Like other creative types, a lot of podcasters are skeptical of or even downright hostile to the idea of using AI bots, which only mimic sentience and thought, to create content. Yet some AI tools can do legitimate, important work on podcasts. - The New York Times
With APT having lost well over $2 million in support from the now-defunded Corporation for Public Broadcasting, some board members see PBS dues as a major expense to be cut (something which would also appeal to conservative officeholders controlling purse strings). Yet PBS programming is 90% of APT’s schedule. - Alabama Reflector
“Last week, NBC News gutted all the reporting groups aimed at the stories of underrepresented groups. And they're hardly alone. … As more media companies roll back diversity efforts, … the avenues for reporters who specialize in such coverage grow increasingly limited, putting those journalists on the front lines of layoffs.” - TheWrap (MSN)
“Paramount on Wednesday began … the first wave of a deep staff reduction planned since David Ellison took the helm of the entertainment company in August” following a merger with Ellison’s company, Skydance. “Wednesday's cuts represent about 5% of the organization.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
A cult film is born through ritualistic traditions of audience attendance that must occur in a public, social screening setting like a movie theatre. The Rocky Horror Picture Show — the Hollywood-funded screen adaptation of Jim Sharman and Richard O’Brien’s successful British stage musical — owes its cult success to independent, repertory cinemas. - The Conversation
“The producers of The Lost King on Monday agreed to pay damages to an academic who sued for libel over his on-screen depiction. Richard Taylor said he suffered ‘enormous distress and embarrassment’ because of the 2022 film, which centers on amateur historian Philippa Langley’s quest to find the king’s remains.” - AP
“Sheridan shocked Hollywood by signing a $1 billion+ deal with NBCUniversal and leaving behind his longtime partner at Paramount where the Yellowstone creator has built an empire. The movie deal starts in 2026 and will run for eight years, while the television deal starts at the end of 2028.” - TheWrap (MSN)
Hearings continue in NPR’s lawsuit to block the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s distribution of $57.9 million to the newly formed Public Media Infrastructure (PMI). - InsideRadio
Federal courts have ordered the administration to release funds for and resume news broadcasts at Voice of America and its sister networks such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — and there are Republican as well as Democratic lawmakers who want the stations to continue. - The New York Times
While the panic in the trenches is real, and the concerns over copyright infringement grab headlines—three major studios are suing the AI company Midjourney—AI has yet to yield the dreaded industry job losses. AI has yet to deliver on its promise to make filmmaking much cheaper and easier, too. - The Atlantic
Jeremy Allen White “was at first reluctant to take the role, given that he didn’t play guitar and was not a confident singer. He was convinced, in part, because Springsteen wanted him.” - The New York Times
Wow, do streamers have a show (or 450, all produced quickly) for you. "Though vertical dramas are the length of a movie, they are spliced up into small chapters and produced quickly. A 100-page script might be shot in just one week." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
If you love thinking about how horror reflects societal concerns, but you’d rather not hear the screaming or throw your popcorn all over your fellow cinemaphiles, do we have a deal for you: Horror documentaries. - Reactor
“Despite Korean palace cuisine appearing on Bon Appetit, Your Majesty and other TV shows, these dishes don’t grace everyday dining tables. A certain level of secrecy and gatekeeping had surrounded these recipes over the centuries, which has led to the predicament the cuisine faces today.” - Salon
“At a news conference at Cannes, Coppola discussed the tremendous amount of his own money that he had sunk into the film, saying that he ‘never cared about money’ and that his children ‘don’t need a fortune.’” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
