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☆ MLB roundup: Mariners top Padres, Machado first to violate pitch clock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Feb 24, 2023; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Mike Ford (20) hits a three run double against the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning at Peoria Sports Complex. Machado was not in the batter's box and ready to face Mariners starter Robbie Ray within eight seconds, and the umpire called timeout and assessed a first strike on Machado's count. The Padres scored two runs in the eighth but could not complete the comeback. Reserve shortstop Jackson Merrill went 3-for-3 with a run for San Diego. The Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino and recent Texas signing Robbie Grossman also homered.

☆ Disney’s New ‘Ant-Man’ Movie Brings in Over $100 Million on Opening Weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Paul Rudd continues his role as Ant-Man in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.’Ant-Man often bests his enemies by shrinking to the size of an insect or growing as tall as a skyscraper, as the situation demands. The character’s ticket sales seem to be supersizing with each new movie that comes out. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” from Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios, overcame middling reviews from critics to earn $104 million in domestic ticket sales in its debut, making it the third-highest grossing February release ever, after the 2016 superhero comedy “Deadpool” and Marvel’s 2018 blockbuster “Black Panther,” according to box-office tracker Comscore.

☆ How Nelson Peltz and Disney’s Marvel Chief Teamed Up in Proxy Fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Longtime friends Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter and activist investor Nelson Peltz shared a similar opinion: Walt Disney Co. was spending too much money. Mr. Perlmutter, chairman of Disney’s Marvel Entertainment unit, was known to be passionate about cost-cutting and once demanded that an action sequence in the 2008 movie “Iron Man” be shot with only three Humvees, instead of the 10 called for in the script. His feuds with Robert Iger during the chief executive’s first tenure over how to run Marvel’s movie studio caused a rift that remains.

☆ Disney Special Tax-District Bill Is Approved by Florida Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Arian Campo-Flores | Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Florida Senate on Friday approved a bill that would dramatically alter the governance of a special-tax district near Orlando that has allowed Walt Disney Co. to self-govern the land that houses its theme parks, sending the measure to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis , who is expected to sign it into law. The bill would rename the Reedy Creek Improvement District—which houses Walt Disney World Resort and other parks and has existed for more than 50 years—the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The measure would give Mr. DeSantis the authority to appoint members to its governing body, the five-member board of supervisors, which under current law is essentially handpicked by Disney.

☆ Robert Iger Shakes Up Disney’s Entertainment Operations, Rethinks Hulu Ownership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Robbie Whelan | Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/robert-iger-shakes-up-disneys-entertainment-operations-rethinks-hulu-ownership-11675977189

☆ Disney’s Earnings, Reorganization Represent Early Test for CEO Robert Iger
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Robert Iger returns to center stage under a bright spotlight Wednesday to present Walt Disney Co.’s quarterly results and, more important, a vision for the company. On the same day as his first conference call with Wall Street analysts since returning to the company and succeeding former Chief Executive Bob Chapek , Mr. Iger is also expected to present a plan to reorganize Disney’s corporate ranks and cut costs, which the company has been promising since last year.

☆ Disney Plans to Cut 7,000 Jobs, $5.5 Billion in Costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Walt Disney Co. said it plans to cut 7,000 jobs and eliminate $5.5 billion in costs as part of a major corporate reorganization led by newly reinstated Chief Executive Robert Iger. “We are embarking on a significant transformation,” Mr. Iger said in the company’s earnings release ahead of the announcement. He said the changes would, among other things, reshape the company around creativity, reduce expenses and lead to profits in its streaming business.

☆ Mattel shares tumble after holiday season fails to boost sagging sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Mattel company logo is pictured during the inauguration of the expansion of the Montoi plant, in Escobedo, Mexico March 15, 2022. Barbie-maker Mattel posted fourth-quarter results after market close on Wednesday that came in well below Wall Street's expectations after disappointing holiday sales. The company had hoped that the "all-important holiday season" would be a potential buoy for sales as demand has slowed amid inflation. As it enters its 2023 fiscal year, Mattel is projecting adjusted earnings per share for the full year of between $1.10 and $1.20. The project is a part of Kreiz's larger strategy to transition Mattel from purely a toy manufacturer to a multi-segmented house of toy franchises.

☆ Florida Lawmakers Move to Take Over Disney’s Special-Tax District
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Walt Disney Co.’s dominion over its magic kingdom in Florida may be coming to an end. The bill, sponsored by Orlando Rep. Fred Hawkins, would rename Reedy Creek as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and give Gov. Florida’s state Senate would have to approve any such appointments. Under the current state law, Reedy Creek’s board is essentially handpicked by Disney, which owns almost all the land and assets within the district. The district has wide latitude to approve new real-estate developments at Walt Disney World without having to seek approvals for environmental impact, drainage and other regulations from local authorities, as other landowners must.

