Netfl ix criticized by Chinese online over use of Taiwan fl ag Webby Awards go to Fauci, Oprah, DuVernay and Pharrell NEW YORK, May 19, (AP): Dr. Anthony Fauci, Oprah Winfrey, Dua Lipa earned two video awards for “Hallucinate” and “Dua Lipa Comments online Wednesday complained the series’ Facebook page Ava DuVernay, Riz Ahmed, Dua Lipa, Andra Day and Dwayne “The Has New Rules for COVID Dating.” Color of Change’s #JusticeFor- showed the fl ags of Taiwan, the island democracy claimed by the rul- Rock” Johnson all won honors Tuesday at the Webby Awards, which Floyd Campaign won the Webby Award for public service and activ- ing Communist Party as part of its territory, and of Hong Kong, where recognize the best internet content and creators. ism. Neil deGrasse Tyson won a Webby for his science and education the party is trying to crush pro-democracy activism. The Webby Person of the Year went to Fauci for using digital and podcast. Chef Gordon Ramsay, the band BTS and actor Jennifer Gar- Netfl ix joins a growing list of foreign retailers, airlines, hotels and social media to reach the masses with credible and factual COVID-19 ner were among Webby winners voted on by the public. other companies that have been attacked online in China over Taiwan, information. DuVernay won the Film and Video Person of the Year This year also marks the inaugural special achievement award - the Xinjiang, Tibet, human rights and other politically charged issues. trophy for her efforts creating a database to diversify Hollywood. Webby Anthem Award - which was awarded to Pharrell Williams for Some comments complained the fl ags show support for “splitting This year marks the 25th anniversary Webby Awards, selected by his work towards racial equity in education and entrepreneurship. The China,” or promoting formal independence for self-ruled Taiwan. The the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. It was hosted by Anthem Awards, launching in June 2021, will celebrate the purpose fl ags, with the those of Singapore and other markets, appear beside actor and activist Jameela Jamil, with appearances from Naomi Watts, and mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations “Thank You” in local languages for the series’ popularity. The adver- Padma Lakshmi and Gayle King, among others. worldwide. Another new award is the Webby Advocate of the Year, tisement says nothing about whether they represent countries. “It’s a unique year for the internet. It’s that one thing that has kept which went to “black-ish” and “grown-ish” star to Yara Shahidi for her “This is a (profanity) split!” said a comment signed Tang Sugar Sug- us connected all year,” said Claire Graves, president of The Webby social justice advocacy and her turn-out-the-vote efforts. ar Tang 123 on the popular Sina Weibo social media service. “Does Media Awards. “Our winners are a testament to that, really. They’ve kept us The Webby Social Movement of the Year Winner was Stop AAPI China need to say thank you for this? Bah! This is a blatant split!” connected in so many different ways. They’ve informed us - like Dr. Hate for using the Internet to effectively track and respond to incidents “Nanno I like you a lot, but sorry, you crossed my line. Goodbye,” Fauci - uplifted us and helped us spark global movements as well.” of hate and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacifi c Island- said another comment on Sina Weibo signed Huadu, referring the se- The awards started in 1996 by recognizing websites. It has grown ers in the United States. The academy also announced Comedy Central ries’ main character. “Think clearly about what kind of country China to embrace new technologies, from apps and software to social media as the Webby Media Company of the Year after earning the most hon- is before getting benefi ts from us.” and games. This year, organizers added virtual and remote experiences. ors across all Webby categories and 14 wins overall. Netfl ix didn’t respond to questions left on its website. Ahmed and Day won acting awards for “Sound of Metal” and “The “The way that people have used the Internet has accelerated so much The outcry highlights China’s unusual mix of nationalism and per- United States vs. Billie Holiday,” respectively. Johnson’s use of social this year that it will be interesting to see how people continue to use the vasive censorship. media earned him a special achievement award, as did chef José An- new technology,” Graves said. “The internet is not stopping. It’s going The ruling party increasingly demands global companies conform drés, who was recognized for tackling food insecurity. to continue to grow and develop.” in public to Beijing’s political positions, including