AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – The government of Prime Minister Tony Abbot hopes to sever the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s ties to its international broadcasting service, the Australian Network. As reported in The Guardian, Julie Bishop, the foreign affairs minister, has questioned the overall quality of the Australian Network’s service and contends it may…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – The Wolf of Wall Street, the contentious, prize-winning film directed by Martin Scorsese, was released in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with significant scene deletions and other adjustments. Due to the film’s abundant use of derogative language (over 500 curse words) and lurid scenes of drug abuse…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – The U.K.’s Daily Mail — surprisingly, the world’s most-read online English-language newspaper — will soon open an Australian edition. The move follows a similar down-under launch by rival The Guardian earlier this year. Mail Online, Daily Mail’s international online publication and the world’s most popular English-language newspaper,…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Ready for a comeback faster than Sylvester Stallone in Rocky III? Nine Entertainment certainly is. Barely a year after its near bankruptcy, Nine Entertainment Co., one of Australia’s leading media groups, plans to release an initial public offering (IPO), as announced early last week. With this…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – The 2013 Abu Dhabi Media Summit was conducted in the United Arab Emirates’ capital last week to discuss the world’s ongoing digital revolution. With Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) as an event partner, this three-day occasion focused on advancing the digital proficiency of the Middle East, the…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – An Australian film corporation revealed that it will finance the production of more sophisticated TV drama for the enjoyment of audiences worldwide last week. In an attempt to satisfy viewers’ increasing demands for “high-end” television shows that are “taking creative risks and developing complex narratives,” SCREEN…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Abu Dhabi University’s status was updated to “feeling social” last week after Facebook data revealed that the institution accounts for 80% of all social media involvement among other universities in the surrounding area. In respect to this extensive usage, the 2013 Arab Social Media Report recognized Arabic as social…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES — It wasn’t too much skin, but too little smile that led Australian advertising authorities to can a provocative billboard last week. The ad, promoting Ella Bache skincare products, featured three nude women with straight poker faces beneath the catchphrase, “Skin Solutions As Individual As You Are.” An…
