"For the first time in over a decade — excluding the worst of the COVID-19 crisis — no movie opening during the first six months of the year has come close to hitting the $100 million mark in its domestic launch." Indeed, the last one to do so was last summer's Barbie. - The Hollywood Reporter
While links to external websites do appear below the AI-generated answers, some publishers and groups such as the News Media Alliance are afraid that they will attract precious few clicks, since the AI will have already provided the most obvious answer to the user’s question. - Columbia Journalism Review
"Approximately 14 percent of Pixar’s workforce, or around 175 employees, will be let go. … The layoffs are part of Disney chief Bob Iger’s overarching mandate to return to a focus on quality versus churning out content for streaming, which was a priority for his short-lived successor, Bob Chapek." - The Hollywood Reporter
"In addition to laying off staff across 13 departments," including 11 people from the newsroom, "GBH will also stop producing (the shows) Greater Boston, Talking Politics, and Basic Black, (because they) 'no longer draw enough viewers to justify the cost of making them for television.'" - The Boston Globe (MSN)
Most people watching TV are older than those groups. Among cable channels, the median age for TNT and Bravo viewers is 56, for HGTV it is 66, and even the once-youthful MTV’s median-age viewer is 51, according to Nielsen data. The cable news audience is even older. - The Wall Street Journal
"The news presenter has a deeply uncanny air as he delivers a partisan and pejorative message in Mandarin: Taiwan’s outgoing president, Tsai Ing-wen, is as effective as limp spinach, her period in office beset by economic under performance, social problems and protests." - The Guardian
Just like with the plumbing in our house, public radio can’t wait any longer to take action on the leaks in its foundation. They aren’t going to disappear. In fact, more critical systems will fail if we allow the problems to fester. - Current
Trump spokesperson: "We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers. This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies." Director Ali Abbasi: "Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people. They don’t talk about his success rate, though." - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
The actress, who voiced the title character of the Spike Jonze movie about a guy falling in love with a chatbot, says OpenAI approached her last fall asking permission to use her voice for one of their bots. She declined, but says the company created one that sounds "eerily similar." - AP
Netflix and Prime joined broadcast channels for the traditional week of wooing advertisers - and for good reason: “Streaming video now makes up 37% of U.S. television viewing, better than either broadcast or cable TV, according to Nielsen data.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
Some writers and actors feel a sense of community and empowerment; some are noting that the slowdown that began with the pandemic is more full-scale after last year’s slowdown. And, of course, the streamers are still in trouble. - The Guardian (UK)
“If the aesthetic interest in nuns is an enduring one, it’s also true that every few years, like fashion trends or viral flus, nuns have a particularly concentrated cultural moment. We’re living in one now.” - The New York Times
Stunt workers’ tough situation: “Their work is often flashy, which has contributed over time to the misconception of them as daredevils, making it hard for them to be taken seriously. And they’re often in the spotlight only when something goes wrong. They’re otherwise supposed to remain invisible." - The Atlantic