on websites abroad Other winners include Oprah’s Book Club, “Ratatouille: The Tik- that the ruling party’s internet fi lters block most people in China from Tok Musical,” “NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition,” “We Are George Also: seeing. Floyd” and the podcasts “Pod Save America,” “The Motherly Podcast” BEIJING: Chinese nationalism on the internet has a new target: Netfl ix Facebook can be seen in China only by people with virtual private by Kristen Bell and “Jemele Hill is Unbothered.” and its popular Thai drama “Girl from Nowhere.” network software used to evade the fi lters. Variety s e r u t a This image released by Netfl ix shows Matthias Schweighofer, (left), and Dave Bautista in a scene from ‘Army of the Dead.’ (AP) e Film Snyder returns to his undead roots in heist movie NEW YORK: The CBS comedy F Features “Mom” signed off after eight sea- sons last week before 6.2 million viewers, the biggest audience of its fi nal season. ‘Army of Dead,’ bitingly good zombie fl ick The Chuck Lorre-produced comedy starring Allison Janney By Mark Kennedy Harold gets sly. They rely on a smuggling coyote in so many ways beyond head-kills: knife through ended with her title character in an to skulk into a walled-off American city, one of skull, being burst between two armored doors, de- Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. t won’t take you long to warm to Zack Snyder’s several moments that lift the material. Sean Spicer capitated with a garrote. Anna Farris, who was the series I“Army of the Dead.” All it took for me was the and Donna Brazile debating immigration on TV is Snyder, who also shot the fi lm, is in a winking co-star for seven seasons playing sight of a zombie Elvis impersonator. Janney’s daughter but left for other another. And the use of temperature guns to check mood here - The Cranberries’ “Zombie” is featured Equal parts hysterical and deadly, the bloody- if zombie-fi cation is happening is a prescient nod and Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt projects after last year, did not mouthed, jumpsuit-wearing King in the opening make an appearance in the fi nale. to the pandemic Snyder could not have known was Me” plays in an elevator after a huge bloody scene. credits is the perfect touch to a joyously violent In the quick “vanity card” that coming. Also look for playful references to Medusa, the appears with the fi nal credits, fi lm that takes a vanilla heist fl ick and sets it inside Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, “Apocalypse a Las Vegas that has suffered a zombie apocalypse. The Vegas that the group enters is a freaky fun- Lorre wrote, “For 170 episodes, Now,” Sodom and Gomorrah, Joseph Campbell we wrapped jokes around hope ... The song playing over those credits is, of course, house that the fi lmmakers have fi lled with 2,500 Thank you for your support.” “Viva Las Vegas.” plastic skeletons. The zombies wear an alarming and Richard Wagner. Zombie fl icks have never felt With another television season Snyder is in many ways returning to his undead amount of rhinestones and ripped clothing. But more intellectual. winding down, CBS was the most- they’re awfully fun to mow down (remember, kids, Expertly paced and with top-notch special ef- watched network in prime time roots - before “Justice League” and “300” he re- made “Dawn of the Dead” - but this time he’s always aim for the head). Here the fi lm makes fects, “Army of the Dead” is a popcorn zombie THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021 last week, averaging 5 million lively nods to “Escape from New York,” “The Ma- movie for our time. Long live the undead. viewers. NBC had 3.7 million, added to zombie lore while adding some social ABC had 2.9 million, Fox had 2.3 commentary along with his trademark gleefully trix,” “Aliens” and “Planet of the Apes.” The fi lm was announced in 2007, but spent sev- eral years in development hell at Warner Bros. be- million, Univision had 1.29 mil- over-the-top violence. Mindless lion, Telemundo had 1.27 million The plot stitches old and new ideas yet some- fore having the rights bought by Netfl ix in 2019. and Ion Television had 930,000. how feels fresh: In the near-future, Las Vegas is a In addition to the zombie Elvis impersona- Snyder was announced as director, and the cast Fox News Channel led the cable tor, there’s a zombie bride still wearing her veil joined over the next several months. Filming be- networks, averaging 2.29 million walled-off zone given over to the undead, which really isn’t too far off from what it is. The govern- and a zombie horse, but the Zack Snyder Hall gan in July 2019, taking place in Los Angeles, New viewers in prime time.