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☆ A Netflix assistant launched a newsletter for young Hollywood because 'there is no blueprint' to break in, and she's enlisting help from workers at Disney, Showtime, and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A Hollywood assistant role has long been a launching point for a career in entertainment. But "there is no blueprint" for how to get such a job, said Cathy Campo, a creative assistant at Netflix. Campo launched The Hollywood Assistant, a monthly newsletter aimed at industry hopefuls, to change that. In February, Campo launched The Hollywood Assistant, a free newsletter that recently released its sixth edition. It's difficult to make ends meet on those salaries in the costly cities where the entertainment industry is most heavily concentrated: Los Angeles and New York.

Persons: Cathy Campo, Campo, she's, —, Matthew Belloni, Nick Lachey, She's, Emma Weiss, Jonathan Groff, Alyssa Tumale, Drew Barrymore, Brown, Jimmy Fallon, Michelle Greene, Don Rutledge, Natalie Lifson, Buchwald, Allison Leffingwell, Rutledge, Puck, Reed Alexander Organizations: Netflix, Hollywood, Brown University grad, NBCUniversal, CBS, Disney Entertainment, CAA, Chautauqua Ordway, Campo, Universal, Showtime, Media, Universal Filmed Entertainment Locations: Stillwater, Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York

☆ Actors are joining writers on strike against the Hollywood companies, and they're driven by a fear plaguing workers everywhere: Robots are coming for our jobs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Hollywood writers are entering their third month on strike. Film and TV writers say they're among those who have fared the worst as their industry has been remade, even as others reap the rewards. These Hollywood storytellers share something in common with workers in every industry: Everyone is afraid that the robots are coming for their jobs, Terminator-style. Now, they're some of the dominant forces controlling new content development in the entertainment industry. Recently, I reported on how the Hollywood writers' strike is dispiriting industry hopefuls at the outset of their careers — you can read it here.

Persons: Everything's, Fran Drescher, Adam Conover, Ted Sarandos, Bob Iger, Goldman Sachs, You've, We've, Jonathan Handel, Puck, they'll, Zayd Dohrn, —, Dohrn, Reed Alexander Organizations: Morning, NBC, Nickelodeon, Disney, Hollywood, Netflix, Wall, ., Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, SAG, Apple, Big Tech, WGA, Northwestern University Locations: Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York, Chicago

☆ Inside the buzzy newsletter a Netflix assistant launched to create a ‘blueprint’ for breaking into Hollywood — featuring tea from workers at Disney, CBS, and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

☆ The fear driving Hollywood writers to strike — and soon, maybe actors too — is the same one roiling every industry: Robots are coming for our jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Hollywood writers are entering their third month on strike. Film and TV writers say they're among those who have fared the worst as their industry has been remade, even as others reap the rewards. Either way, the bottom line is this: Everyone in Hollywood is afraid that the robots are coming for their jobs, Terminator-style. Now, they're some of the dominant forces controlling new content development in the entertainment industry. Recently, I reported on how the Hollywood writers' strike is dispiriting industry hopefuls at the outset of their careers — you can read it here.

Persons: Everything's, Adam Conover, Ted Sarandos, Bob Iger, Goldman Sachs, You've, We've, Jonathan Handel, Puck, they'll, Zayd Dohrn, —, Dohrn, Reed Alexander Organizations: Morning, NBC, Nickelodeon, Disney, Hollywood, Netflix, Wall, ., Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, WGA, Apple, Big Tech, Northwestern University Locations: Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York, Chicago

LOS ANGELES, July 2 (Reuters) - Thousands of Los Angeles-area hotel workers went on strike on Sunday demanding pay hikes and improved benefits in a region where high housing costs make it difficult for low-wage earners to live close to where they hold jobs, union officials said. Unite Here Local 11, which represents 15,000 workers at more than 60 major hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties, declared the strike a day after the workers' contract expired. [1/4]People protest in front of Hotel Indigo as unionized hotel workers in Los Angeles and Orange County go on strike, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. July 2, 2023. Los Angeles has been a flashpoint for labor strife on several fronts this year, including the protracted writers strike and a three-day walkout in March by education support staff for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Gabriella Borter in New York; Editing by Mary Milliken and Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kurt Petersen, Maria Hernandez, David Swanson, Hernandez, Steve Gorman, Gabriella Borter, Mary Milliken, Josie Kao Organizations: Southern, Hollywood, InterContinental, Hotel, Millennium Biltmore, JW Marriott, Fairmont, Sheraton Universal, Universal, REUTERS, Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Coordinated, Westin Bonaventure, Los Angeles City News Service, Los Angeles Unified School District, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, Los Angeles, Orange, Fairmont Miramar, Santa Monica, Universal City, Laguna Cliffs, Dana Point, Indigo, Orange County, Los Angeles , California, U.S, L.A, Beverly Hills, Long Beach, West, New York

