Hollywood
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Hollywood studios reportedly want to recycle dead actors’ AI likenesses without family permission
SAG-AFTRA has reportedly responded to Hollywood studios’ “last, best and final” offer, rejecting clauses that would let them use AI-created likenesses of deceased performers without consent. The union plans to make a counter-offer that removes the current AI-related language.
Hollywood writers demand protections against AI exploitation
Hollywood writers are striking for better pay, better conditions, and to not have to play editor to a generative AI system's MadLibs attempt at a screen draft.
Hollywood writers are officially on strike
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has called for a strike starting today largely over streaming productions
Super Nintendo World won't open in Orlando until at least 2023
The first Super Nintendo World theme park attraction is set to open at Universal Studios Japan this summer. There have long been plans to open up similar areas at Universal Studios locations in Hollywood and Orlando, but you'll have to wait a while longer to explore the Mario-themed attractions stateside.
Ryan Murphy's first Netflix original series will star Darren Criss
Ryan Murphy is teaming up with frequent collaborator Darren Criss for his first Netflix original. Criss will executive produce and star in Murphy's upcoming series Hollywood, which the showrunner described as a "love letter to the Golden Age of Tinseltown." While you can watch Murphy's other shows on the streaming platform, Hollywood is his first original under the overall nine-figure deal he signed with the company. Both The Politician and Ratched, which are available on Netflix, were part of his deal with 20th Century Fox TV.
Recommended Reading: Undercover moms battle autism 'cure' on Facebook
Parents are poisoning their children with bleach to 'cure' autism. These moms are trying to stop it. Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News Don't believe everything you read on the internet, especially in 2019. An autism "cure" is currently making the rounds in Facebook groups that advises parents to give children bleach to remedy the condition. This is completely untrue -- there is no cure for autism -- and some moms are going undercover to fight back.
LA museum's sci-fi car exhibit includes HoloLens tours
There's a chance you've seen a movie car or two if you've visited a convention, but the Petersen Automotive Museum's offering should be more... elaborate. It's opening a "Hollywood Dream Machines" exhibit that will showcase 40 vehicles from sci-fi games and movies. Some of them are practically expected, like the DeLorean from Back to the Future, Deckard's sedan from Blade Runner and a lightcycle from Tron: Legacy. Others, however, are harder-to-see items like the GM Ultralight from Demolition Man as well as Lexuses from Black Panther and Minority Report. And how many times are you going to see life-size recreations of a Warthog from Halo or a Sparrow from Destiny?
Netflix wants to buy a landmark Hollywood movie theater
Netflix has its sights set on buying its first movie theater. It's in the early stages of talks to acquire the famed Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, according to Deadline Hollywood. Netflix would supposedly decide what to screen during the week, perhaps giving subscribers another way to watch Netflix releases. Current owner American Cinematheque would handle weekend programming, including festivals and lectures.
Netflix's three 'Roma' Oscar wins show streaming can rival Hollywood
In 22 years, Netflix has gone from a DVD rental service to the future of entertainment, turning the existing industry on its head. At last night's Academy Awards, the company has, once and for all, upended the way the movie business works. It won three trophies for Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, including Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography and, crucially, Best Director.
Netflix joins the Motion Picture Association of America
Netflix announced today that it is joining the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), making it the first internet-based service to join the 97-year-old trade association. The move marks Netflix's intentions to be taken seriously in Hollywood circles, shifting from being just a technology service that hosts other studio's content to a full-blown production company with its own massive distribution platform.
Warner Bros. wants to build a sky tram to the Hollywood sign
Finding your way to the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles typically involves a lot of back-street driving. As the iconic sign continues to get visitors, however, the congestion on those residential roads increases, as well. Warner Bros. has a proposal for the city of LA that it claims will help alleviate all that: a tram that connects the Warner Bros. studio lots in Burbank to the famous landmark, along with a visitor center near the sign.
