1. International Movie Database
The International Movie Database, more frequently referred to as IMDb, is an appropriate website to start with as this is a film review-style blog. IMDb provides information on every professional or semi-professional story ever put to film or television dating back to 1878's The Horse in Motion all the way through to films that are currently in production, some not even to be released until 2020. It is the perfect mechanism of research for film history, news in the industry, and user-friendly critical reviews. Personally, I enjoy the trivia section of the website, which provides interesting, lesser known details of the production of certain films, the life of an actor, and thousands of other facets of the industry that would otherwise be masked to the eye of the audience. From Charlie Chaplin to Steven Spielberg, from Casablanca to The Avengers, from Cheers to House of Cards and everything in between, IMDb is a useful portal to the vastness of Hollywood and the filmmaking industry.
2. The Associated Press
Occasionally referred to as "The Marine Corps of journalism" due to their mantra of "first in, last out" regarding broadcasting, The Associated Press is a reliable news source that other news outlets will look to in times of breaking news. The AP is a breath of fresh air compared to many major news sources because they pride themselves on avoiding bias while maintaining integrity in their pursuit of a story. Part of their mission statement says "we abhor inaccuracies, carelessness, bias or distortions", which is promising because a journalist who hates doing his job poorly is a powerful force in society, and hopefully a positive one.
3. Deadspin
Deadspin is a blog started in 2005 by Will Leitch, which has now grown to a formidable sports news outlet. Deadspin has famously broken stories in the past, such as Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend, as well as Brett Favre's alleged sexual misconduct in 2010. What sets Deadspin apart is that it considers itself a comedic website before a news source. This doesn't mean their content is inaccurate, it just means the writers don't hold their opinions back when analyzing the behavior of athletes, fans, commentators, or really anyone in the public eye. Being a blog, Deadspin never censors itself, which makes it an entertaining read in addition to the fact that they keep regular updates coming from all arenas of sports. Also, because of its comedic origin, Deadspin doesn't just limit itself to sports. Although athletics are its focus, the writers expand to politics, pop culture, music, and really anything that can be made fun of, which means their potential for stories is unlimited.
4. Nerdist
The Nerdist Podcast was started by Chris Hardwick in 2011 and has since grown into a division of Legendary Pictures. What started as a podcast is now an interactive website that is home to said podcast, as well as a premium content YouTube channel, a broadcast news division, and a print news division. Nerdist focuses on news in the film and television industry, but also investigates and reports on upcoming annual technology updates and scientific advancements. The website has thrived in appealing to the "nerd zeitgeist" that has become so popular in the last decade, capitalizing especially on the many movie franchises that continue to grow and require immense attention and speculation.
5. FiveThirtyEight
FiveThirtyEight is a journalistic website founded by Nate Silver, a widely known statistician and mathematical analyst. Because of Silver's influence, all articles published on the website are very fact-driven and cite statistics frequently and the reliability of those statistics. Along with that, there is a blog running in conjunction with the major stories to analyze and dissect what has been presented in the articles. FiveThirtyEight thrives during presidential political seasons, as they dig deep into the numbers and figures thrown out by politicians during their campaigns, and inform their readers o the validity of the claims. It was during the 2008 presidential campaign that FiveThirtyEight became a licensed feature of The New York Times. FiveThirtyEight has won numerous awards for its reporting, and is a reliable news source with an aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate website.
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