(Disappearing) American Mall, the Video Game
Like (I hope) the IPE Zone blog itself, there's an amusingly droll American Mall video game developed by, of all people, Bloomberg . With consumer spending constituting the lion's share of e…
Showing posts with the label Entertainment
How Trump the Vulgar Boosted the Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is everything Trump's America is not: civil, polite, and uplifting. Despite his improbable appeal to certain segments of the American electorate--you'll have to point the…
Today's PRC Pt III: Building a Creative Economy
Yes, Kung Fu Panda 3 qualifies as a PRC production. The current Chinese leadership's plans to make a transition from a manufacturing- and export-oriented economy to a services- and domestic-ori…
Miss Universe and US Hegemony in Beauty Pageants
"Yay, the Americans declared me winner of an 'international' event!" Given my nationality, I suppose I shouldn't complain too much about the outcome of the 2015 Miss Universe p…
Whew! TPP Won't Kill Off Cosplay
TPP preserves your rights to dress like a cartoon character...to an extent. I have always enjoyed featuring fringe stories from the world of international economic relations, and this one should fill…
The Utter Unlikeliness of Call of Duty: Singapore [?!]
Call of Duty: Singapore is a really dumb idea. I look forward to Call of Duty: Kirby's Apartment . If you were going to set a fictional video game franchise concerning a terrorist attack somewhe…
China Buying America: From Tech to Flicks
China funding Hollywood...what's the deal? Two new articles in the WSJ illustrate China's ambitions in terms of acquiring Western technology--we've always known about this, but they'v…
Eurovision, Migration, Romanian Kids & Workaway Parents
Cherishing those rare time mum is home in Romania. It's that time of the year again when that quintessential display of European unity (really) and sheer weirdness comes around. Yes, it is time f…
'Furious 7' Box Office Success Banks on US Diversity
New box office formula: fewer gringo actors = more moviegoers. I am not much of a follower of the US film industry, but this story caught my interest for a number of reasons. To be honest, I haven&#…
Sands' Sheldon Anderson 1, Online Gambling Stateside 0
The US nanny state and a casino mogul combine to frustrate online gambling Stateside. For a long time, I have covered attempts to regulate Internet gaming Stateside and its effects on offshore servic…
Political Barriers for Game Console Makers in China
A game console bonanza in China? Not yet so far. The irony for video game console makers in China is that while some components are made there, the likes of Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have not been…
Cuba Stories: Venezuelan Oil, Buena Vista Social Club
Some Buena Vista Music Club musicians are gone but not forgotten. I actually watched Obama's announcement that the United States has entered a process of normalizing relations with Cuba. As some…
And Now for Hugo Chavez, the Ballet
Wasn't the real Hugo Chavez a homely, pudgy bloke? For those with a taste for entertainment with a political bent, there is no shortage: Evita , Les Miserables , Imelda ...the list goes on and on…
Dr. Dre's $70M USC Innovation School, Gangstas & Race
Dig USC President Max Nikias trying to get down with Dre. This is an interesting idea for innovation in higher education: is gangsta rap impresario Dr. Dre your idea of a college benefactor? He doesn…
Watch Out, Evita: Imelda Marcos, the Musical
Sometimes 2000 shoes just ain't enough. David Byrne should be familiar to 80s music fans as the Talking Heads frontman of " Burning Down the House " fame. Together with Fatboy Slim, the…
The Only Part of Disney Losing Money - Euro Disney
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters , sons of bankers, sons of lawyers. I visited Euro Disney in 1994, two years after it opened. After informing our Parisian cab driver that we wanted to go to the new theme …
Jeff Koons & Hokum as America's Defining Characteristic
To understand America, explain why "Orange Balloon Dog" is worth $58.4 million . At best, Americanism is a good-natured kind of hucksterism that does not take itself too seriously and invit…
Singapore and the Demoncracy [sic] of Political Freedom
Ah, independent Singapore: a Lee-controlled city-state with a brief Goh Chok Tong intermission. I call it the "Medvedevian Interlude." Harry Lee Kuan Yew is famous for his "Asian Value…
Shakira, the Yoko Ono of Spanish Football
Shakira killed Gerard Pique and Spain's double fantasy for a World Cup repeat. [ Apologies for this post not concerning IPE all that much, but it is definitely international and affects the repu…
Bet on Asia? How Macau Stomps Puny Las Vegas
I did not fully appreciate how well and truly Las Vegas has been eclipsed by Macau. 2006 was the year Macau overtook Las Vegas in gambling revenues. Perhaps reflecting the dour, sour mood of a has-be…