BIG 6: The SpongeBob effect, Tyler Perry is so money, more

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SpongeBob Found to Impair Preschoolers’ Thinking

Now, I’m no developmental psychologist, but several things about the conclusion being drawn here leap out at me. First, this was a group of four-year-olds, who are not the target audience for SpongeBob, and with good reason — the humor in SpongeBob is largely based in irony and sarcasm, two concepts that few kids under the age of six are likely to grasp. Read the full Wired article

 

 

The Highest-Paid Men In Entertainment

That would be the multi-talented Tyler Perry. If his face is not instantly recognizable that’s because in his movies he often appears dressed in drag as Madea, the wide-hipped, argumentative, no-nonsense character who has starred in six of Perry’s movies. Madea has also shown up in one of Perry’s TV shows, House of Payne. Read the Forbes article

Back in action: the fall and rise of Hong Kong film

“Actually, the boom was not really healthy,” he says, “because a lot of money came in for movies to fill the video racks. The quantity of productions went up, which meant the quality went down. The themes of the movies and the characters began to repeat themselves. Because the supply was so abundant … what we called ‘overproducing’. And the audience lost confidence in Hong Kong film.” Read the full Guardian article

Contagion: The Cough That Launched a Hit Movie

You have to applaud the effort, for the movie does indeed offer a procession of dead-on accurate scenes that not only could happen but, in many cases, have already happened. Still, the whole thing is an improbable caricature, with 100 action-packed Hollywood minutes veering far from reality. You can still be very afraid if you want, if a contagious apocalypse happens to be your thing. But it’s not going to happen this way. Read the full NY Times article

Rating the Comcast-NBCU Merger: The New Culture Settles In

Whatever doubts the industry had about the status of Ron Meyer, who at 66 had been running the film studio and theme parks as Universal’s COO since 1995, began easing when the film arm enjoyed much-needed hits with “Fast Five” and “Bridesmaids.” The CEO’s contract was extended through 2015 in late June. Read the full The Wrap article

Amy Sedaris on Tanner Hall, Her Policewoman Fantasy, and Getting Confused for Amy Poehler

My high school experience was different. I can’t imagine going to an all-girls school. I went to a public school. I got along with the potheads and I got along with the pretty people — like now, I kind of got along with everybody. I was in a lot of clubs and I was still a Girl Scout.  Read the full NY Mag article

THE BIG 6 is a daily collection of film stories and features from around the web. If you have a something to add, leave a comment below.