This time last year, the Internet was preparing itself for the long-awaited sophomore season of “Euphoria.” Season two dropped in January 2022 after complications from the pandemic left viewers waiting three years since the release of the first season. While there was speculation and excitement about what the second season would entail, no one was ready for the ruthless amount of unnecessary nudity that stained our screens. Viewers were quick to notice that Sydney Sweeney’s (“The White Lotus”) character Cassie had more nude scenes than any other character and shared their concerns on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok. One Tweet reads “now even jacob has said something about the nudity in euphoria, sam levinson you’re a sick man,” referring to actor Jacob Elordi (“The Kissing Booth”) who plays Nate Jacobs on the show, and the producer Sam Levinson (“Malcolm & Marie”). Another user comments that “i think euphoria would be a much more interesting show if it focused on exploring grief rather than on trying to portray the most extreme situations possible and show the most nudity on screen,” emphasizing that for many viewers, unnecessary nudity detracts from the show’s storyline more than it adds nuance. It’s not just the superfluity of the nudity that is a problem, but also its relation to the context of the show. “Euphoria” paints a very unrealistic and dangerous image of sexuality for young people, who are watching a show that is supposed to revolve around a group of high schoolers. In the context of the show, these are underage kids engaging in excessive displays of sexuality, frequently underscored with violence. The simple nudity isn’t the issue, but rather how the excessive displays of nudity — especially those accentuated with abuse — promote a harmful depiction of hypersexuality for viewers and actors alike. Though actors from “Euphoria” have spoken up in defense of Levinson and the show’s nudity, their comments are not always relieving: “There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’ … When I didn’t want to do a nude scene, he didn’t make me,” Sweeney shared with The Independent. While it’s nice to know that Sweeney maintained some autonomy on set, it is distressing to learn that she was responsible for telling Levinson “no,” and a bit appalling to learn that the second season was originally going to have more nudity. The nudity of “Euphoria” (for characters of all genders) was so excessive, it was more shocking to see an episode without any. While most fans didn’t hesitate to mock the show or critique Levinson for the superfluous nudity and sex scenes, others remained unfazed: “I understand the argument of Euphoria having too much nudity because they’re high schoolers in the show but at the same time its like….is this the first and only HBO series you have watched?” That Twitter user was correct: HBO is one of the biggest offenders in terms of needless nudity. For years, shows like “True Detective,” “Minx,” “Vinyl” and “True Blood” have exemplified the network’s taste for nakedness, and it isn’t necessarily a fluke that its top performing shows, “Game of Thrones” and “Euphoria,” respectively, also rank highly in the nudity department. It was watching the fourth episode of HBO’s newest release, “House of the Dragon” (which claims HBO’s most- watched series premiere title) that prompted my reflections on nudity in television. Though thus far, the series has stayed true to original “GoT” lore — with respect to incestuous relationships and over-the- top violence — “HoD” has not yet matched its predecessors’ appreciation of nudism. While prior episodes in the season consist of brief brothel scenes, it isn’t until episode four that “HoD” attempts to make its parent show proud. While I watched the episode with a fellow Daily Arts staffer, Swara Ramaswamy, we agreed that the sex scene shared between Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock, “Upright”) and Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel, “The Serpent”) seemed to prioritize reality and thoughtfulness as opposed to gratuitous vulgarity. We thought that the director (Clare Kilner, “The Mosquito Coast”) and intimacy coordinator (Miriam Lucia, “The Nevers”) conducted a very tasteful scene between the actors, who purportedly spent seven months preparing for the moment. They worked tirelessly with the intimacy coordinators to not only deliver a realistic depiction of the awkwardness and vulnerability of sex, but also to ensure that the scene was sensitive and respectful of the actors. Is it a coincidence that the director of the episode is a woman? Perhaps not, if we are only to take the directors into consideration (Kilner herself has explained her “feminine approach” to the sex scene). It is deserving of some acknowledgment, nonetheless, that we tend to see the most nudity in television when shows and episodes are directed by men. This conversation isn’t new. People have been speaking up about the excessive nudity in television for years now — not because we’re all prudes, but because of the increasingly obvious surplus of unnecessary televised nudity that, at best, detracts from the shows at hand, and, at worse, promotes dangerous entanglements of sex and violence. As seen in “House of the Dragon,” sex and nudity in