Twitter can’t separate verification from validation
2016 was a dumpster fire of a year for Twitter. Abusive language and toxic interaction became the norm across the microblogging site as it saw a dramatic rise in activity from users on the far right and their crystallization into the alt-right movement. But for as painful as last year was for the company, 2017 has seen it steadfastly refuse to do little else but pour more gasoline on the flames.
#MeToo becomes a rallying cry for survivors of sexual assault
Yesterday, a campaign geared towards demonstrating just how common sexual assault and harassment are began to spread on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Alongside the hashtag #MeToo, women began posting their own stories of harassment in response to a prompt by Alyssa Milano.
Hollywood can't blame Rotten Tomatoes for recent flops
A recent New York Times article highlighted a growing Hollywood industry trend -- if a film does poorly at the box office, blame Rotten Tomatoes. The website, which aggregates movie reviews and assigns a percentage score with anything 60 or above labeled "Fresh" and anything scoring lower labeled "Rotten," is catching a lot of flack for disrupting ticket sales and tanking films. But Yves Bergquist, the director of the Data & Analytics Project at USC's Entertainment Technology Center decided to throw some data at the issue and see if those claims hold up.
Apple is reportedly planning to set up shop in Hollywood
In June, Apple announced that it had hired Sony bigshots Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg to head its video programming division. The move signaled that Apple might be more serious about its TV and film aspirations than its currently small offerings would suggest. Now, the Financial Times is reporting that the company has its eye on a major Hollywood studio.
Apple sets $1 billion budget for original TV shows
Apple is finally putting its money where its mouth is, setting aside $1 billion to pursue the original programming agenda it's been making so much noise about it recent times. In June, the company poached Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg -- the TV execs behind Breaking Bad and The Crown -- from Sony, noting at the time that it "had exciting plans in store for customers". Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has opened its war chest to make those plans a reality.
Report: Facebook to pay Hollywood millions for original shows
Facebook is very serious about its original programming ambitions -- $3 million per episode serious. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the tech giant is courting Hollywood agencies for original scripted TV shows, in some cases offering up to $3 million per episode. It's also keen on procuring less-expensive productions that would cost hundreds of thousands each episode to make. The Journal's sources said that Facebook has set late summer as a tentative launch window, and that it hopes to reach audiences aged 13-34.
Watch NASA's first 4K broadcast from space on April 26th
If you've ever wanted to see Earth orbit in stunningly real high-def, here's your chance. On Wednesday, April 26th, you can watch the first 4K livestream from the International Space Station 250 miles above the Earth. Commander Peggy Whitson will speak as part of a panel called "Reaching for the Stars: Connecting to the Future with NASA and Hollywood." While we've seen 4K video from space before, this is the first time it will be live. You'll need a 4K-capable television or monitor to see the full resolution, of course, but there will also be lower-resolution streams on NASA Television as well as the agency's Facebook page and website.
'La La Land' composer on electronica's key role in the film
Damien Chazelle's La La Land might not have won that Oscar, but it did scoop up the one for Best Original Music Score. The man behind that score is Justin Hurwitz. Anyone who has seen the film will know that the soundtrack is largely divided between vintage Hollywood music and classic jazz -- the style favored by tortured musician Seb (Ryan Gosling). But for all of its antiquity, one of the biggest conflicts of the movie is Seb's struggle with pop success after joining his friend Keith (John Legend) in a band that fuses jazz flavors with modern electronic music. Hurwitz's challenge, then, was not only to score the movie but also to create a musical backdrop to Seb's journey of self-discovery, a journey that ultimately proves to be a crucial fork in the movie's twisting story.
IMDb adds 'F-Rating' to help users identify feminist-friendly movies
In a bid to highlight movies that celebrate women in cinema, popular film information site IMDb has incorporated a new feminist classification into its listings. In order for a movie to earn the new 'F-Rating', it must either be written or directed by a woman or feature significant female characters on screen in their own right. Created in 2014 by Bath Film Festival director Holly Tarquini, the new classification has since been adopted by over 40 cinemas and film festivals in the UK. Tarquini states that 21,800 films have been awarded the rating on IMDb so far.
