“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
In a paywalled essay in Vanity Fair, the playwright/actor/screenwriter/impresario writes that he read 23 books, finished an outline he owed to a film studio, journaled, and profited from his time off the grid. Indeed, he says, “you could re-create this experience and rich white people would pay for it.” - The Cut (MSN)
“No monies were paid to settle the litigation or to secure Mr. Carney’s signature,” the violinist wrote. “There has never been a personal campaign to defame Mr. Carney or to damage his reputation. An individual creates their own reputation and they just need to own that fact.” - The Violin Channel
“The Salt Lake Tribune is in a unique position among American newspapers, having converted to nonprofit status in 2019. In the years since, it’s achieved financial stability and had the space to think about some foundational questions: What should a nonprofit newspaper look like? What does it owe to a community that a for-profit might not?” - Nieman Lab
A gang of robbers used explosives to break into the Drents Museum in the northern Netherlands in January of last year. They smashed display cases and made off with the 5th-century BC golden Helmet of Coțofenești and three gold bracelets. Announcement of their recovery was made by star art detective Arthur Brand. - CBS News
News of the upcoming set, part of the company’s Architecture series, was leaked by a long-time leaker known as Chief Wiggum, whose predictions have proven true in the past. - Dezeen
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
Through year after year and decade after decade of turmoil, Fairuz’s “Bahebak Ya Lebnan” (“I Love You, Lebanon”) inspired hope and pride in the nation’s resilience. Now many Lebanese associate the song with tragedy, and younger people see the lyrics’ promises as a hollow fantasy. - The Guardian
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
There is one recent development upon which we really should all agree — erecting a gold statue of President Trump in the middle of his proposed presidential library is a No Good, Very Bad Idea. - Los Angeles Times
The items stolen are clearly valuable. But, as an expert in the governance of criminal markets, I can tell you acquiring the goods is only the first step. Turning this loot into cash is fraught with risk. - The Conversation
“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
Yes, literature is structured by institutions that serve their own self-interest, but that self-interest requires a lot of other people to give them their labor at a very low cost. And that can only happen if the business does enough to maintain this glow of prestige. - Woman of Letters
Patricia Norby had been hired to great fanfare, as both the first person to hold the role at the Met and the first Native American to be hired as a curator by the institution. Her appointment was seen as both a watershed and as a response to criticism from various Native American tribes. - ARTnews