☆ A spiritual healer built a Joshua Tree house inspired by domes made for living in outer space. It's on the market for $2.1 million — take a look inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Amanda Goh | Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The otherworldly property, known as Bonita Domes, just hit the market for $2.1 million. Trent Teigen and Robbie RalphJeffrey Weiss, the current owner, bought the house in October 2020 for $808,500, per listing records. Houses in Joshua Tree have a median listing home price of $440,000, according to real-estate data platform Realtor.com. There are currently 181 single-family homes for sale in the area, with prices ranging from $119,999 to $18 million. The Bonita Domes property is the third most expensive listing in the area.

☆ Activist Investor Nelson Peltz Steps Up Pressure on Disney Board
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Robbie Whelan | Theo Francis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Activist investor Nelson Peltz escalated his criticism of the Walt Disney Co.’s board and advocated for the removal of director Michael B.G. Froman , blaming him for backing governance and compensation decisions that Mr. Peltz says have harmed the company. Disney said Thursday that it didn’t support Mr. Peltz or his son, Matthew, named as an alternate nominee for Mr. Peltz, joining its board. “Neither Mr. Peltz nor his son offer skills or experience additive to the Disney board that replace the decadeslong experience of Mr. Froman,” Disney said. Mr. Froman didn’t respond to a request for comment.

☆ ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Climbs Box-Office Ranks With Help From Chinese Audiences
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nearly three-quarters of ticket sales for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ have come from overseas markets. Walt Disney Co.’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” has become the highest-earning movie of the pandemic era, helped in part by its popularity in China, an encouraging sign for film studios this year. The epic science-fiction sequel has sold $2.074 billion in tickets worldwide through Friday, making it the fourth-highest-grossing movie in history. Nearly three-quarters of that total have come from overseas markets, led by China, with $235.4 million in ticket sales, Disney said.

☆ Investing in Space: Doing well to do good
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. I met up with Planet CFO Ashley Fieglein Johnson here in NYC earlier this month, and one thing she said has really stuck with me: "We have to do well in order to do good." And it's true: Space technologies have changed life around the world in a variety of ways, from GPS to communications and more. "The carrot of being able to do good doesn't tend to survive the nuclear winter of a tough economy," Fieglein Johnson said. Planet's stock slid last year alongside other recently debuted pure-play space companies, but Fieglein Johnson sees the company at a "tipping point" because "awareness of Planet is just at a fundamentally new level."

☆ Abbott's medical device sales hit by China curbs, supply-chain issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Leroy Leo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) on Wednesday reported lower-than-expected medical device sales in the fourth quarter as COVID-19 curbs in China and supply-chain issues hit its international operations, dragging shares 2.5% lower in premarket trading. The multinational healthcare giant recorded an overall medical device sales of $3.75 billion, missing analysts' average estimate of $3.84 billion. The company, however, posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, underpinned by strong demand for its diagnostics business and glucose monitoring device FreeStyle Libre. Freestyle Libre has been driving the sales of Abbott's medical devices, offsetting a decline in COVID-19 diagnostic test sales as infections wane. The company recorded $1.1 billion each in sales of FreeStyle Libre and COVID-testing related sales.

☆ 'Avatar' director James Cameron, 'Top Gun' star Tom Cruise snubbed by Oscars
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Director James Cameron arrives at the world premiere of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in London, Britain December 6, 2022. Cameron was joined - in omission - by another box-office standout, actor Tom Cruise, whose starring role in “Top Gun: Maverick” wowed audiences but was overlooked in the best actor category. Another notable snub from the best picture list was "Babylon," "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle's ambitious ode to old Hollywood. This year none of the nominees for best director are women. One of the most successful recording artists of the era, Taylor Swift, also was snubbed by the Academy.

☆ I quit the NFL to trade Pokémon cards. I was making just as much playing football, so I decided to do something I love.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Martinez, 29, retired from the NFL in November 2022 to trade Pokémon cards. I first got involved with Pokémon cards when I was 6. We ended up doing a box break on Whatnot, and we turned $50,000 worth of Pokémon cards into $108,000 in that first show. That's what I try to tell the team — you're in control on that screen. cards, sports cards, shoes, and clothes.

