Women replacing men in more movie and TV show remakes

The gender-flipping trend of changing male characters to female characters in Hollywood movies and TV shows is continuing.
I first wrote about the burgeoning trend in 2017. I last wrote about the subject in March 2019.
What follows are some more recent examples of the gender-flipping trend:

• This fall, CBS plans to air a reimagining of “The Equalizer” starring Queen Latifah. The original TV series “The Equalizer” (1985-1989) starred Edward Woodward. Denzel Washington starred in two movies based on the property in 2016 and 2018.
• The CW is planning a modern reboot of “Kung Fu” starring Olivia Liang. The original period Western drama starred David Carradine and ran 1972 to 1975.
• The latest movie in the “American Pie” comedy franchise focuses on a group of young women rather than men. “American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules” will premiere on Netflix shortly after its Oct. 10 digital and disc premiere.
• Walt Disney is planning a female-fronted “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie starring Margot Robbie. Johnny Depp starred in five “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies.
• Disney also is planning a gender-flipped remake of the ABC show “Doogie Howser, M.D.” for its Disney+ streaming video service. The original series starred Neil Patrick Harris. The new show has the working title “Doogie Kealoha, M.D.”
• Amazon Studios has put in development “The Star Chamber,” a thriller drama inspired by the 1983 Michael Douglas film of the same name. The new movie will have a female protagonist.

Photos: Promotional art for the CW series “Kung Fu” and Netflix movie “American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules.”

Blackwashing gains momentum in Hollywood

The Black Lives Matter protests have forced Hollywood to confront how it represents blacks and other minority groups in its movies and TV shows. After years of complaints about Hollywood whitewashing stories by using mostly white actors, the tables have started to turn.
“Blackwashing” is casting black actors in roles that were previously white characters for revisionist adaptations. In some cases, a black cast replaces a white cast.
Personally, I support the practice. Color-blind casting and viewing stories through different cultures and races is good for art as well as business.
The practice of blackwashing is not new. Consider the musical “The Wiz,” an urban black reimagining of “The Wizard of Oz.”
A more recent example is the 2012 remake of “Steel Magnolias” starring Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad and Alfre Woodard.
Last week, Variety reported that black actors Will Smith and Kevin Hart will star in and produce a remake of the 1987 movie “Planes, Trains & Automobiles.”
Last month, the Hollywood Reporter said producer Lee Daniels is doing a reboot of the TV series “The Wonder Years” that will feature an all-black cast.
Elsewhere, the CW has cast black actress Javicia Leslie to replace white actress Ruby Rose as the title character in the TV series “Batwoman,” Variety reported.
Also, black actress Halle Bailey will star in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.”
More to come, I’m sure.

Related articles:

Color-blind casting (Wikipedia)

Photo: Actress Javicia Leslie (Javicia Leslie)

Lying clickbait in the age of coronavirus

Clickbait purveyors are up to their old tricks using erroneous and fake photos to entice people to click on their weblinks. What follows are some of the latest I’ve spotted.

Revcontent recently ran a sponsored article titled “20 selfies taken before death” It used a fake photo of a man supposedly taking a selfie with a great white shark. Here is the Photoshopped photo along with the original of the shark.

Here’s an old chestnut for lying clickbait. A recent Taboola article touted “After her massive weight loss, Precious is gorgeous now!” It used side-by-side photos of “Precious” actress Gabourey Sidibe and Instagram model Samrah.
Similar articles have used photos of Sidibe side-by-side with actress-singer Jennifer Hudson and “Bad Girls Club” star Catya Washington.

An article promoted by LiveIntent was titled “20 photos of nurses who nearly took it too far at work.” It featured a photo of curvy Instagram model Janet, aka Thathoneydip. From what I can tell, she’s no nurse.

A Taboola article titled “Hollywood marriages that actually lasted” used a photo of actors Dean Cain and Brooke Shields. The two dated but never married.

Another Taboola article titled “Jaclyn Smith is almost 90; This is her now” had its facts wrong. Smith is 74.

Halls of fame for optometrists, plastics, trivia and more

While there are hundreds of brick-and-mortar halls of fame you can visit, there are hundreds more virtual halls of fame online.
What follows is a list of some recent virtual halls that I’ve discovered.

National Optometry Hall of Fame

Since 1998, the National Optometry Hall of Fame has recognized and honored optometrists who have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the optometric profession.
The National Optometry Hall of Fame is currently administered by Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation.

Plastics Hall of Fame

The Plastics Hall of Fame honors men and women who have made major contributions to shape the plastics industry. The hall was founded in 1972.

Trivia Hall of Fame

The website Trivia Hall of Fame has inducted trivia book authors, TV game show hosts and contestants since 2011.

Asian Hall of Fame

The Asian Hall of Fame honors high-profile Asians who are making a high-impact difference across industries. Inductees include Bruce Lee, Kristi Yamaguchi, Connie Chung, Kevin Kwan and more.