☆ Murray Hill Is Ready to Share His Personal Life
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Shane O Neill | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Murray Hill’s signature catchphrase is a percussive “Showbiz!” When he began performing as a drag king in New York during the mid-90s on stages he recalls being “the size of a postage stamp,” shouting “Showbiz!” called out the irony of his Vegas showman persona against the gritty and grimy environs of underground drag clubs. Today, at age 51, with roles as Fred Rococo on HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere,” which was recently renewed for a third season, and as host of Hulu’s new game show “Drag Me to Dinner,” the distance between Mr. Hill and the mainstream is shrinking. Still, his life isn’t wall-to-wall glamour. “I’m in a two-bedroom apartment right now, the second bedroom being my bathroom where I’m talking to you,” he told me from his home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, during our video call. For Pride season, which lasts the month of June, we unleashed Mr. Hill on the town with his iPhone to capture some of his most “Showbiz!” moments.

Persons: Murray, Fred Rococo, Hill, “, ” Locations: New York, Greenpoint , Brooklyn

☆ Jenny Lewis Keeps Finding the Magic
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Melena Ryzik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

About half of the tracks for the LP were created over two years in Los Angeles. The rest she made in Nashville, where she has also had a home since 2017. (After her own tour, she’ll be joining the Postal Service on the road this fall.) “If you don’t like Jenny Lewis, you don’t like people,” he said. She was estranged from her parents for decades, then reconciled with each late in their lives.

Persons: “ Joy’All ”, Tracy Chapman, Frank Ocean, It’s, —, Rilo Kiley, Postal Service —, she’ll, Dave Cobb, Brandi Carlile, John Prine, Chris Stapleton, Jenny Lewis, ”, birdsong, Lewis, Ram Dass, Elvis, Lucille Ball, Lucy, Gucci, “, Cohen Organizations: Portishead, Postal Service, Records, Nashville, Gucci, Universal Studios Locations: Los Angeles, Nashville, Atlanta

☆ Cannes director open to letting green activists onto red carpet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CANNES, May 15 (Reuters) - Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux said on Monday he was open to letting climate demonstrators onto the red carpet, as the showbiz extravaganza prepared to launch amid bursts of activism on both sides of the Atlantic. But the confluence of at least three major protest movements has put unusual pressure on the organisers. "It's not impossible that we will welcome them at the top of the steps to express themselves," he added. It was too early to tell what effect the writer's strike would have on the festival, he said, but the right to strike had to be respected. Reporting by Miranda Murray and Mindy Burrows; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3' had best second weekend box office hold for MCU in 5 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In its second week in theaters, the director's "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. Most blockbuster films' ticket sales drop between 50% and 70% from the opening weekend to the second week. It is the third-best second week fall of any MCU film since 2008, just behind "Thor," which slipped 47.2% during its second week in 2011. For comparison, the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" film tallied $773.3 million globally during its run in 2014 and "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. The strong box office for "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol.

☆ Drivers unimpressed by F1 plans for more splashy intros
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

That over-the-top scene seemed to go down quite well with fans but left drivers unimpressed, with some looking unsure of what to do beyond wave and smile. F1 says it plans similar splashy intros at eight races this season. "I just hope we don't have that every single time, because we have a very long season, so we don't need an entry like that every time," said Verstappen. The idea behind the catwalk is to provide more interaction between drivers and fans. But drivers say that engagement comes at a cost by taking away time they need to prepare to race.

☆ In a fickle sporting world F1 understands it's "Entertain to Survive"
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But the reality for every promoter is that in the world of fickle fans you now need to "Entertain to Survive". Last year the Miami Grand Prix was the hottest ticket in South Beach and, while resale demand has softened, this year's race is again a sellout with 90,000 attending Sunday's race. While the grand prix is the anchor for a weekend of fun, the races themselves are no longer enough to make the event a financial and commercial success. Hard Rock alone hosts three of Florida's biggest sports - the Miami Grand Prix and the Miami Open tennis as well as being home to the NFL's Dolphins. Miami debuted a new driver introduction to the grid that F1 says will be used at eight races this season.

