Tag Archives: Universal Pictures

Fashion

Just In Time For Halloween- Bela Lugosi Restored Home Now For Sale

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Dracula

Fans of old movies are well familiar with one of Hollywood’s most beloved villains, Bela Lugosi, as the character Dracula, in the 1931 film of the same name. Having had a very successful Broadway run in the part, Lugosi was chosen by Universal Pictures to portray the part in one of the first talkies. Doomed as a type-cast villain for his whole career, Lugosi went on to make the films “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Raven,” “Son of Frankenstein” and “White Zombie.”

Lugosi was Hungarian born and began his acting career in his homeland.

He was forced to flee during the Hungarian Revolution of 1919 due to his activism in the actor’s union. From there he went to Vienna and then to Berlin until deciding to come to America, working his way over on a freighter to the port of New Orleans in 1920. He applied for citizenship in 1928 and became naturalized in 1931 at the age of 49. Throughout his Hollywood career, he had two competitors for parts: Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. In a number of films he was paired with Boris Karloff and since the studio preferred Karloff, and regardless of the size of their roles, Lugosi would always get the second billing. Vampire fans, however, preferred Lugosi, since afterall, he was actually from Transylvania.

Castle La Paloma was Bela Lugosi’s home in his Hollywood days. Located in Beachwood Canyon on approximately a quarter of an acre with marvelous views to Palos Verdes, Long Beach, Beachwood Canyon and the Hollywood Sign, the Tudor-style brick mansion has been fully restored but retains its original classic details. Measuring in at 5,000 square feet, the home has five bedrooms, six baths, ballroom-sized living room, family room, formal dining room with iron windows, large master suite, eat-in chef’s kitchen and service wing. Details include original tile work, inlaid floors, handmade ironwork, and finished beam ceilings, inlaid Italian slate floor entries and foyers, mahogany doors, gated motor entry and slate roof. For more information visit our friends at toptenrealestatedeals.com.

Home of stage and screen actor Bela Lugosi, one of Hollywood’s most important villains, totally restored, priced at $4.197 million usd/ $5.86 million cad (exchange rated at time of posting).

Source: www.sothebyshomes.com

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Culture

California Aims To Turn Down Volume On Streaming Ads

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California Wants to Turn Down Volume on Ads Played by Streamers

The bill makes Netflix, Prime, and other streaming services regulate ad volume. It passed unanimously and now goes to the state governor. Is it time for similar legislation here in Canada?

California Wants to Turn Down Volume on Ads Played by Streamers
The logos for Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Sling TV on a remote control, in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 13, 2020. Jenny Kane/AP Photo

Netflix and other video streamers might need to chill a bit more when it comes to the volume of commercials played in California.

California lawmakers want to moderate blaring advertisements that play louder than the shows. They passed a bill on Sept. 22 to address the issue.

“Have you noticed the increased volume of ads in the middle of your favorite shows? They’re so jarring!” Santa Ana Democrat Sen. Tom Umberg said about the bill on social media. “If they can target ads to me based on my age and favorite cereal, I have the utmost faith they could fix this problem.”

Senate Bill 576 passed the Legislature unanimously and was sent to the governor’s desk.

If signed, the bill would go into effect July 1, 2026, to close a loophole that exempts streaming services from complying with the national CALM Act, enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The federal rules were adopted in 2011 and went into effect a year later. They require commercials to have the same average volume as the programs they accompany.

The Epoch Times

The way people watch shows and movies, however, has changed. Consumers are using entertainment apps, or video streaming services, much more often now, and these haven’t kept up with the protections, according to Umberg.

“As a result, consumers are increasingly subjected to loud, disruptive commercial advertisements with no regulatory safeguards,” Umberg said in a legislative analysis. “By ensuring that commercial advertisements do not play at a volume higher than the primary video content, this bill enhances the viewing experience and protects individuals with hearing sensitivities—including seniors, children, and those with auditory processing disorders—from sudden and jarring noise spikes.”

Netflix pioneered the switch to streaming services by introducing video streaming in January 2007, followed by Hulu in 2008, Amazon Prime Video in 2011, and Disney+ in late 2019.

The services have quickly become a household staple, Umberg added.

The bill does not give the state any enforcement power and doesn’t include a way for consumers to report violations.

State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) speaks at a Public Safety Committee hearing in Sacramento on March 28, 2023. (Screenshot via California State Senate)
State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) speaks at a Public Safety Committee hearing in Sacramento on March 28, 2023. Screenshot via California State Senate

The legislation faced opposition from the Motion Pictures Association, which represents Walt Disney Studios, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

According to the group, the legislation was “unnecessary” as the studios were working voluntarily on the issue of loud advertisements.

Many streaming services have undertaken efforts to adjust the loudness of ads that come from server-side ad insertion. They are also working with the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Audio Engineering Society to establish the best way to “normalize” the volume level of advertising, according to the association. For the Silo, Jill McLaughlin/ The Epoch Times.