The seedy side of media is an open secret. Original material is replaced by scandal. Alex, Ash and Marina explore the power dynamics of film, TV, streaming and music, and where reality is the new commodity of entertainment.
This podcast explores each dark alley of media, the forces that shape it, and the future of scandalous entertainment.
Of course it’s all alleged. For thought provoking entertainment only.
The hosts of Dark Alleys of Media analyze the technical brilliance, narrative, and purpose of the Netflix hit 'Adolescence', exploring its impact and the controversies surrounding its themes.
13 Apr 2025
EP7 - The Oscars: Fools Gold
In this episode we look at the 2025 Oscars that just went by but decided to delve deeper into the Oscars history, structure and its real purpose.
We will look at some of the most controversial Oscar campaigns, the forces behind them, if the Oscars favorite indie movies are really indie and if this whole thing is just an out of touch popularity contest.
Also at the end, we hear what Ricky Gervais has to say about the Oscar nominees.
History:
The House That Mr. Mayer Built: Inside the Union-Busting Birth of the Academy Awards
Corruption
The Oscars Are Corrupted and Dirty and Driven by Publicists, But Dammit We Still Need Them
The bitter truth about Hollywood’s Oscar obsession
Most corrupt Oscar campaign
Number of television viewers of the Academy Awards ceremonies from 2000 to 2025
Why THIS Is The Worst Best Picture Winner In Oscar History
Oscar voter admits meeting Robert Downey Jr ‘tipped the scales’ for his vote
Oscar voters speak:
2025 - Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot No. 1: ‘Conclave’ for Best Picture, ‘Emilia Pérez’ Star Lost His Vote with Tweets
2024 - Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot No. 1: ‘Zone of Interest’ Is Best Picture, but Nolan Is Best Director
Indie Cinema
Don’t be fooled by all the ‘indie’ nominations – Oscars are still dominated by the big players - 2015 Article
2025 Oscars
Emilia Perez Nomination Explained
“Emilia Pérez” is Not Good Trans Representation
REVIEW: ‘Emilia Pérez’ Hates México
9 Mar 2025
EP6 - Andrew Tate & Media Failures
*This episode was recorded before the Tate's arrived in the US*
Who is Andrew Tate? We know of him as a social media influencer, misogynist, champion of men's rights and Pimp and more. But why is he famous and what are the forces that are driving his rise and continued relevance?
Join us as we dive into the world of the Tates, hear from their own words and see how the traditional media forms are struggling to combat his or his contemporaries.
Video references:
The Incredibly Satisfying Downfall of Andrew Tate
Andrew Tate Exposed: Chats document manipulation of a trafficking victim!
BBC Interview with Tate
Andrew Tate's War Room exposed by Cobratate insider
Exposing Andrew Tate's Cult Full of Losers!
I Joined Andrew Tate's $5,000 War Room for 1 Year
Articles:
I’m Andrew Tate’s audience and I know why he appeals to young men
How the Tate Brothers Came to Romania and How They First Made Contact with Organized Crime
Swallowing the Red Pill: a journey to the heart of modern misogyny
The female Andrew Tate’: the new influencer dating doctrine is extreme – but I can see why it’s popular
Yes, Andrew Tate is a misogynist, but his real game is exploiting men’s vulnerabilities for cash
This is why young men are still listening to Andrew Tate
Colleges Have a Guy Problem
Women Likely to Continue Outpacing Men in Education
Gen Z does not dream of labor
Tradwives, stay-at-home girlfriends and the dream of feminine leisure
Report:
Algorithms as a Weapon Against Women: How YouTube Lures Boys and Young Men into the ‘Manosphere’
Social Media:
@CrayonMurders
@TheMilkBarTV
@ThePAXWAX
I Don't Dream of Labour TikTok trend
1 Dec 2024
EP5 - Politics is Showbusiness for Ugly People
Dark Alleys of Media host examines the 2024 US presidential election, revealing how image politics, online culture, and the rise of new media eclipsed substance and legacy media's relevance.
5 Sept 2024
EP4 - Manufacturing the Band
Lou Perlman became infamous for creating some of the bestselling Boy Bands in the world and running a ponzi scheme for over 40 years. What did this guy get up to? How did he make his money?
More importantly, why were boy Bands such money makers for studios and what lies behind the extravagant facade?
We deep dive into Perlmans past, his scams, the exploitation of his artists and then look into how this is the norm in the music industry where music and the artists are commodities.
In the end of the episode, we listen to the words of the very honest, Simon Cowell.
