LOS ANGELES - The Hollywood writers strike, the iPhone and the "hyper-tabloidization" of television news are among the American Film Institute's "Moments of Significance" for 2007.
On Thursday, AFI's 13-member jury -- which includes film scholars, artists and critics -- announced seven events that affected "the world of moving image" over the past year.
The Writers Guild of America strike, which began Nov. 5, topped the list. The labor dispute between writers-guild members and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers addresses storytelling in the digital age and "may be a defining event in shaping the future," according to AFI.
The group cites the iPhone as a "symbol of the exploding on-demand culture." The device, which sparked a shopping frenzy when it was unveiled over the summer, allows users to stream and download music, movies and TV shows.
The country's cultural obsession with scandal reached new heights (lows?) in 2007, with coverage of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears often eclipsing traditional news on the war, the economy and other topics of international scale. AFI says Web sites such as TMZ.com and PerezHilton.com encourage a brigade of "citizen paparazzi" to "tear down pop idols."
Other 2007 moments deemed noteworthy by the group include the deaths of Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni, the high-definition Discovery Channel series "Planet Earth," the summertime contributions of cable television and the glut of films addressing the war on terror.
AFI is a national organization dedicated to education, preservation and celebration of American film. The group, known for its "100 movies" lists, recognizes 10 films and television shows each year. The 2007 winners will be honored at a luncheon on Jan. 10.
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