“If given the stamp of approval, the deal will be notable for its unusually long term. Three-year deals have generally been the norm since at least the 1940s for Hollywood unions,” but the extended 2023 strikes changed things. - The Hollywood Reporter
Anthony Norman thought he was just doing a job. But no, says a writer for the weirdly Truman Show-like series: “It was so much more than we ever could have hoped for. … He’s a true hero.” - The New York Times
"Sister Margaret-Angela saw their involvement in Call the Midwife as something that would endure. ‘We've bought all the DVDs so it'll be in our archives,’ she said. ‘It's part of the community history now.’” - BBC
“As they shot the finale, Einbinder wept often. Even Smart, a tough cookie, misted up a few times. The creators’ eyes stayed mostly dry.” - The New York Times
“Mario has always belonged to an older generation of comedy. … Charlie Chaplin built a legacy on the notion that a body can be battered by the world and still rise back up, like Mario, hat intact.” - Washington Post (MSN)
The network is launching the new video podcast and cross-platform show NPR Newsmakers, which will feature long-form interviews with some of NPR’s highest-profile reporters and hosts. - Inside Radio
AI isn’t just another flash-in-the-pan techno-bauble, like VR headsets, the “metaverse,” or NFTs. It’s actually revolutionary. The insistence betrays the measure of anxiety one might expect at a confab celebrating a power–hungry industry staring down an energy crisis. - Wired
“If a studio or production house needs something shape-shifting or face-switching, chances are they’ll call Parker & Stone. And chances are something strange — and, perhaps even more surprising when it comes to AI, potentially ethical — will result.” - The Hollywood Reporter
“Italy’s Cinecittà Studios are back in the black with a small but significant €1.1 million ($1.2 million) operating profit for the fiscal year of 2025, it was announced on Tuesday just as three big Hollywood shoots in various stages are decamped on its vast backlot.” - Variety
Retro Rewind is the latest in a category called “store simulators”—games that basically create bottled versions of hourly-wage drudgery. Set in the ’90s, the game tasks players with such activities as stocking shelves, manning the checkout counter, and balancing the daily books. - The Atlantic
The reductions made possible by InterPositive‘s technology would be “substantial” on below-the-line production, “conservatively” reaching at least 10% to 20%, the application said. - Deadline
“With the movie’s release came a flurry of social media posts, as audiences debated everything one could possibly imagine to be a potential topic for debate. (Those) included … the film’s quality, the book’s quality, the frequency and success of the jokes, its perceived political perspective, … Gosling’s project choices and the directors’ track records, to name a smattering.” - The Hollywood Reporter
A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that President Trump’s executive order barring the federal funding of NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment. - The New York Times
Hollywood studios are making significantly fewer movies and television shows than they did just a few years ago. The ones they do make are increasingly being shot in other countries and states that offer more generous tax subsidies. - The Wall Street Journal
“As opposed to a traditional set, there are no luxury trailers for the stars, no furnished dressing rooms or green rooms for the execs. Each member of the crew, from production assistant to top-billed star, receives the same treatment. And things move fast — some actors shoot all their scenes in one day.” - TheWrap (Yahoo!)