television can be delivered skillfully and successfully; there is no excuse for overabundant nudity, especially when it encourages and exposes both actors and viewers to extreme and exorbitant portrayals of hypersexuality. The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Arts If you haven’t heard, some people (conservatives) are upset that people of Color have been cast in Amazon’s new series, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” The series is a prequel to “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, which was adapted in the early 2000s into an award winning film series by Peter Jackson. Now, the new series is being criticized by some on the right for being “too woke.” In an interview with CNN, Brandon Morse, an editor at RedState.com, a conservative news site, lambasts Amazon for “corrupting” Tolkien’s legacy and universe. He claims that the inclusion of Black people in Tolkien’s Middle-earth universe, which is modeled after Europe, is heresy, because obviously Black and Brown people never existed outside of Africa and Mexico. He asserts that inclusivity and diversity are attempts to “woke- ify” the story. He calls these changes “perverse” and states, “if you focus on introducing modern political sentiments, such as the leftist obsession with identity issues that only go skin deep, then you’re no longer focusing on building a good story.” In one of his many blog posts, he backs up his criticism with his credentials, boasting, “I’m such a Lord of the Rings fan that I’ve read the Silmarillion four times and I’ve played almost every ‘Lord of the Rings’ video game that’s ever been created.” I have never seen someone write something more idiotic, more childlike (“I’ve played almost every Lord of the Rings video game that’s ever been created”), more devoid of intelligence than what this grown man wrote about this show. We can break down why I believe he is wrong about the show, but first let’s go over why I care that he sullied Tolkien’s name in the first place. To put it lightly, I adore Tolkien. I’m surprised I’ve only made one passing reference to him throughout the nearly four years I’ve written for this publication, but I’m here to set the record straight. Dear bigots: Read a damn book Wednesday, October 5, 2022 — 5 Design by Abby Schreck TATE LAFRENIER Daily Arts Writer HBO: Only a naked Matt Smith remains Editor’s Note: A Daily staffer is affiliated with Warner Bros., but they were not involved in the creation, production or publication of this piece. On April 8, 2022, 153 days before the British Queen Regnant Elizabeth II’s death, AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Discovery combined and became Warner Bros. Discovery. As a consequence of the merger, Warner Bros. Discovery arranged a marriage between its streaming counterparts HBO Max — the illustrious home of Matt Smith’s rear filmed in cinematic 2:1 aspect ratio — and Discovery Plus, a ruthless unscripted cable TV swamp. However, the company shake-up has been dogged by controversy, internal leaks and disappointing cancellations. In an absurdly short period of time, the media company cornered its contracted artists into considering pirating their own work and became the latest battleground in a larger conversation regarding artists, ownership of art and corporatism. No, all is not well with Warner Bros. Discovery. Newly instated CEO David Zaslav cut his TV executive teeth on unscripted reality television like “90 Day Fiancé” and had a meteoric rise, uniting his much smaller Discovery Group with the gigantic WarnerMedia. Perhaps conscious of his unscripted reality TV pedigree, Zaslav initially attempted to create a narrative of himself as pro-artist and pro- creative. His recent profile in the Wall Street Journal includes quotes from Zaslav’s corporate peers testifying to his financial sensibility and support for artists. The exclusion of artists working with HBO Max and Discovery Plus alludes to Zaslav’s priorities. Namely: a $55 billion debt Zaslav inherited after the company merger. In an opening salvo to defray the debt, Zaslav laid off 14% of company staff, the majority being HBO alums. That decision led to former executives accusing Zaslav of being anti-diversity, given the composition of the company’s leadership and the demographic of employees fired. But the round of layoffs was only one prong of many myopic cost- saving changes. August 2022 was an emotionally crushing period for staff and creative teams working at Warner Bros. Discovery. Without any notice or communication, Zaslav began axing programming, secretly removing content from streaming services and deleting social media posts. Most prominent among those revenue-driven decisions is the shelving of HBO’s nearly finished $90 million dollar Batgirl film. Variety reports that Zaslav did not believe the film would recoup production and advertising costs and made an unprecedented decision to bury the movie to claim a tax break. Effectively, if a company declares that it will stop profiting off of a piece of media, it can claim a tax break for its associated costs. To clarify, HBO had already invested roughly $90 million into a nearly complete product; fans and actors were excited about its release. Warner Bros. Discovery is not soft- releasing its product or sending