. Evil Dead (Starz; 2015-2018. Turned apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic at end of season 3.)
Into the Badlands (AMC; 2015-2019)
The Shannara Chronicles (MTV; 2016-2017)
Colony (USA; 2016-2018)
Van Helsing (Syfy; 2016-2021)
3% (Netflix; 2016-2020)
Aftermath (Syfy, 2016)
Extinct (BYUtv, 2017)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu; 2017-present)
Agents of SHIELD (ABC, 2017-2018. Turned post-apocalyptic for season 5)
The Rain (Netflix, 2018-2020)
American Horror Story: Apocalypse (FX; 2018. Went post-apocalyptic in season 8)
The Passage (Fox; 2019. Turned post-apocalyptic in season-1 finale.)
Black Summer (Netflix, 2019-2021)
Curfew (Sky One, U.K.; 2019)
Daybreak (Netflix; 2019)
See (Apple TV+; 2019-2022)
War of the Worlds (Epix; 2020-2022)
Into the Night (Netflix; 2020-2021)
Snowpiercer (TNT; 2020-present)
Raised by Wolves (HBO Max; 2020-2022)
Reality Z (Netflix; 2020)
The Walking Dead: World Beyond (AMC; 2020-2021)
To the Lake (Netflix; 2020-present)
The Stand (CBS All Access; 2020-2021)
Sweet Home (Netflix; 2020-present)
Tribes of Europa (Netflix; 2021)
Sweet Tooth (Netflix; 2021-present)
Anna (Sky Italia; 2021)
Y: The Last Man (FX on Hulu; 2021)
Invasion (Apple TV+; 2021-present)
Station Eleven (HBO Max; 2021-2022)
The Silent Sea (Netflix; 2021)
DMZ (HBO Max; 2022)
Yakamoz S-245 (Netflix; 2022)
Resident Evil (Netflix; 2022)
Tales of the Walking Dead (AMC, 2022)
Hot Skull (Netflix; 2022)
The Last of Us (HBO; 2023-present)
Silo (Apple TV+, 2023-present)
Black Knight (Netflix, 2023-present)
The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC, 2023-present)
Twisted Metal (Peacock; 2023-present)
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC, 2023-present)
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (AMC, 2024)
Fallout (Amazon Prime, 2024-present)

Photos: Promotional art for “The 100” and “Van Helsing.”

Blockchain: Is there a porn app for that?

Name any new technology and there’s bound to be application for it in pornography.
It’s been a running gag since the introduction of the video cassette recorder: a new technology comes along and consumer electronics reporters jokingly ask “What’s the porn app for that?”
Most recently porn websites were early adopters of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which gained a reputation for funding illicit purchases online such as drugs and gambling. Cryptocurrencies offer the benefit of anonymity and users don’t have to use their credit cards, which can be a security risk. (See the Bitcoin.com article “The Online Porn Industry Continues to Adopt Bitcoin for Payments” and the Vice article “How Cryptocurrencies Like Bitcoin Could Save the Indie Porn Industry.”)
Blockchain, the technology behind securing and recording Bitcoin transactions, has started to take the business and tech worlds by storm. Companies see the technology being used to secure a host of financial and other record-keeping applications.
So what’s the porn app for blockchain?
The other day I spotted a press release for SpankChain, a blockchain-based economic and technological infrastructure for the adult entertainment industry.
SpankChain is based on Ethereum cryptocurrency and provides privacy and security for payment processing with much lower transaction fees. (See articles by the Huffington Post, International Business Times and Forbes.)
So there you have it, there is a porn app for blockchain.

Related article:

Is there a porn app for that? (Jan. 30, 2016)

President Trump depicted as crying baby, nutjob, Neanderthal on latest magazine covers

Magazine publishers this month have gone into attack mode on President Donald Trump.
After giving him relatively benign depictions on magazine covers at the end of 2017, they took the gloves off at the start of the year.
The change of heart was sparked by an expose on the White House by Michael Wolff and Trump tweet storms and comments that had people questioning the president’s mental health.
Cuban artist Edel Rodriguez has been the go-to illustrator for critical coverage of Trump. He scored four magazine covers in one week this month: Time, New Statesman, Epoca and Der Spiegel. (See articles by Fast Company’s Co.Design and the Daily Beast.)
New York magazine illustrated its Jan. 8-21 cover story (an adaptation of Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House”) with artwork of Trump screaming into a phone while eating a burger and fries.
The New Yorker magazine illustrated Trump in a literal hole after his inflammatory comments about the U.S. taking in immigrants from “shithole” countries such as Haiti, El Salvador and African nations. (See articles by the Huffington Post and the Washington Post.)
What follows are those covers and more featuring Trump from the last few weeks. They include issues of the Economist, Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East, Japanese financial magazine Weekly Toyo Keizai, German news weekly Stern, the New European and the Week.