☆ The 12 Best Movie and TV Comedies to Watch Right Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Wsj Arts In Review Staff | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Here’s a roundup of the most noteworthy movie and TV comedies to watch right now, as covered by The Wall Street Journal’s critics. Rachel Brosnahan and Reid Scott Photo: Amazon StudiosStill breathless after all these years, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” enters its fifth and final season, a marvel in many ways and—doing what? Will the show flash forward to show its title character evolving into a road-hardened comedy legend who is as brittle as her jokes? Or will she finally heed the advice of her in-laws, give up all this showbiz meshugas, attend to her children and make sure they don’t grow up to hate her, or go live on a kibbutz?

☆ ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Season 5 Review: Midge’s Last Set
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Still breathless after all these years, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” enters its fifth and final season, a marvel in many ways and—doing what? Will the show flash forward to show its title character evolving into a road-hardened comedy legend who is as brittle as her jokes? Or will she finally heed the advice of her in-laws, give up all this showbiz meshugas, attend to her children and make sure they don’t grow up to hate her, or go live on a kibbutz? Can’t really say. What one can say is that “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is a funny show, “funny” in the manner of two cannibals eating a clown.

☆ Frank Sinatra musical looking at singer's life and career to open in UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) - A new musical about the life and career of legendary singer and performer Frank Sinatra will open in the British city of Birmingham later this year. "Sinatra The Musical" will debut at the Birmingham Rep on Sept. 23, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the "Come Fly with Me" and "New York, New York" singer’s UK tour, during which he performed in the city. The musical will look at the impact his affair with actress Ava Gardner had on his career, and how he staged "the greatest comeback in showbiz history". "Growing up, there were two pictures hanging in my grandmother's kitchen -- The Pope and Frank Sinatra. "Sinatra The Musical", which has Olivier and Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall at the helm, will run until Oct. 28.

☆ The celebrities that are still defending Putin — and those that have turned their backs on him
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Another former showbiz pal, French actor Gérard Depardieu, has since criticized Putin for his "crazy excesses" and was critical of the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) greets French actor Gérard Depardieu (L) in Sochi, Russia, on January 5, 2013. Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Pool via ReutersIn 2013, Putin signed an executive order making Depardieu a Russian citizen. The actor wanted to become a Russian citizen to save taxes in France, The New York Times reported. In a letter to Russian state television at the time, he said: "I love your president, Vladimir Putin, very much and it's mutual," according to The Times.

☆ Italy's Meloni says France risks undermining EU unity on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday accused France of jeopardising EU unity on Ukraine by organising a Franco-German dinner in Paris with the Ukrainian president that excluded other European allies. "What was right was the photo of Zelenskiy with the 27 (EU leaders). "It is not easy for any of us to handle the Ukraine issue with public opinion. "Obviously I would have preferred him to be there," Meloni told reporters after the two-day EU summit. Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Alvise Armellini, Editing by Federico Maccioni and William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The story behind hing, one of India's most divisive ingredients
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Shalbha Sarda | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The resin from its roots is used in Indian cooking – usually after it’s ground into powder and mixed with flour. At the Khari Baoli market in old Delhi, for instance, hing even manages to ‘out-smell’ all the other spices. Despite the culinary diversity of India, hing is a constant.”Jains, for example, eschew onion, garlic and ginger in addition to not eating meat. The history of hingSome scholars credit Alexander the Great for first bringing hing to India. Nevertheless, Indians have had their encounter with hing now; it came, it saw, and it stayed.”The professor adds that hing was used in some Greco-Roman cooking but didn’t last long.

Persons: ‘ Asa ’, it’s, hing, Hing, Siddharth Talwar, Rhea Rosalind Ramji, Ramji, Talwar, Alexander the Great, ”, Ashish Chopra, “, umami, asafoetida Organizations: CNN, The, Showbiz Chefs, hing, National Library of Medicine Locations: Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, India, Delhi, Worcestershire

☆ 'Avatar: The Way of Water' needs a strong second week at the box office
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

All eyes are on "Avatar: The Way of Water's" second week at the box office. James Cameron's long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time fell short of initial box-office expectations during its debut last week. The movie's second week will help clarify its longer-term box-office prospects. Showbiz analysts often look to the second week drop as an indicator of whether a film will have longevity at the box office or may fizzle quickly. A key example is Paramount and Skydance's "Top Gun: Maverick" which saw ticket sales decline just 29% in its second week in theaters.

☆ Gen Z loves Minions, horror and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The short answer: Minions and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, according to new data from decision intelligence company Morning Consult. Minions, Minions, Minions"It might not be too much of a surprise that Gen Z is all over social media," said Saleah Blancaflor, the business of entertainment reporter at Morning Consult. "Minions: The Rise of Gru" is the sequel to the 2015 film, "Minions," and spin-off/prequel to the main "Despicable Me" film series. Those films, and even a lot of the Marvel movies, came out a little bit before Gen Z was starting to come to age." They like to be scaredIn addition to enjoying comedy content, Morning Consult determined that Gen Z likes horror movies significantly more than the general public.

