“Inside the kingdom’s gilded palaces, industry players are mingling with princes and executives, while celebrities stroll red carpets at festivals, concerts and sporting events from Riyadh to Jeddah. ... The willingness to re-engage with the Saudis has been driven by several forces, (especially) Hollywood's insatiable need for new funding sources.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
“Estimates of the size of the video game industry range from $200 to $300 billion — larger than film, television and music combined, by some calculations — and Saudi Arabia, in its relentless, top-down drive to diversify from oil, is taking a big slice.” - The Washington Post (Yahoo!)
Bollywood produces films in Hindi, and there have always been “regional” cinema industries making movies in other Indian languages. Recently, following the huge international success of RRR (shot in Telugu), there has developed a Pan-Indian genre: big budgets, high-quality dubbing in multiple languages, no region-specific stories, nationwide and worldwide ambitions. - TheWrap (MSN)
At first, slop was a widely derided format, the kind of clicky nonsense churned out by content farms or trolls. But, in September, with the launch of OpenAI’s Sora app, a social network and feed for A.I.-generated videos, the company set about convincing users that slop was something we should all be making for fun. - The New Yorker
The TV network ABC will continue to broadcast the ceremony through its centennial edition in 2028. From the following year through 2033, YouTube will retain global rights to streaming the Academy Awards, including pre-ceremony red-carpet coverage. - AP
With the rejection official, Paramount will need to persuade WBD shareholders to tender their shares at that price, or to submit a higher bid than its $108 billion offer that would shift the outcome of the dealmaking. - The Hollywood Reporter
“For Warner, what was missing was a clear declaration from Paramount that the Ellison family” — Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison and his father, tech mogul Larry Ellison — “had agreed to commit funding for the deal.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
You couldn’t avoid the irony: The drama for how traditional Hollywood will be devoured is now as entertaining as anything Hollywood could ever come up with. - The Hollywood Reporter
The AI had taken elements of similar recipes from multiple creators and Frankensteined them into something barely recognizable. In one memorable case, the Google AI failed to distinguish the satirical website the Onion from legitimate recipe sites and advised users to cook with non-toxic glue. - The Guardian
“It takes place in the dead of winter, ... when the awards season race … is nearly over. Perhaps as a result, the festival has, in recent years, been somewhat overshadowed by its sister events (in Cannes and Venice). A new director, Tricia Tuttle, is trying to change things.” - The New York Times
“The US president alleged the broadcaster 'intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively' edited his 6 January speech before the insurrection, in an episode of Panorama just over a year ago.” He is seeking $5 billion for defamation and $5 billion for violating Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. - The Guardian
"Disaster, catastrophe and nightmare. That's how Hollywood's creative workers describe the fall of the once mighty Warner Bros, as Netflix and Paramount battle to buy the historic studio and tinsel town braces for more upheaval and job losses.” - BBC
“Everything on set revolved around the hawks’ well-being. Filming took place between October and January, to avoid molting season. Everyone in the crew wore drab, dark colors, because that’s what the birds were used to. Microphones were hidden because the birds didn’t like booms.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
And hey, why not learn three keys to financial literacy from one of the most highly played Christmas movies in the world? (Actually! This is a great article. Read it.) - Fast Company