☆ Activist Investor Nelson Peltz to Disney’s New Board Chair: No Thanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Robbie Whelan | Lauren Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Activist investor Nelson Peltz doesn’t think the Walt Disney Co.’s board leadership change will shift the direction of the company, saying the new chairman is little more than a rubber stamp for newly returned CEO Bob Iger , according to people familiar with the matter. On Thursday, Mr. Peltz and his hedge fund Trian Fund Management LP turned up the heat in their proxy battle, despite board changes the Walt Disney Co. made Wednesday in an effort to counter his push. Disney on Wednesday replaced its board chair Susan Arnold with Nike Inc. chairman Mark Parker , and assured investors that he would lead the search for the company’s next chief executive.

☆ Mattel launches taller Barbie aimed at children as young as 3
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Love her or loathe her, Barbie has been transformed again, this time into a version for children as young as 3. I think doll play allows children to really practice storytelling skills, perspective taking and social interactions,” LeVos said. McKnight made it clear that My First Barbie will not be a separate, parallel Barbie universe. Andrea Werner, a pediatric occupational therapist in West Hartford, Connecticut, and mother of a preschooler and an infant, supports doll play as developmentally valuable. “Companies will always be trying to sell consumers the next best thing.”Kohchi isn’t entirely sold on My First Barbie as appropriate.

☆ Disney Tax District Shores Up Development Plans Amid Florida Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Robbie Whelan | Arian Campo-Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Florida legislature in April passed a law eliminating the Reedy Creek district, which has permitted Disney to manage its theme parks and resorts in Florida with little red tape. City officials from the special tax district in Florida controlled by the Walt Disney Co. moved to make changes that would allow Disney to build new theme parks and additional hotel rooms at Walt Disney World, steps that come as the state is trying to rein in the company. At a meeting Wednesday officials from the two cities that make up the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, Fla., approved a resolution to consider changing land-use regulations to accommodate the district’s comprehensive plan, which serves as a 10-year road map for development at Walt Disney World, according to minutes of the meeting and a spokeswoman for Reedy Creek.

☆ I make fake snow for films like 'Fantastic Beasts.' It's fun to make but painstaking to clean up — now I never look at winter movies the same.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jem Bartholomew | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jon Llewellyn works at Snow Business International, a company that produces fake snow. I work at Snow Business International, where we make fake snow for all kinds of movie sets and more. There's a lot of secrecy around Christmas TV ads in the UKPeople talk, so we use code names to muddy the water. Jon LlewellynRecently, we cleaned up this entire area of fake snow on a shoot in Ireland. But it's funny because I thought it looked a bit unrealistic on the cars, even though it was real snow.

☆ Michelle Yeoh gives emotional acceptance speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Michelle Yeoh won the Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture comedy or musical. Yeoh took home the award Tuesday for her starring role in the psychedelic comedy drama “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”“Whew! In her acceptance speech, Yeoh recounted how she wasn’t always accepted in the industry. “Someone said to me ‘You speak English?’ I mean, forget about them not knowing Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Asia, India. For Yeoh, the film is also significant because of the familiarity of its depiction, albeit a bit unconventional, of the immigrant experience, she said.

☆ Disney Adds Lower Priced Theme Park Access and Perks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Robbie Whelan | Jacob Passy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Disney fans have grown increasingly critical of the parks business as the company’s theme parks in California and Florida have grown more expensive and more complicated to book. Robert Iger is making a peace offering to Disney ‘s most fervent fans, in what amounts to his first major change to Walt Disney Co.’s theme-parks business since returning to the company as chief executive in November. Effective immediately, holders of annual passes to Disney’s Orlando-area Walt Disney World Resort will be able to visit the theme parks during afternoon hours without making a reservation, the company’s head of parks Josh D’Amaro said in a memo to staff Tuesday.

☆ Disney Requires Workers to Come to Office Four Days a Week, Starting in March
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Employees who are currently working in a hybrid home and office situation will be expected to come to the office Monday through Thursday beginning March 1. Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger told employees Monday that they would be required to work from a Disney office four days a week, marking one of the most comprehensive return-to-office policies at a large U.S. company since the pandemic. In an all-staff email, Mr. Iger wrote that starting March 1, employees who are currently working in a hybrid home and office situation will be expected to come to the office Monday through Thursday.

