The New York Times reported Friday morning that Google had made the controversial decision to block access to the inflammatory anti-Islam video, Innocence of Muslims, in Egypt and Libya, where the crude production had sparked anti-U.S. riots and violence that resulted in the deaths of four American diplomats, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stephens.
According to the Times, Google, which owns YouTube where the clip is posted, did not remove the video from its site because its policy is to remove content only if it is deemed "hate speech," or "if it is responding to valid court orders or government requests." Based on company guidelines, the Internet behemoth determined that Innocence of Muslims "was not hate speech," the paper reported, but Google still made the exceptional decision to block access to the video in Egypt and Libya in response to the violence and killings.
In the wake of this extraordinary decision by an American company to censor content, Movieline wants to hear from you. Take the poll after the jump and tell us if Google's actions were warranted, or if, in your opinion, even more decisive action is required. more »
Look, it's Friday. We're all working for the weekend, here. And besides, superhero season is nigh upon us! Do I really need a good reason for posting a collection of YouTube Spider-Men dancing in costumes on the internet? Yeah, didn't think so. ENJOY! With great power comes great responsibility... to get down, Spidey-style.
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Everyone's got their thing for getting through a rough week. (Read: Every week.) Some people do yoga, others meditate, more still pray, drink, cower tearfully in the office bathroom for 30 minutes at a time, or indulge any number of other palliatives. Myself, I increasingly find myself turning to "Firecracker," quite possibly the greatest unofficial music video ever created.
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This is lovely: Ridley Scott is executive producing the "self-portrait" doc Japan in a Day, in the crowd-sourced collected footage vein of Kevin MacDonald's Life in a Day, to draw attention to and benefit the survivors of Japan's devastating 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster. Fuji will donate 200 cameras to the project, which will cull from submissions uploaded to Youtube on March 11 with all profits reportedly going back to the victims. Now that's how you show support, Hollywood. [Deadline]
The 2nd Annual YouReviewers Movie Awards aired on YouTube this past weekend, and we've got to say, it was quite a show! This year, our friends at ENTV played host as YouTube heavy hitters Jeremy Jahns, The Schmoes, and a host of other notables from the ever-opinionated YouTube film community presented their favorite films, performances and trailers (because, after all, this is YouTube) of 2011.
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In between all the trenchant dog interviews and Taiwanese Star Wars news animations you're likely to find at Movieline on any given day, a nagging question no doubt persists: Where can I find the most up-to-the-minute entertainment news videos on the Web? I've got not only your answer, but at least one shiny, highly desirable reason to check it out.
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I'm a little late to this, but it's not as if anything else is happening beyond the fecal tsunami that is the Iowa caucuses: Find herewith the childhood home videos of comic John Ramsey and his filmmaker brother Richard, with both siblings contributing commentary over the searing indie drama. Aspiring directors, take note!
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