it straight to streaming to save on advertising. Like a horrible remix of “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” HBO has a fully filmed, exciting project that they’re burying alive. Unless we are very, very lucky, “Batgirl,” starring Leslie Grace (“In the Heights”), will never see the light of day. Batgirl’s directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, found out about their cancellation through the news cycle. In vain, they tried to pirate their own movie as a keepsake of the film. But the directors were circumvented and were locked out of the film’s servers. In what would become a pattern, El Arbi and Fallah released a video over Instagram Reels detailing their sense of betrayal and the scope of Warner Bros. Discovery’s lack of communication. At the end of the video, they encourage fans to watch their upcoming film “Rebel” to imagine what their “Batgirl” could have been. ELIZABETH YOON Daily Arts Writer Lets talk about excessive nudity in television LILLIAN PEARCE Managing Arts Editor puzzle by sudokusnydictation.com By Bonnie Eisenman ©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 09/21/22 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis 09/21/22 ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: Release Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 ACROSS 1 Thwack 5 Informed (of) 10 Compensation 14 Tuck out of view 15 Wrinkled 16 Many a univ. donor 17 365 days 18 Rub ingredient 19 HBO political satire starring Julia Louis- Dreyfus 20 Impractical way to get dressed? 23 Barack and Michelle’s eldest daughter 26 Family room 27 Impatient 28 Lives 30 Cookie fruit 31 Planning meeting for the costume department? 35 “Stop filming!” 38 Broody sorts? 39 Sir or sri 40 More than dislike 41 Donkey 42 Disappointing sign on a store selling warm-weather garments? 44 GPS display 45 Small village 46 Food cart snacks in South Asia 49 Texting letters 52 Swerves 53 Really pulls off a jacket? 56 Initial poker bet 57 Japanese noodle dish 58 Carried debt 62 Appear to be 63 “You __ kidding!” 64 Grow tiresome 65 Jekyll’s counterpart 66 Basil-based sauce 67 Yields, as a profit DOWN 1 Bashful 2 Blip on a polygraph, maybe 3 Hugo-nominated novelist Palmer 4 Continues 5 “One more thing ... ” 6 Totally beat 7 Ouzo flavoring 8 Scouting mission, briefly 9 Garden with forbidden fruit 10 Fluttering in the wind 11 Warning signal 12 Ballpark figure 13 Like cans in a recycling bin, hopefully 21 Doth own 22 Fall flat 23 Anime genre featuring giant robots 24 Wheel- connecting rods 25 NFL team whose mascot is named Roary 29 Punchline lead-in 30 __ and blood 32 “Pull up a chair” 33 Corp. computer exec 34 Fuzzy sitcom star of the 1980s 35 “The Grouchy Ladybug” writer/ illustrator 36 Out-and-out 37 Tries, as one’s patience 40 Place of origin 42 Cheerios grains 43 “__ Nagila”: Israeli folk song 44 Defiant retort 46 Cymbal sound 47 Bee product 48 Performed 49 Open up, in a way 50 Fast-spreading social media posts 51 Fragrance 54 Hip hop genre 55 “I’m __ your tricks!” 59 Pint-size 60 “Mangia!” 61 Many profs SUDOKU By Lisa Senzel & Christina Iverson ©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 09/14/22 Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis 09/14/22 ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: Release Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 ACROSS 1 Spanish tennis great Nadal, familiarly 5 Upgrade, as machinery 10 Uncertain 14 Cabbage buy 15 Glazer of “The Afterparty” 16 Skating commentator Lipinski 17 Analogy words 18 Bridal path flower piece 19 Stash, as gear 20 Japanese drama 21 Cookbook contents 23 Author Rand 24 Genre for composer Terence Blanchard 26 Informal “You’re oversharing” 27 Caramel candies 29 Like some dangerous isotopes 32 Curry of the NBA 34 Bike part 35 Quintet for most starfish 38 Prefix for a lifesaving “Pen” 39 Not so big 41 Knock 42 Try to hit 44 Tell it like it isn’t 45 Speed skater Ohno 47 Act parts 49 Past the point of caring 50 Michelle of “Crazy Rich Asians” 52 Neighborhood 53 *Secretive email option 60 Uncommon 61 Assertion 62 Cookie used as a 12-Down topping 63 Admit frankly 64 Omit in speech 65 Spreadsheet unit 66 Soaks up the sun 67 Calf-roping event 68 Diet that’s high in fats and low in carbs, as illustrated by parts of the answers to the starred clues DOWN 1 Safari herbivore 2 Fabulous writer? 3 *Figure often depicted with a scythe and an hourglass 4 Hubbub 5 Ready for picking 6 __ college 7 *Pakistani-born chef who was posthumously honored with a James Beard Award 8 Up the creek 9 Story 10 Part of FWIW 11 *Serious software problem 12 Dessert from 16 Handles, familiarly 13 Signs of boredom 21 “Wicked!” 22 __ Lanka 25 Sidelines cheer 28 Fertility lab cells 30 Maker of the Deep Blue chess computer 31 Workout top 32 Bodies of water 33 __ fail 36 Timbuktu’s land 37 Predicament 39 Fine horse 40 Black bird 43 “What’s the latest?” 46 NBC symbol 48 Abby Wambach’s sport 49 Juliet’s cry 51 Winnie-the-Pooh greeting 52 Tolerate 53 Sassy kid 54 Chocolate __ cake 55 Waffle maker 56 “Kills bugs dead!” spray 57 Hockey Hall of Famer Willie 58 Hit, as with snowballs 59 “Seize the day” initialism PARKING Parking Space for Rent North State & Kingsley 734-904-0649 CLASSIFIED ADS Your classified ad here! 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