The Boy Band Con: The Lou Perlman Story (WATCH)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCRs0Ic3FI&t=1823s
Menudo: Forever Young looks at the Exploitative Nature of Boy Bandshttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/menudo-forever-young-exploitation-boy-bands_n_62b9cfc4e4b0cf43c86835f8
Dirty Pop: Boy Band Scam Awkwardly Curates the Facts
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dirty-pop-boy-band-scam-review-flawed-celebrity_n_669fe59ae4b08943f2a14923
The True Story Behind Dirty Pop: The boy Band Scam
https://time.com/7002523/dirty-pop-netflix-time-studios/
The Dark Questions Netflix’s Lou Perlman Doc Dirty Pop Doesn’t Answer
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/lou-pearlman-backstreet-boys-nsync-dirty-pop
Making the Band: Dark History of boy Bands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahxk3GTi5yc
Lou Perlman: The Evil Behind 90s Boy Band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbOzY9pRxA0
All About the Disgraced Con Artist Who Discovered NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys
https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-lou-pearlman-stories/carly-silver
Record Breaking Revenues in the Music Business, But are Musicians Getting a Raw Deal
https://www.forbes.com/sites/oisinlunny/2019/05/15/record-breaking-revenues-in-the-music-business-but-are-musicians-getting-a-raw-deal/
Music Industry Monopolies: Are They Preventing Growth
https://www.gearnews.com/music-industry-monopolies-are-they-preventing-growth/
How Music Monopolies own your ears (and Everything that goes in Them)
https://challenge-magazine.org/2022/05/16/how-music-monopolies-own-your-ears-and-everything-that-goes-in-them/
Diary of a CEO: Simon Cowell Opens Up About His Heartbreaking Loss & His Regrets About One Directionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvsbCdCG8gE
21 Jul 2024
EP3 - Military Entertainment Complex
Today we will be looking at the documentary Theaters of War (2022).
All art is propaganda and no one pushes agendas like the media industry. But what if we told you that some of your favourite action films exist to shape a narrative, project power, recruit new blood and showoff their toys.
We will be looking at the how the US Military completely rewrites many beloved films to suit their agenda and try to snuff out films that go against them.
Theaters of War:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww1Ik2WlW1s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww1Ik2WlW1s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJT1Wtt_CGc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJT1Wtt_CGc)
Deep Dive: Hollywood, the US Army and the military entertainment complex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCPYKEPC5CI&list=PLUW304lJeu3XJqCDB-ioKyXjn4VPIgWAa&index=9 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCPYKEPC5CI&list=PLUW304lJeu3XJqCDB-ioKyXjn4VPIgWAa&index=9)
Somalis cheer at Black Hawk Down screening:
https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/01/22/blackhawk.screening/index.html (https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/01/22/blackhawk.screening/index.html)
Operation Paperclip:
https://www.history.com/news/what-was-operation-paperclip (https://www.history.com/news/what-was-operation-paperclip)
https://coffeeordie.com/operation-paperclip#:~:text=The%20Soviet%20Union's%20Operation%20Paperclip&text=The%20Soviet%20version%20of%20Operation,equipment%2C%20and%20other%20work%20materials (https://coffeeordie.com/operation-paperclip#:~:text=The%20Soviet%20Union)
Nazi to NATO pipeline:
https://www.historynet.com/these-nato-generals-had-unusual-backgrounds-they-served-in-the-third-reich/ (https://www.historynet.com/these-nato-generals-had-unusual-backgrounds-they-served-in-the-third-reich/)
Operation Osoaviakhim?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Osoaviakhim (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Osoaviakhim)
Who beat the Nazis:
https://www.vox.com/2014/6/16/5814270/the-successful-70-year-campaign-to-convince-people-the-usa-and-not (https://www.vox.com/2014/6/16/5814270/the-successful-70-year-campaign-to-convince-people-the-usa-and-not)
How the military uses video games for recruitment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=HAlGaqTItvU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=HAlGaqTItvU)
Call of Duty:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/22/call-of-duty-gaming-role-military-entertainment-complex (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/22/call-of-duty-gaming-role-military-entertainment-complex)
Spyculture:
https://www.spyculture.com/ (https://www.spyculture.com/)
Reel Power: Hollywood Cinema and American Supremacy
https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745329826/reel-power/ (https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745329826/reel-power/)
7 Jul 2024
EP2 - Diddy Do it?
In this episode we will be looking at the Diddy situation, who is involved and how far up it goes. Is this just about Diddy? How much of the industry knows about this and how far back does it go?
Resources will be available on the website and Spotify due to the word limit here!
23 May 2024
EP2 - Not so Quiet on Set
Today we dissect the Quiet on Set documentary series and look at what it explores and what it leaves out.
We go on to discuss Dan Schneider's response, some of the cast who feel exploited by the documentary and the original expose doco, An Open Secret (2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8uccDBgkpA
12 May 2024
EP1 - What is going on?
Dark Alleys....of media is a new podcast that looks at the seedy side of media and how it is becoming it's own form of entertainment.
In our introduction we talk about this in general and look at why we ended up here but leave it open to where we could go.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 12 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
11
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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