Refrigerated Food Hall of Fame

The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association established the Refrigerated Food Hall of Fame in 2010 to honor individuals for their contributions to the refrigerated food industry.

Association of Equipment Manufacturers Hall of Fame

Since 2008, the AEM Hall of Fame has honored pioneering individuals who have invented, managed, built and led the off-road equipment industry.

Latest physical hall of fame is for U.S. Olympians

By my count, there are over 465 physical halls of fame that you can visit in the U.S. and Canada. They include halls devoted to aviation, music, sports at the college and professional levels, and other pursuits.
The newest brick-and-mortar hall of fame is the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It hosts the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame.
The U.S. Olympic museum opened on July 30. The 60,000-square-foot building features 12 galleries. The museum cost about $91 million to build, according to USA Today.
On July 3, the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame in Ellensburg, Washington, opened its doors. It features historic photographs and artifacts, showcasing the best cowboys and cowgirls in the history of the Ellensburg Rodeo. (See article by the Daily Record.)

Photo: Exterior of United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo. (United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum)

What will a virtual CES 2021 be like?

On July 28, the Consumer Technology Association canceled its in-person CES 2021 conference scheduled for Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas. The writing was on the wall. The world, especially the U.S., has not gotten the Covid-19 pandemic under control. The pandemic is likely to rage into next year and possibly until there’s a vaccine.
CES 2021 will be an “all-digital experience,” the Consumer Technology Association said in a news release. What that means exactly is still to be spelled out.
While the organization is planning CES 2021, they can look to other physical events that went online for lessons learned.
For instance, the virtual San Diego Comic-Com was called “a bust” by Variety.
The main reason was a lack of fan interaction with TV show and movie creators, the entertainment publication said. Another problem was that news was released outside of the Comic-Con@Home events, muting their impact. Variety said Comic-Con@Home also was a dud in terms of social media buzz.
On the other hand, Apple’s virtual Worldwide Developers Conference was deemed a success.
“Though we could not be together in person, Apple set a new standard for what online events can achieve with our celebrated all virtual event,” Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook told analysts on July 30. “The results here speak for themselves. More than 22 million viewers tuned in across all of Apple streams. For our developers, we distributed more than 72 hours of video content. That’s three full days of video. The week saw more than 200 direct video engineering and design sessions and about 4,500 person-to-person appointments with developers across 227 virtual labs.”

So, the key learnings from those virtual events include having live interactive events and breaking news.

The Consumer Technology Association has a little over five months to pull together its all-digital CES 2021.

“The new format will allow participants to hear from technology innovators, see cutting-edge technologies and the latest product launches, and engage with global brands and startups from around the world,” the trade group said. “CES 2021 will be a new immersive experience, where attendees will have a front-row seat to discover and see the latest technology. This highly personalized experience will bring a global event to the comfort and safety of your home or office.”

In a LinkedIn post, Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the Consumer Technology Association, pledged to return to Las Vegas with a physical show for CES 2022.

As a member of the news media, I will miss seeing the latest big-screen TVs and other gadgets in person. But many aspects of the show can be handled virtually.
Pre-show press conferences by tech companies easily can be switched to online events. Many already were streamed online.
Keynote speeches and presentations by tech leaders also can be moved to streaming video.
I hope CES organizers aim high when picking big names for the keynotes to generate news and interest. The virtual CES 2021 offers the possibility to attract public figures who would not have given an in-person keynote at the physical show.
Here are some suggestions for CES 2021 keynotes:

• Philanthropist Bill Gates could discuss efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and how the world will change after the threat has passed. When he led Microsoft, Gates has a fixture at CES. He gave his 12th and final CES keynote on Jan. 6, 2008.
• Apple CEO Tim Cook could make his first CES keynote. Apple has snubbed CES in favor of holding its own company events. But these are unprecedented times, right? CES could give Cook the forum to discuss whatever he wants: green initiatives, education, his vision for the smart home, etc.
• Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg could hold a keynote in virtual reality. He’s a big proponent of the technology with the company’s Oculus VR business. The event could be streamed both to VR headsets and in surround video on YouTube. It is the absolute perfect time for a virtual reality keynote with everyone stuck at home.

Keynotes can be prerecorded but major conference sessions on important topics should be held live. These include CES interviews with government leaders and discussions with experts about major news topics.
My biggest question is how the average CES exhibitor will handle the all-digital conference. I would imagine that each will do a video to post in a directory of virtual exhibitors. These videos will include a rundown of their latest products. Some could even do online question-and-answer sessions. This might work best for company’s selected as CES Innovation Award winners and the like.
CES describes this part of the all-digital show as its “product showcase.”
“With this digital evolution of the CES show floor, you’ll be able to explore products and services, based on your interests and business, through dynamic product showcases or live demos,” the Consumer Technology Association said.
The trade group also promised virtual meetings and networking opportunities with CES 2021.
The great thing about CES is that it sets the tone for the tech industry for the year ahead. As such, it focuses on tech solutions for the world’s problems. I’m hopeful that CES 2021 will be no different.

Photo: CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. (Consumer Technology Association)