☆ Factbox: Golden Globe awards: Full list of nominees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/5] Butler poses backstage after receiving the Breakthrough Performance Award at the 34th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, U.S., January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Mario AnzuoniJan 10 (Reuters) - Hollywood gathers on Tuesday for the 2023 Golden Globes, the first major awards show of the season. After diversity and ethics scandals at the Globes organizer - the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - NBC declined to air the ceremony in 2022, but will broadcast the show this year for its 80th anniversary. The following is the full list of nominees:MOVIESBEST PICTURE-DRAMA“Avatar: The Way of Water”“Elvis”“The Fabelmans”“Tar”“Top Gun: Maverick”BEST PICTURE-MUSICAL OR COMEDY"Babylon"“The Banshees of Inisherin”“Everything Everywhere All at Once”“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”“Triangle of Sadness”BEST ANIMATED FILM“Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio”“Inu-Oh”“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”“Turning Red”BEST PICTURE-NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE“All Quiet on the Western Front" (Germany)“Argentina, 1985" (Argentina)“Close" (Belgium)“Decision to Leave" (South Korea)“RRR" (India)BEST ACTRESS, DRAMACate Blanchett, "Tar"Olivia Colman, “Empire of Light”Viola Davis, "The Woman King”Ana de Armas, "Blonde”Michelle Williams, "The Fabelmans”BEST ACTOR, DRAMAAustin Butler, “Elvis”Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”Hugh Jackman, “The Son”Bill Nighy, “Living”Jeremy Pope, “The Inspection”BEST ACTRESS, MUSICAL OR COMEDYLesley Manville, "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris"Margot Robbie, “Babylon”Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Menu”Emma Thompson, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”BEST ACTOR, MUSICAL OR COMEDYDiego Calva, “Babylon”Daniel Craig, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”Adam Driver, “White Noise”Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”Ralph Fiennes, “The Menu”BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSAngela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Dolly De Leon, “Triangle of Sadness”Carey Mulligan, “She Said”BEST SUPPORTING ACTORBrendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”Brad Pitt, “Babylon”Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Eddie Redmayne, “The Good Nurse”BEST DIRECTORJames Cameron, “Avatar: The Way of Water”Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Baz Luhrmann, “Elvis”Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans”BEST SCREENPLAY“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert“The Fabelmans,” Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner“Tar,” Todd Field“Women Talking,” Sarah PolleyBEST ORIGINAL SCORE“Babylon,” Justin Hurwitz“The Banshees of Inisherin,” Carter Burwell“The Fabelmans,” John Williams“Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio,” Alexandre Desplat“Women Talking,” Hildur GuðnadóttirBEST ORIGINAL SONG“Lift Me Up” by Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)“Ciao Papa” by Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro (“Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio”)“Naatu Naatu” by Kala Bhairava, M.M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj (“RRR")“Hold My Hand” by Lady Gaga, BloodPop, Benjamin Rice (“Top Gun: Maverick”)“Carolina” by Taylor Swift (“Where the Crawdads Sing”)TELEVISIONBEST DRAMA SERIES“Better Call Saul” (AMC)“The Crown” (Netflix)“House of the Dragon” (HBO Max)“Ozark” (Netflix)“Severance” (Apple TV+)BEST MUSICAL OR COMEDY SERIES“Abbott Elementary” (ABC)“The Bear” (FX)“Hacks” (HBO Max)“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)“Wednesday” (Netflix)BEST LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR TV MOVIE“Black Bird” (Apple TV+)“Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix)“The Dropout” (Hulu)“Pam and Tommy” (Hulu)“The White Lotus” (HBO Max)BEST ACTRESS, DRAMAEmma D'Arcy, “House of the Dragon”Laura Linney, "Ozark”Imelda Staunton, “The Crown”Hilary Swank, “Alaska Daily”Zendaya, “Euphoria”BEST ACTOR, DRAMAJeff Bridges, “The Old Man”Kevin Costner, “Yellowstone”Diego Luna, “Andor”Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”Adam Scott, “Severance”BEST ACTRESS, MUSICAL OR COMEDYQuinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”Jenna Ortega, “Wednesday”Jean Smart, “Hacks”BEST ACTOR, MUSICAL OR COMEDYDonald Glover, “Atlanta”Bill Hader, “Barry”Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, MUSICAL, COMEDY OR DRAMAElizabeth Debicki, “The Crown”Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”Julia Garner, “Ozark”Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, MUSICAL, COMEDY or DRAMAJohn Lithgow, “The Old Man”Jonathan Pryce, “The Crown”John Turturro, “Severance”Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”Henry Winkler, “Barry”BEST ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY SERIES or TV MOVIEJessica Chastain, “George and Tammy”Julia Garner

☆ 'Elvis' and 'Avatar' face off as Hollywood returns to Golden Globes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] The Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. Photo taken on December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Mario AnzuoniLOS ANGELES, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The flashy "Elvis" biopic and sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar: The Way of Water" battle for the top honor at the Golden Globes on Tuesday when stars return to a ceremony trying to rebuild its reputation after scandals. The Golden Globes will be back on television after celebrities and broadcaster NBC abandoned the 2022 show because of ethical lapses at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the group that hands out the awards. "I think we're going to see 'Elvis' win and Austin Butler win," said Chris Beachum, managing editor of awards website Gold Derby. Golden Globes voters "have proven time and time again that they love spectacles and they love musicals."

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