☆ A slap, a maverick and some ABBAtars: the 2022 showbiz stories
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/8] Will Smith (R) hits Chris Rock as Rock spoke on stage during the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 27, 2022. REUTERS/Brian SnyderLONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - From a shocking Oscars slap to a virtual ABBA taking to the stage, this year has seen a range of entertainment stories dominate headlines. He appeared in court in Britain to plead not guilty to accusations of sex offences dating back almost 20 years. * Tom Cruise premiered his hotly anticipated sequel "Top Gun: Maverick", returning as the cocky pilot he first played in the 1986 action flick. "Maverick" remains the biggest film of 2022, grossing $1.48 billion worldwide.

☆ 'Sr.' review: Robert Downey Jr. deals with his late dad in an intimate Netflix documentary
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —At the end of “Sr.,” a documentary so personal the word “intimate” almost doesn’t do it justice, Robert Downey Jr. ponders what his 90-minute ode to his father was really all about. The simple answer, stripped of celebrity, is the painful process of saying goodbye to an aging, increasingly infirm parent, filtered through the careers of these two entertainers. It’s a conversation Downey Sr. clearly doesn’t relish having, although their interplay throughout is one of warmth, forgiveness and love, and if there was second guessing or recriminations on the way to making that peace, you won’t find it here. Shot over three years, the film captures Downey Sr.’s physical decline as he experiences the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. “I’ll miss him,” Downey Jr. says after visiting the old man with his own young son, Exton.

☆ Robert Clary, ‘Hogan’s Heroes’ star who survived the Holocaust, dead at 96
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters —Paris-born actor and singer Robert Clary, who survived 31 months in Nazi concentration camps but later co-starred in “Hogan’s Heroes,” the US sitcom set in a German World War II prisoner of war (POW) camp, has died at the age of 96. “Hogan’s Heroes” starred Bob Crane as American Colonel Robert Hogan, with Richard Dawson, Larry Hovis and Ivan Dixon playing other POWs. “Hogan’s Heroes” was popular with TV viewers during its run on the CBS network and for decades afterward in syndication even though some critics considered it in bad taste. In 1980, alarm over people trying to deny the Holocaust prompted Clary to end his self-imposed silence about his experiences. He also wrote an autobiography, “From the Holocaust to Hogan’s Heroes.”“We must learn from history,” Clary told the Reno Gazette-Journal in 2002, “which we don’t.”

Christopher Gregory/Getty ImagesDonald McGahn, Trump campaign counsel: I was at the top. Trump's 2016 campaign aides said they paid about 50 people, including part-time actors, to appear as supporters for his 2016 campaign announcement. Corey Lewandowski, Trump campaign managerCorey Lewandowski: I called my wife just as we were getting onto the plane. Stuff that would be from Mars on any other campaign was perfectly normal for the Trump campaign. Mark J. Terrill/AP photo Show less Trump at the Republican National Convention while Cruz speaks on July 20, 2016.

☆ Mayan Lopez and George Lopez use TV show to heal relationship
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Mayan Lopez’s co-star in her new NBC sitcom “ Lopez vs Lopez ” happens to be her real-life dad, George Lopez. As is the Lopez way, art imitates life: George’s previous TV roles in “The George Lopez Show” and “Lopez” were also based on his real life. After divorcing her mother, Ann, in 2012, Mayan Lopez says she felt resentment toward her dad and the two didn’t have much contact until they reconnected during the pandemic. I get to kind of have that (perspective) now.”The genesis of “Lopez vs Lopez” came about when TV producer Debby Wolfe stumbled upon Mayan’s TikTok account. “She was there for ‘The George Lopez Show’ that was based on (dad’s) life.

☆ 'The Fabelmans' review: Steven Spielberg spins his own super-director origin story
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —“The Fabelmans” allows Steven Spielberg to turn his coming-of-age memories into what amounts to a super-director origin story, recalling both his complicated family life and early love of movies and filmmaking. It’s a deeply personal chronicle from one of cinema’s greatest talents, yielding a movie that features wonderful moments within a somewhat scattered narrative. The film opens with the young Sammy Fabelman seeing his first movie, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” in 1952. “The Fabelmans” isn’t a blockbuster, but it’s a window into what influenced a director who has given us countless screen memories over his storied career. “The Fabelmans” premieres in select US theaters on November 11 and expands to wide release on November 23.

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